Pumpkin picking

It was a little bit wild doing back to back pumpkin patch trips, but with snow supposedly coming on Monday it was necessary.  (Black and frozen pumpkin vines don't make for pretty pictures after all.)   As we started driving through the patch the kids all shared what they were looking for in their perfect pumpkin this year.  Cambrie wanted the biggest one.  McKenzie wanted the roundest one.  Kelton wanted the tallest one.  This pumpkin patch was so large that the kids just wandered on an endless search for the perfect pumpkin.  They'd probably still be wandering if Jeremy and I didn't occasionally turn them back towards the car.  Here's the game in this photo, where are the children? 

Daxton wasn't too sure about the vines so he hitched a ride with Jeremy for awhile until he warmed up to the idea of walking through the patch.  

We found an emoji pumpkin while we were hunting.  Apparently even nature likes to be trendy on occasion.  

Pumpkin snowman.  

And my four pumpkins...all smiling!  

After they found their pumpkins we headed to the hay maze.  This maze is more fun to run on top of instead of running through.  The kids played tag and lept from hay bale to hay bale.  

The boys ran after their sisters but needed jumping boosts from Jeremy and I to leap the distances their sisters could.  

I think the kids spent more time running through this maze than looking for their pumpkins, and that's saying something. 

Preschool Pumpkin Patch

Today Kelton's preschool class went on a trip to Cottonwood Farms.  

It is a pumpkin patch that I have never been to before but is perfect for preschool kids.

The hay maze was tall enough that the kids actually had to think about where they were going, but the adults had viewing platforms so they could help their kids out if needed.

The animals were friendly and we were able to pet them when they wandered close enough to the fence.  

The corn maze wasn't so big that it caused me to completely lose my mind trying to find our way through.  Even though it wasn't big, we still ended up turned around and went out the entrance thinking it was the exit.  Oops!  

The pumpkins were already cut from the vine to make it easy for the kids to pick them up.  Some were piled up high for easy pickings, and some we still near the vines.  Kelton thought the piles were awesome though. 

Even this little pumpkin that Daxton chose was a bit too heavy for him to carry very far.

And there were even wagons I could use to haul the kids and pumpkins from the patch!  (Those red flyers were my favorite part).  

The teachers managed to snag the kids long enough to have story time together as well as to get a somewhat complete class picture.  

The best part of our pumpkin patch trip was that we decided to experiment with a pie pumpkin.  After Daxton went down for a nap Kelton helped me cook the pumpkin, roll the dough, stir the filling, and bake fresh pumpkin pies!  

They were so good that everyone helped themselves to two or three servings.  We'll definitely be doing that again!

Fueling reality

Should I be worried when I look in our pantry and see more exercise supplements than food?

General Conference

I realized that this was the first time we've been home for general conference in over a year!  So when we woke up Sunday morning and I told the kids that I was making conference crepes for breakfast, they responded, "What are conference crepes?"  Gasp!  My kids had forgotten about the deliciousness that I only make twice a year...parenting fail right there.  Luckily for them, I made a mistake with the batter and ended up making a quadruple batch!  We had crepes all day long and filled them with Nutella, strawberries, bananas, yogurt, apples, cinnamon, and powdered sugar.  It was a tasty way to fill our bellies before we filled our spirits.  

One conference tradition that my kids hadn't forgotten were the keyword snacks.  We fill up a dozen bowls with snacks: crackers, strawberries, pretzels, Skittles, and when they hear a corresponding word they get to eat one thing from that bowl.  

McKenzie made most of the labels for us.

This year they listened to the entire afternoon session of conference on bouncing balls.  I don't think I'd call it reverent, but they were listening so I'll call it a win.  

I feel like the entire "theme" of the conference was encouragement: encouragement to act as one, encouragement to not become discouraged with our own inadequacies, encouragement to continue pressing forward in faith, encouragement to hope, encouragement to serve, encouragement to continue on when things get tough.  Our apostles don't want us to sell ourselves short of what we are capable of accomplishing.  I finished listening to the last speaker feeling like I can do this.  President Monson wasn't doing well and watched the whole conference from his home.  Elder Hales actually passed away Sunday right after the morning session.  These men have given their entire lives to serving the Lord and it's incredible what they have been able to accomplish in their lives.  Thinking of them makes me think I can do better, and I think this quote from Elder Uchtdorf helps too.

My goofy boys

I haven't done a boy's post in awhile.  My boys play so differently from my girls it's crazy.  Let's start with this picture.  In one day, in completely unrelated incidents all three boys in our house smashed their head on something and left visible wounds.  (Jeremy's and Daxton's are in their hairline, and Kelton's is a bruised eye).  What am I getting into here?  

