October Festivities

It has been a beautiful October. The weather has been dreamy and I'm trying to be better at enjoying the now. I'm trying to push the "winter is coming, and it's only going to get darker" thoughts to the back of my mind. I am also taking advantage of not having to wear a jacket to the gym in the mornings. (even though I probably could use one.)

I even made a wreath with my friend. I'm not a very crafty person, and was proud of myself. Our porch looks much more festive than usual with a wreath AND a pumpkin. I think this year we're even going to get a Christmas tree which will be a first for us.

I don't feel like the picture does it justice, but that is probably because I spent longer than I'm willing to admit making this wreath.

For Family Home Evening earlier this month we went to a pumpkin patch with friends. We went on a hayride, picked out a pumpkin, and spent a lot of time warming up by the fire. It was a chilly night, but memories were made. Andrew was in heaven when his favorite author, Brandon Sanderson, happened to be at the pumpkin patch. Our friends we were with are also huge fans, so they enjoyed talking to him. Brandon was everything I imagined a Fantasy author to be.

Proud of the pumpkin we found in the picked over patch

Bundled up in 2 jackets and a blankie.

James can sit up now which is amazing, especially when shopping. When I took this picture, he didn't quite have it down, so he is buckled in tight. He has always wanted to move so much he never wants to sit still. 

My sister-n-law is an amazing photographer and took some family pictures for us in the mountains. They turned out better than I could have imagined and I can't wait to send out a Christmas card. Lindsey scouted out the best spot that still had beautiful colors and leaves. We owe her big time. Here is a sneak peak.

Pre Picture Selfie to check our outfit colors

What a big boy

This week for Family Home Evening, we made sugar cookies and used Halloween shapes to cut them out. We even attempted to turn the frosting orange, but it ended up having a pink tint. The sugar cookie making process ended up being quite an ordeal. I ended up having to remake the frosting and re-bake a couple batches of underdone cookies. In the end, we got the cookies delivered just before it was too late. We didn't take any pictures of our beautiful pink frosted Halloween cookies (or the kitchen which is still recovering from all the flour).

We can't wait to share our Halloween traditions with James on Tuesday! Having a baby definitely makes this time of year even more special and he will look pretty darn cute in his costume.