Carving Pumpkins

For FHE the week of Halloween I decided to carve pumpkins with the kids. Jason was at class so we did it by ourselves. I let the kids pull all of the seeds out of the pumpkin and they thought it was pretty funny. Brooklyn was pretty fascinated by the whole process and Carson kept wanting to cut the pumpkin himself. By the time we got one carved I decided that one was enough! We turned off the lights and lit the candle and it was fun to see their reaction. We set it on our porch and Carson made sure we lit it every night that week. It was really a lot of fun to do with the kids. I think it will get more and more fun as the years go on.

Cousins!

Ashley and Shaun went to Salt Lake for their anniversary and Kenzlee, Brock, and Joslynn stayed with us for the weekend. The kids LOVE their cousins and it was lots of fun. Kenzlee was a great help with Brooklyn and Joslynn (who love to fight) and Brock and Carson played really hard. It's fun to watch Carson and Brock play together. Carson is finally old enough to really play well with Brock and they have lots of fun. They both slept on the bottom bunk and poor Brock got smothered by Carson.

On Saturday we went to the playground at the elementary school by our house. The kids played on the slides, jungle gym, and swings. They also played on the teeter-totter. Carson had never seen one or played on one before, so he thought it was amazing. I took turns with the little girls on my lap and we teeter-tottered with Kenzlee.  Brooklyn and Joslynn would laugh and laugh when it was their turn. So sweet and so cute.

At one point we all piled on a tire swing and slowly (to make sure no one fell off) rocked side to side. I did my best to get a decent picture before anyone fell off. :)

 

Later that day we painted pumpkins in the driveway. Once again, Brooklyn had a lot of fun with the paint. I don't think there was a single inch of the pumpkins that didn't have paint on them. 

We had a lot of fun with our cousins. We need to make this more of a monthly tradition!

Pumpkin Patch

When my dad came up to help us move, we decided to take a break from all of the work and go to the pumpkin patch. The weather was pretty nice for October and the kids had fun. There are TONS of pumpkins and the kids liked picking out their own. Papa pulled them around in a wagon, which was a huge hit.

They also have a train that will take the kids for a ride around and through the pumpkin patch. Carson and Brooklyn both love trains so we thought it would be a lot of fun for them and their cousins to ride. Carson did love it, but Brooklyn screamed the whole time, even though she was on Jason's lap. Even with the wind blowing we could hear her across the pumpkin patch. Silly girl.

Inside the Big Red Barn they had a little of kittens that the kids could hold. Carson was in love. It was so cute to watch him tenderly pet them and pick them up. Brooklyn didn't want anything to do with the kittens. Cranky baby!

We were so glad to have Papa with us. Carson loves Papa so much. So does Brooklyn, but you can't tell in the picture because she was screaming at the top of her lungs. Seriously, she was so cranky.

We love going to the the pumpkin patch. It has become a family tradition for us and I'm looking forward to many more years to come.

Boo at the Zoo

On Monday night, we went to Boo at the Zoo for Family Home Evening. Jason met me there in between his classes and Carly met me there after she got off work. Ashley was so busy moving and preparing for Young Women in Excellence that I took Kenzlee, Brock, and Joslynn for the night. We had 5 kids under the age of 6! Lots of fun but quite the handful.  

The Zoo was decorated with lights, decorations, blow up characters throughout the entire thing and it was really cool! The kids took it all in with wide eyes.

 They had a big straw maze that the kids went through with Jason and Carly. Brooklyn and I had to meet them at the end because you couldn't take a stroller through. 

 Carson was mesmerized by this big inflatable cat on top of the roof. He kept staring at it and telling Jason that the cat was stuck. 

 They had a stage set up with hay bales and the radio station had fun halloween dance music playing. They let the kids go up on stage and dance their hearts out. Carson and Kenzlee went up there and Carson danced and jumped and laughed. It was really cute. 

 Miss Brooklyn was such a good little owl and just hung out in the stroller the whole time. She did such a good job! She didn't get fussy until the very end.

We really enjoyed Boo at the Zoo and we will probably do it every year from now on! The kids liked it and it looked amazing. 

Carving Pumpkins

Sunday night we decided to carve the pumpkins we got the day before at the pumpkin patch. Carly and Will came over and we got started! Brooklyn only got to see Carly and Will for a minute, and then it was bedtime for her. She still had an ear infection and needed her sleep. Carson and Daddy played around while they waited for me to get her to sleep.

 Carson didn't know what to expect when we carved pumpkins. When I had him stick his hand in the pumpkin to get the seeds out he squealed! I'm pretty sure it was the slimiest, grossest thing his mommy has every told him to do. He loved it. 

Carly and Will hard at work! 

Carson and Daddy carving pumpkins

Carson and Mommy's Pumpkins

Daddy's Transformer Pumpkin

Aunt Carly's Ghost Buster pumpkin

After we put Carson to bed, this is how we found his doll. Apparently it got stuck trying to open the door. 

Pumpkin Patch

The Saturday before Halloween we had planned to go to the Red Barn U-Pick Pumpkin Patch to pick pumpkins. Because of the blizzard the night before, the pumpkins were covered in snow and it was really cold! Carly and Will met us there and we all searched for the perfect pumpkins.

Carson was so excited to see so many pumpkins! He likes to play with my pumpkin decorations at home, so he thought the real ones were really cool.

 Jason with his 2 kiddos. Brooklyn was really warm in her fleece outfit. She didn't seem to mind at all that it was chilly. 

 Daddy and his little girl.

 Uncle Will and Aunt Carly

 Carson got to ride in the wagon with the pumpkins. He was bossy about which way we went and he was all smiles.

 Carson and Daddy picking out Carson's pumpkin! 

 Aunt Carly and Brooklyn. She didn't seem to interested in picking her pumpkin. :)

 Brooklyn LOVES her Uncle Will. She is all smiles when he holds her. She just stares at him with a huge grin and tries to touch his face. It's pretty cute. 

 The Red Barn has a train that you can ride around. Carson saw it and went crazy! He loves trains, and he loves  riding on the trains. It was really muddy and the train got stuck a few times, but he didn't care. Mommy was freezing by the time we were done, and so was Carson, but he wanted to ride again! 

  Once we were done riding the train, the conductor let Carson sit in his seat! Carson was very interested in all of the buttons and the train whistle. He was not a happy camper when we told him it was time to go. The only way we got him to leave the pumpkin patch was by telling him we were going to go have hot chocolate and pizza at home. 

 I think next year we will go to the pumpkin patch at the beginning of October instead of waiting until the end. We should have known better since we live in Idaho.