Halloween 31 October 2009

Halloween...lots of fun dressing up....here are the older 6, ready to go to our ward Halloween party....I had fun braiding a hanger into Kylie's hair so it would stick out for her Pippy Long Stocking costume. Elise, the country girl; Chet, the YuGiOh Dual Master; Savannah, "Sarah" the Dragon (she "just likes that name"); Quinn, the Knight....who happens to be after the dragon, Sarah...much to Savannah's dismay; and Ammon, as Buzz Lightyear.

Later, Elise turned into the girl from Hawaii...shorts, sunglasses, Hawaiian shirt...much cooler for our 80+ degree weather! So, I decided to go "cowgirl" with Brooke for our neighborhood gathering.

Brenden scared all the trick-or-treaters that came our way that evening....it was hilarious to hear the kids saying things like, "He's not real." "You go...no you go up there..." And, then, to hear them gasp when they actually pulled together enough courage to approach the door...only to have Brenden move! (Brenden would stand in front of the candy bucket...then move aside when they came up.) I have to agree...he does look pretty scary!

It's Fall....almost October 2009

Once again it is almost November and it's 80 degrees outside. The kids love that they can still wear shorts! :)

Brenden's Birthday! October 2009

We celebrated another birthday for Brenden....one year older and wiser....
We had banana and chocolate cream pies....YUM!

Picking Apples October 2009

From Table Rock, we drove to Mountain Rest, SC where we picked apples! The trees were loaded...and there were lots of gnats loving the apples that were on the ground....so it didn't take us long to pick our bushel or so of apples and be on our way :)

As always...Brooke is happy to be out and about with her family...keeping us smiling :)

Table Rock October 2009

Camping at Table Rock was a fun get-away for our family! The weather was great, the colors were beautiful, and being together was everything.

This was our first experience at Table Rock. When we pulled in to our reserved site, we discovered one long rock driveway. Not quite what we were expecting, but it actually turned out to be a nice spot. We set up our "Big Mac" tent...the tent I used to camp in with my family growing up! :), got a campfire going and enjoyed cooking hamburgers and roasting hotdogs for dinner.

There just happened to be a creek running at the far end of our site...which the boys were immediately drawn to. During our stay there, they designed a dam of sorts and created a little pool and a very relaxing babbling waterfall to listen to as we enjoyed the campfire. We also enjoyed a beautiful 5 mile hike that lead us to various waterfalls...

...the timing was perfect, as the colors were in full swing.

Quinn and Ammon enjoyed leading the pack much of the time.

The trail was well laid out. Although at one point, where there were some pretty steep steps to climb, I overheard Ammon (who was in front of me) talking to himself, saying, "Be strong. Be strong." as he climbed up the hill. What a trooper! :)
I collected a few leaves from our hike and put them on our table to enjoy.So...here's a snapshot of each of the kids...

Elise wasn't too keen on being photographed, so this is the best I could do...

Kylie and Brooke enjoyed swinging in our hammock...for the last time, I'm afraid. Just after this picture was taken, Brenden sat down in it, and....it broke. Bummer. It has served us well these last 17+ years....maybe it's a blessing in disguise and now we can get a more sturdy two-person hammock :) Chet managed to find several long legged friends...and happily discovered that they walk on water.

Savannah found the "tree to Terabithia" (sp?) on our hike...she was pretty excited about that! Quinn absolutely loved being out doors!Ammon....was just his wonderful self...happy to be anywhere....loving life in all its forms :) Brooke enjoyed being Daddy's little girl :) OK....so, I because I tend to be the photographer, I generally don't get many flattering pictures of myself....here I am carrying Ammon on my back.....It was a great weekend....must do it again!

Ammon as Capt. Spidey Hood October 2009

I just had to post this one! The kids have been going through the costume box in preparation for Halloween...and Ammon came up with this costume the other day. He was so excited to show me...Spiderman, Hook and Robin Hood all in one! (Those are Robin Hood shoes on his feet...he just didn't realize they were supposed to go over his toes, I guess.) What a creative little guy :)

Chet is ordained 11 October 2009