pumpkins and apples.

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two days before halloween we had a little pumpkin carving party that started on the back porch and ended in the kitchen.  the kids (mostly ava) had fun digging out the pumpkin seeds and pumpkin guts.  they each took turns designing a part of the face... one did the eyes, one did the nose, one did the mouth and one played on the ipad.  after pumpkin carving, we made some yummy carmel apples.  jonah preferred his with no carmel and eden had already met her sugar quota for the day so they basically ate apples on a stick.  after this night, i think we were officially in the halloween spirit.

a summer evening a long time ago.

way back when it was in the triple digits and the only time you went outside was when the sun was starting to set, we played an evening game of hopscotch made with some good ol fashion sidewalk chalk.  i remember this evening because a) everyone was getting along and b) it was slightly overcast so the weather felt a little cooler than the normal "i think my face is going to melt off".

so far, this fall weather has been amaaazing.  we have barely been in the 90's at all which is almost unheard of in october in gilbert, arizona.  and the nights get down into the 50's which means we sleep with our windows open.  i will take some free air conditioning any time i can get.  i wish this weather could last forever but than there's a part of me that is ready for some really cold weather.  like cozy socks and coats and hats kind of cold weather.  oh and don't forget the hot chocolate.  it's going to be here before we know it!  bring on the seasons.

mother nature's farm.

jonah and i got to tag along on eden's pre school field trip to mother nature's farm.  well, actually i was supposed to be helping out but instead i was chasing my own 20 month old child the whole time and i wasn't much of a help at all.  i'm still glad we got to go because it reminded me that even though our weather doesn't reflect it, it is fall out there. somewhere, i'm sure. there were so many pumpkins and fallish things to do.  they kept the kids busy with a hayride, feeding the farm animals, playhouses, pumpkin picking, a maze, pumpkin decorating, and of course, a bounce house.  it was a good time but after a few hours with a bunch of 3-4 year olds, i was ready to go home.

halloween 2012.

halloween 2012

darth vader, merida from brave, rapunzel in her wedding dress, and a max, who was very eager to get back to being king of the wild things. (he did not want his picture taken)

what a fun night!  it's so amusing watching my kids trick or treat at there different ages in life. for instance,  jack is always a good 3 houses ahead of everyone.  ava is somewhere in between wanting to keep up with jack but still not wanting to be too far from mom and dad.  eden is a good two houses behind everyone...(she likes to take her time and tell us how tired she is every few seconds).  and jonah is the cutest trick or treater of them all.  he would say trick or treat in his cute little baby talk, hold out his bag and then hold it again to see if he could score some extra candy and then wave and say "guy guy" as he walked away.  my heart would melt each time.

thank goodness, jason brought along his lazy-mobile for all those tired feet.  i think eden was the most thankful.  she would go to a house and then climb back on the golf cart and jason would drive five feet and she would climb back off to go to the next house.  that girl cracks me up.

our halloween was a great one and we are now ready for some... christmas music!  okay, maybe in a couple of weeks.  i'm not going to jump the gun that soon :)  (although, i'm sure there are some crazies out there who are.)