October 2018: A few random tidbits and Pumpkin Patch

One morning when I came home from work, I opened the garage door and found this sign waiting for me. That Peter is such a sweetheart! 

 He is also such a nut! - see below

 The girls have been taking skating lessons almost every Saturday and they are each getting so much better! Arabella and Lily have moved up in the classes from level 1 to level 3. Samantha was really timid about skating at first but she has gained so much confidence and should not be in level 1 much longer. The girls want skates for Christmas! 

There was some beautiful weather at the end of October and so we loaded the kids up and went to a corn maze/pumpkin patch. The corn maze was short but we had fun together. The kids humored me with a few pictures and then we headed out and took the kids to Sonic for some half price slushes. 

October 2018: Arabella 4th Grade Concert

The music teacher, Mrs. Moreno, put together the most amazing music program this year. It was filled with songs from movies and the kids were encouraged to dress up as movie characters. There were classic songs and some great dance moves. 

Arabella was a great little dancer and singer. 

She shone and was in her element! 

 She dressed up as Vanillope from Wreck-it Ralph. It was a bit of a last minute costume decision but we were able to put it together using things we had at home. 

 Awkward picture but most certainly no an awkward girl. 

Ella Moreno (Arabella's friend and Mrs. Moreno's daughter) and Arabella- I hope Arabella (and all of my kids) is always surrounded by good friends! 

October 2018: Chili Cook-Off and the Hot Sauce

I don't know why I did not take many pictures during this week but these videos are so fantastic it makes up for any lack of documentation of the rest of the week. 

At our Annual Ward Chili Cook-Off, someone brought a small bottle of hot sauce called Satan's Blood. My boys are crazy and decided to try just one drop. I have laughed way too much over these videos.

Jon did pretty well until his friend Andrew started to gag and throw up and then he began to get nauseated and struggle. But, there were some of the cute young women watching so he worked really hard to keep it together.  

For any posterity who may be reading this in the printed form of our blog, you need to find the digital file so you can watch the video- trust me it is worth it! 

October 2018: Cool Clouds and a Weekend Getaway with the Ostermiller's

Peter and I happened to be in the same part of Dallas one day and so we met for lunch. He had a few things to finish at his job site. Yes, he was wearing rubber boots, a mask, and a tool belt. My love grew for him in that moment as I watched him using his skills and knowledge to provide for our family. 

 I was driving Jon to school one day and the clouds were absolutely amazing! 

 They were rippled and swirling and awesome! 

 Awhile back, we came up with a hair brain idea to rent a cabin for a weekend in Broken Bow, Oklahoma and get away with our friends. It actually all came together and we did it and it was so nice. Now, I will say that this was the second time I have been to Broken Bow and the second time it has rained nearly the entire time we were there. 

We had a great time learning at the Nature Center on Saturday. There was supposed to be a special presentation along the surrounding trail by Forestry students from Oklahoma State. They took their presentation inside and it was really interesting.  

 We still braved the rain and cold and went on a short hike. We rewarded the children with a ridiculously long wait at a pizza restaurant for lunch. The pizza was delicious though! 

 Otherwise, we spent a lot of time playing games and watching movies. 

 Largest stick bug I have ever seen not in a zoo. 

 Joseph eluded all of my pictures so I had to get one of him on our way home after church. We attended sacrament meeting in a tiny branch nearby. 

We finished the weekend by making a slight detour to visit the Eiffel Tower in Paris, TX. It is not bigger than the real Eiffel tower but it does have a cowboy hat so that makes it better. 

I have this sense that our kids are growing up quickly and the opportunities to make memories with them is fleeting. Peter was really good and sat down and scheduled some camping trips the next few months. I hope that this intentional effort to spend more time together as a family experiencing this world around us will make for strengthened family ties and resilient children. 

October 2018: Color Run, Symphony, and General Conference

Every child should have the chance to feed ducks in their life. I would like to think that I have taken Samantha to feed ducks before but I do not know. Anyhow, I am so glad that I did- she loved it and this one particular duck made for a great experience. 

 Valley Ridge Elementary did a color run for their huge fundraiser this year and it was really fun to go and watch the kids soak up every minute of the activity and color mess! 

 I was lucky to get a shot of Lily pre color dust  but I did not catch Arabella until after. 

 These kids had a fantastic time! 

 This is my friend Erika who took one for her daughter's teacher and stayed with the kids when the stood in a large group and empty out their color pouches- so much dust and so much color! 

 Peter and I were able to get all dolled up and go to the Fort Worth Symphony with our friends Carlos and Jen Cruz. Debussy was the main composer showcased and it was lovely! We then had a fantastic time at dinner. I loved having the chance to spend time with my handsome husband and get in some great laughs and adult conversation with great people. 

 And then we had conference, which meant going through 72  hour kits. I am grateful for Peter's initiative on this and keeping us prepared! If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.

 The kids were so good and listened quite well. We had our traditional fruit and veggie platters. We also had Rueben sandwiches and chicken salad sandwiches. The bowls of candy with a word associated with it were probably the key to the good listening. If they heard that particular word they were able to have a piece of that candy. Lily was really good at this. 

This is Lily's efforts to take notes, since that is what Peter and I and older 3 kids were doing she joined in. I love early spelling. I love more her desire to listen to and understand the words of our leaders. It was such a great first week of October.