Autumn Activities

What we have been up to lately... (Stick with me to the end of the post. I promise it will be worth it.)

School Parade: Friday, October 30

Zoo: Monday, October 19
Andrew took 2 days of paternity leave during Fall break. The first day was spent at the zoo. The kids got in free thanks to their PBS kids adventure passes. I got  a text from Andrew saying that Penny seemed bored. She exclaimed: "let's go somewhere else." Overall I think she liked it. Though it sounds like she was grouchy but recently that has been her new normal. It was not crowded and the train and carousel were exciting.

Treehouse Museum: Tuesday, October 20

My kids said this is their favorite museum they've been to this year. Andrew and the kids stayed over 3 hours. Too bad it is in Ogden. Three cheers for the PBS kids adventure pass that got the kids in for a discounted price.

Pumpkin Patch: Friday, October 23

The kids chose ginormous pumpkins. They could have played in the beans for hours. On a whim, we spent an absurd amount of money on festive fall treats at checkout. The pumpkin whoopie pies were outstanding and I think I'll try my hand at making them next year. The apple donuts were special too. I've had better cinnamon rolls. 

Penelope was devastated we threw our pumpkins away now that the holiday is over.

Pool: Friday, October 23

Halloween Party at Nana and Papa's: Sunday, October 25

We had a mixed up menu full of spooky items and the kids got to order what they wanted. (mummy's favorite: pepperoni pizza, witches fingers: breadsticks, deviled dragon eggs: stuffed eggs, ghoulash: pasta, broomsticks: carrots/celery sticks, bat wings: potato chips, goblin eyes, vampire blood, etc.) I made the witches fingers breadsticks and candy corn jello.

Games were also part of the party. Jessica did a dance party lights included! I was in charge of BINGO Halloween style with prizes and Don't Eat Pete. I think poor George may never want to play again... The first piece of candy he picked was "Pete" and the loud shouting scared him. The toilet paper mummy game was a fan favorite. 

Andrew's Work Party: Thursday, October 29

The kids live for these parties! They got pretzel bites, beignets, swig, and hot chocolate. There was also trunk or treating in the parking lot, face paint, and henna. Princess peach was hysterical to discover her face paint washed off during her sleep. Opal and I stayed in the warm house.

Halloween: Saturday, October 31

Free Crave cookies for kids in costume. The cookies were exceptional and they gave us extra.

Isabelle dressed up as Red from the Descendants: Rise of Red movie. Isabelle came home from school and told me with attitude: "why did you talk me out of being Hermione? Next year, I'm going to be Hermione." I don't remember convincing her not to take that route, but sorry I guess?

Penelope dressed up as Princess Peach from The Super Mario Bros movie.

James dressed up as Mario from the Super Mario Bros movie.

Opal was a duck.

James got invited to go trick or treating with not only 1 but 2 groups of friends. I can't believe I'm at this phase where he's already getting "too cool" for us. He had a great time though and I'm thankful he has lots of friends. James claims he weighed his candy and got 5 pounds worth. Believe what you want.

We started the night by trick or treating in my parent's neighborhood. Many houses give out full sized candy bars. Then we headed back to our neighborhood which goes all out. I was up with a tummy ache the next morning thanks to the homemade donuts, popcorn, Rootbeer, peanut butter cookies, cotton candy, and more.

Other Random Tidbits... 

Malia moved back! And in case you didn't know this already... James is super strong!

Opal gives the best full-faced smiles and is very generous with her smiles! She reminds us so much of James. She also slept through the night for the first time!

Stay tuned for more about Opal. Her baby blessing happened and I have plenty to say about that....

Princess Penelope's Palooza

Penelope is THREE and vivacious. It is easy to forget she is so little because of her expansive vocabulary. A quote from Penelope that sums up her personality well is: "I can do that with myself." She is miss little independent, a spitfire, and we love her to pieces.

