Flavors of Fall

 It is fall in full force. 

Mackayla stepped right into her familiar role of being IN the MIDDLE of things. Although this time it was perfect. Fall leaves should be sat in.

 We carved pumpkins last night.

And had tapioca pudding

and made toasted pumpkin seeds

and dehydrated apples

I found a dehydrator on sale. I've wanted one forever and finally got one!

mmmmm...i love the flavors of fall

The only way it could have been more perfect is with apple cider.

I gotta get some.

This middle is so gooey! :

We had pancakes the other night - pancake mix, water, and pumpkin pie filling. Simple and delicious!

  Can you see the stroller full of apples behind Macey? We got them from a ward member (who I love) who met us at the church behind our house as she was dropping off her son for scouts. We started talking, and kept talking... and the next thing I knew Macey and Cody were sitting in on the scouting classes (outside, about bikes). Macey was right in the middle of all the boys, listening intently. Cody even got a tire pressure gauge. He asked for it the first thing when he woke up this morning.

I love his enthusiasm. He is fascinated with pretty much everything.

The first thing Macey asked for as she sat up in bed was her pumpkin.

 Ben has worked a ton lately but was able to come home and eat dinner and help out before he went back to work. The kids were so excited.

Cody drew a picture of how he wanted his pumpkin to look.

 Macey commissioned her pumpkin to look like a cat.

At least, the artist tried.

And who says a pumpkin can't look like a kitty? It just needs ears.

 Do you want to know what happens when you ask Macey, even nicely, to look at the camera too many times and she doesn't?  This: 

 Then this:

I get strange irresistible urges to take pictures of her crying. Is that mean?

Cute Macey, we love you and your sensitivity. You care so much about other people's feelings and always knows their likes and dislikes. 

What an admirable quality.

I LOVE my kids. My day revolves around them. This IS what I have time for.

The best part is we knew without a doubt that this is the place that the Lord wanted us.

That's very reassuring.

And it is so fun seeing different parts of the country at different times of the year.
They are all beautiful in their own way!

Pumpkin Patch

A beautiful day for a school Field Trip!

This was also particularly eventful for Cody since it was his first day on a school bus. So cool.

Picking a pumpkin out of the field

Cody wanted the best one

 Macey wanted a little one

 Mackayla wanted a bag. And to sit in the dirt.

 Two of his good friends in class are Hallie and Brooke

Mackayla helped me haul a load of pumpkins to the car

 Maybe I haven't been to a lot of pumpkin patches, but this one was one of the cuter ones we've been to! .

 with a great big slide

 and a cute little maze

 john deere trike races

a big turkey

 a real corn maze

 and a "wheat box"

Mackayla wanted to get in so bad I finally plopped her in with a ton of rough little boys.

She wasn't the least bit concerned when they dumped sand on her and bumped her

 What a fun way to celebrate my birthday. We also made pumpkin sugar cookies

 The decorating is the best part. I didn't have orange food coloring. boo. 

 This is the real reason decorating is fun for Macey

 A sweet friend brought over chocolate cupcakes too. Yum!

 She is obsessed with shoes. One of these days she will even be able to put them on.

Material and shoe obsessions. Hmmm. 

It's starting to look like fall around here. 

Today is the first day it has rained since we moved here. We're in for a lot more!!

The WarZone

There is something truly exciting about playing in dirt when you're a kid.

And something magical about giving them a bath to erase that dirt and smell.

Their cute little feet STINK.

It's also pure chaos. Lately our baths go like this:

The bath is turned on.

Mackayla instantly comes in and starts trying to take off her clothes to get in.

 The rest of them pile in.

Macey reminds me daily without fail "Do not do the 1 2 3." 

In case you weren't familiar with The 123, it is when I unfeelingly dump water on heads to wash hair. Some might fall into eyes.

I don't do it to Macey.

She knows me well. I would probably forget and dump water on her.

 Mackayla starts screaming in this deep (for a little girl baby) hoarse voice her characteristic "Mom!"

This one means: "Mom get me some soap NOW, I want to wash my belly."

I pump some soap in her little hand and she hurriedly rubs her belly up and down.

 She washes her belly about 20 times, yelling mom before each time.

For as annoying as that is, I seriously love it.

 Macey carefully and oh so awkwardly lays back while I carefully rub some shampoo in her hair and carefully rinse it out. I also love it and not so love it because it's so time consuming for my impatient self. What a small and good lesson in patience.

 If too much time has elapsed Cody might possibly start spitting water, accidentally hitting everyone in the face. Mackayla, who loves baths as much as life itself, may even want to be rescued.

My favorite part of bedtime is books. I might love library books more than my kids do.

And that is the warzone.

...

Other random things:

This is a house we made

 that was supposed to entertain them for hours. it lasted minutes. fun to make

JOY in the Journey not the destination. right?

 Lately Mackayla likes to be right in the middle of whatever is going on.

As in, IN the middle.

Legos - on them.

(This is Cody's latest obsession. He's actually getting really good!)

Books - on them.

Games - on them.

 This last weekend was conference. I LOVE conference. Having kids makes my blood pressure rise just trying to think of ways to entertain them and get them to be quiet so I can soak up every last word.

Alas, I remind myself that reading them after is always more productive anyway.

 This year I tried conference packets, activities and candy. The packets worked for ten minutes until Cody finished his conference guy and Macey had completed all the mazes (she's currently obsessed with mazes.) The candy worked...Macey even asked me if could do the "President Monson talking" again. 

...

We have the cutest neighbors. Two of them are boys a little older than Cody. But they LOVE playing together. Macey is even one of the gang.

Mackayla always wants to join in and has even destroyed a couple of pants trying to keep up.

She could walk. I've seen her take a step! She hasn't decided she wants to yet.

She still loves her bike and can do it herself now.

She also loves her belly.

She just remembered it under there.

 There it is. Pretty cute.
Oh and apparently she says lots of little words.
It's easy to miss them unless you're listening.
GO GO GO is a favorite.
Duck.
Bye.
woof.
moo.
Cody. pronounced someway actually unlike Cody but it's consistent so we'll call it a word.
She's either very quiet and content or really yelling in your face so it's hard to catch when she's just...talking.

  Macey got "roughed up" -in her words today. First she fell in the dirt. Then got hit in the head with a frisbee, which drew blood and bruises. Then our pull up bar fell on her head. She has some serious bad luck or bad timing. Poor girl! 

Since Ben was working all night tonight I watched PBS.
I don't know why but I love that station.
It was a special on the lives of Obama and Romney. So enlightening about both of them.
It helped me understand who Obama was a little more. And like Romney even more, even if many of the people they interviewed didn't like him. One of the men he worked with as governor of Massachusetts said he never fit in socially in the office and he didn't realize what a big disadvantage that was. Maybe it's just me, but I wondered if it was because he didn't drink and that is what they did socially. Or more possibly because he spent his extra off-work time with his family. The special also interviewed people who said some weird things about mormons, like "they want single moms to give up their children for adoption; they shouldn't raise them."...what?  I'm sure people will believe what they want to believe, but hopefully facts about mormons aren't completely skewed.
I finally registered to vote...I guess having to get a new license wasn't all bad, even if it took three visits and one driving test (minus children with their father who took time off of work to babysit!) to get it!