October Doings

I started October with a fun ladies of the lake gathering going to Carpintos and doing the two corn mazes there. It was fun to visit while we figured out where to go and we only got lost a few times.

I always look forward to general conference. It's a weekend of relaxation, family time, and hearing the words of our prophet and apostles. I love our little traditions that come with it. Candy with words to help the girls listen. If they hear that word, then they get a piece of candy from that bowl. One talk the word was love and one speaker said it so many times! Paige was in heaven just sitting there gathering up all her nerd clusters. He ended his talk with something like may we all be full of Jesus' love and Paige said "I sure am!." :) Then we also always have cinnamon rolls and sausage balls Sunday morning and always get the legos out to keep our hands busy while we listen.

Paige finshed up track season this month. She continued to do long jump and hurdles. She was pretty consistent and did amazing. These pictures are from her home meet.

The Reptile Man came to Baylor's school and did an assemly to show them all the reptiles he has and then he did an evening event for families. We have seen him before and it's always entertaining to see all the reptiles and listen to his stories. The girls pet a boa constrictor, held a turtle (that peed and pooped while Paige was holding it), and of course got our picture with Lucy the alligator.

Nate kept McCall busy by making all sorts of faces. :)

I went bowling with the youth for our combined activity which is always fun. I even got a couple of strikes!

I love walking at the park with this cute girl and she always wants to play at the playground. This particular day she was all about posing at different spots and asking for a picture. She is too cute!

Paige and Baylor's 2 square court they created. I'm not going to lie, that I'm a little sad with cooler weather coming mostly because the girls have loved playing outside and they will miss it.

This girl and her MANY faces!

Whenever I get the the KitchenAid mixer out, McCall comes running and says, "Up, Please." It's so cute and she loves to help me especially when I'm making cookies. She loves to be my taste tester.

I went for my first time with Celina, Matilda, and Jonah to a play time at Kent Commons. The gym is filled with all sorts of bikes, balls, and toys and is for kids under 5. I wasn't sure how McCall would do but she loved it and had so much fun.

Then Paige had her last track meet and this school had a nice track for her to end her season on.

Paige was in charge of one of our young women activities this month and she wanted to do a paint night with a twist. The girls all started paiting their pictures and after a few minutes, Paige said, "Switch!" There were some groans but they accepted it and had fun adding to each picture as the pictures got past around. It was super fun to see the end results!

We are all excited for Halloween and Baylor had to try out this costume and was a little unsure about it but it was fun to try out at home.

Fall Fun

Our family loves summer but we have really also been enjoying fall and the fun things that it brings. I love the gorgeous colors every morning when I'm driving the girls to school. I love that it means the approaching of holiday season. I love the fun decorations that this time of year brings. I love the fun traditions that come with this time of year where my little family connects and get excited for the little things that bring magic.

All these leaves falling usually equals work- blowing and raking the leaves and bagging them up but to the girls it means jumping in a big pile of leaves and oh the fun! Nate did the work and Baylor was SO excited to get out there and jump over and over. McCall was excited up didn't really know what she was getting herself into and then she saw Baylor do it and loved it just as much.

I loved watching McCall get set and then see her little arms go as she ran as fast as she could towards the pile and then just fall in.

Of course a big pile of leaves means a little photo shoot.

Then more jumping over and over and over again.

Baylor LOVED it! She tried jumping into the leaves in lots of different ways and it was fun to see her try new ways and watch her creativity at work.

There were lots of leaves in their hair by the end of it all. It was such a fun way to end our day!

Then after school one day, I got Baylor's tutu made for her Halloween costume and then both Baylor and McCall wanted their fairy wings on and they were so cute so of course I had to get some pictures.

It was a magical moment in time for them and for me.

McCall loves doing whatever her sisters are doing and loved copying anything Baylor would do as they "flew" up and down the street.

This girl! Her personality shines in these pictures as she was doing all sorts of magical spells and fairy positions as I snapped away with the camera.

Then we did our yearly tradition of carving pumpkins. Baylor pretty much did  hers all on her own this year with a little help from dad. She was pretty proud of herself and so excited to show hers off to everyone once she got it all done.

McCall was a little unsure about the pumpkin guts at the beginning but loved using any of the tools she could get her hands on. At first she just liked poking her pumpkin with the tools but then got into scooping out the guts.

Paige had her pumpkin all planned out weeks ago and was excited to see it come to life. It turned out amazing and fit perfectly for her.

All done and set outside for everyone to enjoy!

Paige's braces pumpkin, Mcall and my spooky tree scene, and Baylor's happy jack-o-lantern. They all turned out amazing and I love seeing them on our front porch.

Now onto Halloween!

Bainbridge Island

We made our annual trip to Bainbridge Island for the pumpkin walk. We invited Matilda's family to join us and Nona came along too. The weather was on the cooler side, but we enjoyed the day exploring and showing friends some of our favorite spots of the island.

First was the pumpkin walk at Bainbridge Gardens. I had all the girls paint some pumpkins to take with us so they could add their creations to everyone else's.

So much talent and so many fun pumpkins to see!

The girl's found the perfect spots for their pumpkins.

Then we did some photo ops and just wandered around the shop there before having a picnic for lunch.

Our next stop was Fort Ward. We enjoyed walking the trails, exploring the old fort, did some beach combing, and enjoyed the beautiful fall colors.

It was so cute watching Nate with Matilda and Baylor. They were loving turning over rocks and finding all sorts of little crabs scampering away.

I followed McCall around as she explored rocks, the water, and the sand.

This stop was probably my favorite part of the day. It was so fun to see the joy on all the girl's faces just looking for all sorts of creatures. 

McCall just loves Jonah and wants to help him do whatever he is doing. He is such a cute and smiley little guy.

We walked to the upper barracks to explore a little more.

The girl's liked to go in the dark rooms and hear their voices echo.

It was just the cutest seeing McCall and Matilda hold hands for a little bit as we walked back to the cars.

Next stop was to see the troll.

It was Paige's first time seeing this one and they are always pretty magnificent to see- so much detail and creativity!

Our friends left at this point to head home but we stayed longer because Paige wanted to go and do the labyrinth. 

Our last stop was a ferry ride to get back to the mainland to head home. Baylor and Paige didn't last long outside and enjoyed the ferry ride from the inside with Nona. I will always stay out as long as I can on a ferry ride no matter how cold and windy it is. I love ferry rides so much and it is my dream that we will be on one and I will see a whale. McCall stuck it out and handled the wind like a champ. She clung to her hood to keep it on and was memorized by the moving water and the boat. It is always so pretty to see the Seattle skyline!

What a wonderful day spent with family and friends!