Beautiful cake made by Nana

Penelope is:

• Loud- you always know where she is.
• A very good mommy to her dollies and knows all of them by name. (C C and Sadie to name a couple)
• Bossy and demands to play with her siblings. She tells them what they are going to play and how.
• Very proud of being a big sister. She has not fully grasped that that is not the same as being a big kid. She likes to tell us, "I can do that because I'm a big sister now."
• Girly- she is often wearing dress up high heels or clothes.
• Passionate- she knows what she wants.
• Imaginative- good at playing on her own and will do so for long periods of time.
• Affectionate- gives the best hugs.
• Well loved- has a fan club. You should see her wander and sit with several different people at church.
• A floater. She is enthusiastic about swim lessons and water.
• Scared of loud sounds. She sometimes comes inside or cries when an airplane flies by and she asks a lot about the noises she hears.
• A fan of nursery.
• A baker and helper. She loves to be my cookie making buddy and just asked me, "what are we making today?"
• A bookworm. She wants me to read her more and more everyday and I don't mind it one bit. The library is a favorite stop for her.
• Petite. 

3 Year Checkup Stats:

Date: 10/15/26

Weight: 28 pounds (22%)

Height: 35.7 inches (20%)

When asked what she wanted to do for her birthday, she said yes to everything initially. When we told her that could not happen, she landed on going to the Discovery Gateway Museum in Salt Lake City. We got to celebrate on Penny's actual birthday: Saturday, October 10, 2026. The kids loved their time at the museum and even bumped into a friend (Elise Boone). Andrew told me (out of the earshot of the kids) that the museum did not feel worth the money this time. Luckily all the kids got in free (thanks to their PBS kids adventure passes), so we only had to pay for Andrew. I stayed home with Opal because of the germs. I guess 2 of the biggest/coolest parts of the museum were closed. The helicopter portion was due to weather but the model trains just were not running/turned on. The kids had a grand time and did not seem disappointed at all.

Penelope loves french fries and dip! For dinner, we got Chick-Fil-A. For dessert, Penny picked a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Let's be real.. she did not do much eating. Penelope was far too amped. During the festivities, she decreed that she was "Princess," not "Penelope."

We got Penelope a Tiana dress and a nightstand to match Isabelle's. She also got dolls, Elsa and Moana action figures, a drawing pad, a princess dress up with a crown and wand. Penelope asked me if she gets to keep her presents. She seemed worried she would have to return them.

We love you Penny P. Sometimes that's how she pronounces Penelope. Soo cute. Sadly, she is kind of growing out of that.

Family Pictures

Getting family pictures done this year caused more than one headache. The date we were originally scheduled to take them, it rained all day and was chilly so our pictures were canceled. We talked about a new date with the photographer and as the day approached, the weather forecast looked iffy once again-- rainy and a significant temperature drop. Communication with our photographer was not easy. I ended up booking with another photographer who happened to be named Jenna because she could get us in before the weather turned. I'm so glad I did! The pictures turned out beautifully and the new photographer was $100 cheaper! We also got our pics back at record speed! Thanks to Jessica for the recommendation! Our original photographer eventually got back to me and refunded us our money-- phew! 

Jessica deserves another shoutout for helping with our outfits. I was kind of a basket case about what we should wear and second guessed things a handful of times. My mom deserves a thank you too. She went to the store in the wee hours of the morning while ill to buy several outfit options for Opal. The outfit we landed on for Opal is perfect Mom and the clothes all worked together seamlessly Jess.

We took the pictures on Wednesday, October 7 at Hidden Valley Park in Sandy, Utah. We were originally supposed to take photos on Monday, September 28. The park is a hotspot and several other photographers and families were there with the same idea. James asked if it was picture day. haha

Opal was not a fan! Penelope would have preferred to skip the ordeal. Nonetheless, we got some great shots much to my surprise. Not going to lie, I left feeling down and grumpy that they didn't go well. Boy was I wrong.

WARNING: The gallery includes 147 shots! I'm not going to add them all but how can I narrow them down!? 

Trying to cheer up a certain someone...

Our Christmas cards are ordered. Can't wait to get them this week!