Fall Break has come and gone. Daddy got to adventure with us this year. Read on to hear about our break activities and festive things we've been up to...
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Grannie helped kick off our break with a visit to Utah. She spoiled us! She came with matching Halloween outfits for the kids, presents, homemade zucchini bread, and fruity popcorn. She also babysat while Andrew and I went on a date. She did lots of dishes. We got to see lots of family. I hosted 11 Dittos from BYU for dinner on Thursday, October 17. The last of the group didn't leave until after 10pm. I belly-laughed as we played "signs," "charades," and heard about their peaks and pits. We learned that "borrowing" bikes from others is a mode of transportation when you're carless. Someone else got the lowest score in their class on their religion exam and some teasing may have followed... We saw the Dittos again at Alysee and Dallin's baby shower on Saturday.
Icy-cold temperatures changed our Friday plans. Grannie and I attended the temple while the kids were at school. That night, we drove by some decked out Halloween homes nearby. Several of them were themed-- pirate theme, Stranger things, Nightmare Before Christmas, Inside Out, Barbie and Ken, and Harry Potter. Wow, it's incredible how much money and time people put into their decorations! The Harry Potter house was unbelievable. The 2 decorators were outside handing out prizes when you completed the scavenger hunt! Doughnuts in the car were a festive treat and the hot chocolate afterwards was a must! We froze our buns off.
Monday, October 21
We utilized our Thanksgiving Point passes. We went to the curiosity museum, brought sack lunches, rode the carousel, went to the Dinosaur museum, and enjoyed ice cream cones. We went with the Bai family. James has a friend named Jordan in his class. Jordan's younger brother Alex is in Isabelle's class too. They were both in heaven following school friends around and I adore Andrea (the mom). We left for Thanksgiving Point at 8:50am and returned home at 2:30pm. It was a packed day. I learned that the cones there are dirt cheap-- like $1.40 for 2. Penny stayed home with Andrew to sleep.
Tuesday, October 22
We spent the day with George and Jessica doing a Halloween craft, going to the park, playing at Jessica's house, and eating lunch together. Having Jessica back is the best! In the evening, Andrew took the big kids to see the movie "Transformers One" in theaters. I felt like the worst mom in the universe when I learned how much it terrified Izzy. Oops. It was PG and the trailer didn't look scary.
Wednesday, October 23
We hiked Stairs Gulch which was short and pretty. It's not too far away and really shows off Utah's fall leaves/colors. We even dared to cross the river. The children found "wands" along the trail for all of us and played pretend Harry Potter along the way. Then we drove to Hidden Falls nearby which hardly counts as a hike but is beautiful nonetheless. The kids could have rock climbed all day and enjoyed the enormous boulders in the mountains. Later, we went to Riverton City Park and I ran into 2 students from the class I've been subbing. They were thrilled to see me! That afternoon, we had a playdate with friends and ended the night eating at Texas Roadhouse to celebrate Andrew's new job.
Thursday, October 24
We strolled through quaint Gardner village and did the witch scavenger hunt. Jess and George joined. It's a charming place and watching the kids bust out moves to the festive Halloween music was hilarious. We splurged for face painting. That evening, Andrew and the big kids tried out a new pumpkin patch/thriller park called Kuwahara's. It's near our house and has excellent reviews. I was bummed to stay home with sleeping Penny but also glad to save $ and not pay for my admission. It's not cheap. The kids got to have a dance party, jump in endless bounce houses, walk through haunted villages with live actors and see a pirate blow fire. They were fans and James was so exhausted he could barely crawl into bed when they got home.
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Friday, October 25
We went to the farms at Thanksgiving Point with Grandma Langlois. This was our best experience there to date. It was empty, there wasn't a line for the train rides or pony rides, the sun was shining, the temperature was perfect and daddy got to be there. Seeing Penelope explore new things is my favorite. She was so fascinated by the animals (a true animal lover) and cherished the pony ride. She could hardly sit still or contain her excitement.
Saturday, October 26
Water=life in Penny's opinion. She could live at the Herriman rec-center pool. She was kicking her legs and waving to the lifeguards. She had her fill of fun for about an hour and then started shivering. Andrew and James showed off numerous cool moves on the high dive and regular sized diving-board. Flips included... That evening, James, Isabelle, and Andrew did some backyard camping. The weather took a cold turn and we decided camping in the mountains would be freezing. Izzy came inside at 2:00am because she was too chilly.
- I mentioned we've had lots of family time... Blayre, Ryan, Owen, Olivia, David, Addison, and Peyton came to UT for general conference. We met them for dinner after the Saturday afternoon session. Loved seeing them!
- Halloween
- Isabelle got awarded at school and got a Mustang Movers award for being an "empathetic communicator." Her teacher nailed it! Izzy is 5 going on 20. In her teacher's words: "She listens and waits for others before taking her turn to talk. She is always kind and encouraging others by responding positively to what is being said. She is happy, friendly, helpful, and respectful. She helps make our classroom a fun place to be." So proud of my girl! And grateful I could be there this time (I had to miss James' last month.) Each month, teacher's pick one student from their class to get the mustang mover award. There are different themes. I feel lucky to have such amazing kids and have both of their awards displayed on our refrigerator. Izzy hasn't wanted to take her Mustang Movers t-shirt off.
- Some friends gave us some extra tickets they had to Cornbelly's. Many thanks to the Pattersons! We hadn't gone in years and didn't want to pay the steep price for admission. We went for free on Saturday, November 2. Watching pig races, seeing a 750 pound pumpkin dropped and smashed from a crane, rides, playgrounds, slides, ziplines, haunted houses, animals, and more made for a memorable afternoon. It was quite brisk hence Penny's snowsuit...
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