Boston and his sisters come play pretty frequently.  This day they were so "boy" that I had to take a picture.  They each hopped on a riding toy and started crashing into each other repeatedly.  

One day I was working on finishing a sewing project and the kids were left to their own for a bit.  I came upstairs and found Daxton looking like this:  Oh boy.  And you ask why I don't sew more often?  

He was such a mess that the only thing I could do was put him in the tub.  He likes to splash and build with his blocks, but he still screams when I try to wash the shampoo out of his hair-every time.

Another day I was trying to catch up on some bills and I looked out the window to see Kelton scooting along the window ledge.  

I walked outside and asked him what he was doing.  He responded that he was trying to find a way to climb up onto the roof!  Sooo close buddy.

I'm now afraid of what I'm going to be losing in the near future.  As I was brushing my hair I kept hearing a clink, and then "Uh-oh."  Daxton had learned how to pull up the floor vent and was dropping toys down inside.  I think I retrieved everything, but I can't be certain.  I wonder how often he's going to be playing this game now.

Sometimes they are creative and aren't causing disasters.  I like those days.  Days like when Kelton paints a picture.  He doesn't really like coloring with crayons at all, but he loves painting.  

And days like when Daxton will try on an extra pair of shoes laying around the house.  No harm there.  

I love it even better when they are playing together.  Daxton has taken over all of the train tracks in the house and has claimed them as his own.  Kelton has been so sweet and doesn't even care that the most recent train track was actually his birthday present.  He helps Daxton put the tracks together all the time.

And sometimes the boys are just goofy.  Why is he scooting around the kitchen floor with his tongue hanging out?  I have no idea.  

And why is Kelton trying to dance, spin in circles, and make funny noises while walking to the car from preschool?  Because they are goofy, goofy boys.

Soccer stud

Soccer season is up and running again.  Kelton's game are still incredibly entertaining, even if his siblings sometimes don't love spending another hour on the field. 

 Kelton is actually pretty good.  He's so aggressive in fact that he is the only one on his team, and on the field, who scores consistently. 

 Sometimes the other team gets past him and sometimes Kelton is on the other side of the field when his teammates score.  But truthfully out of the ten goals or so scored each game Kelton is responsible for seven of them.  It gets to the point where I just feel bad for the other kids that Kelton is dominating the game.  At the last game we pulled Kelton aside and told him that maybe he should help the other kids on his team score too.  He looked at me with all confusion and said, "But Mom, I can do it all by myself."  Yes, yes he can.  To his credit however, when we went back out onto that field he tried to save the ball for his teammates by standing over it and protecting it from the other team.  It was sweet.  I'm glad he likes it so much, and I hope that he continues to have fun.

Mustang Mile

I was almost emotional at the Mustang Mile this year, it was Cambrie's last year participating as a student.  Next year she can come back and help volunteer at the games, but it was the end of a chapter for her and I wasn't totally okay with that.  When we arrived at the school both girls ran off to find their friends and I was once again reminded how lucky we are that they are independent enough to do that, and that we live in a safe enough community that I don't worry about them at functions like this.  I found a spot near the starting line with the boys so we could watch the girls as they dashed by.  Fifth grade lined up first so they could run as fast as they wanted to without worrying about running over the little ones.  Cambrie and her friends worked their way to the front and they dashed off as soon as they heard the horn.  

Second grade was three grades later but McKenzie's friends had done the same thing (which makes for great pictures so thank you girls!).  

I didn't try to chase them around the peanut this year but instead headed straight for the other end of the parking lot so I could watch them cross that finish line.  Earlier in the week the fifth graders had done their official fifth grade race and Cambrie took seventh.  I watched for her at the beginning but it looks like she, and the others who placed high, made this run more of a victory lap and they didn't run as fast.  Cambrie's just saving her juice for the district cross country meet in a couple of weeks.  

McKenzie's smile was so big when she came running by.  I think I managed to snap a perfect running picture for the first time in my life.  I was really proud of both of the girls for having fun during their runs and doing so well.  

After the run it was time for games, tickets, prizes, and food.  Cambrie had already informed me that she was spending the entire night with her friends, but it was still fun to see her appear randomly with that grin on her face and her report of how many tickets they had earned.  Kelton stuck with McKenzie for awhile earning tickets before I took the boys to eat and she left with some of her other friends too.  The rest of the night was a whirlwind of bounce houses, playgrounds, carnival games, and checking in on wandering children.  Even when it grew dark and it was time to go home I didn't have the heart to pull Cambrie away.  Part of me really wanted to just let her stay forever, because by pulling her away it felt like I was stopping her childhood.  I know it's ridiculous but it's true.  

It turned out to be a good prize night and all of the kids were able to pick out what they wanted. 

On the walk home we also stopped to take a picture with Thunder, the school mascot.  It was another successful Mustang Mile!