Eeek!!!

Our Halloween was so much fun and very eventful this year. Our Trick-or-Treating was rained out so we only stopped by a few houses but the girls were just excited to be able to wear their costumes. This year Austin and I had totally been occupied by other things and completely forgot to get a pumpkin to carve...I know, I know, we are terrible parents! So the night before Halloween at 9pm we drove around frantically looking to buy a pumpkin and the ONLY place that wasn't sold out of them was Harmon's(probablay cause they were charging .79 a pound!!!!) What!?! Our pumpkin ended up costing $13! Seriously. Then- when we got home to carve it, it was hard as a rock and our only option was to paint a face. Never again will we procrastinate getting a pumpkin! Elena still thought the face was cool!Then, since our theme this year was spiders, Elena helped me make spider-web cupcakes. We used food coloring to turn the cake batter orange, then used sparkly gel to create the webs. They turned out pretty yummy!

Our house was full of cobwebs and spider decorations!

Austin and I were punk rockers. I don't know why Austin didn't paint his face...he was planning on it but I guess he just didn't get around to it?:) Elena was a dragon and Chanel a spider.

We were visited by some VERY interesting creatures. Witches, Dracula, Frankenstein, Elmo, a Fireman, and a very energetic man with a cane. (Not sure what your official name was, Boompa:)

We also had a mummy friend stop by, but for some reason, he kept trying to get out the window!

A photo of our house on All Hallows Eve and some of our very dedicated Trick-or-Treaters braving the rain and cold.

The girls in their cute costumes. Even Chanel liked to wear hers!

I love this one because of Chanels face, hehe.We hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!

I Love...

I've been thinking alot lately about how blessed I am and some of the things that I love in my life right now...

~A beautiful sunset.

~When I can hear the girls giggling at each other in the next room.

~Laughing for an hour when Austin makes up his own lyrics to a song.

~The excitement of starting a new DIY project and the relief of finally finishing it.

~Getting cozy during a thunderstorm.

~When my children discover something new, seeing their faces and experiencing it with them.

~The change of the seasons and decorating the house with the girls for each upcoming holiday.

~Creative craft ideas that come to me and actually turn out cute!

~ The sound of the ocean and the feeling of sand in my feet on a much needed getaway.

~The look Austin gives me when he knows exactly what I'm thinking...at any given moment.

~All of our "inside jokes" and never forgetting a single one.

~The feeling of how truly blessed I am.

What do you love?

-It's FALL!!!-

For Conference weekend, Austin had to work the first part so we weren't able to plan a getaway. Instead, after he got off work saturday night, we headed to Nephi to spend time with Nona and Boompa. Sunday we took a drive up Levan canyon. I was hoping to get some pictures of the girls in the fall leaves but we didn't really find a good spot...

...until four hours later when we made it all the way down Wales canyon and on our way back decided to ride up the loop a little way. The leaves were gorgeous!!!

The Brough family has a cabin up the Nebo Loop so we had to stop and check it out! It was little and quaint, perfect for fun get-togethers and family parties. And of course the surroundings were BEAUTIFUL!

Of course we had to look for some deer! Elena was just excited to use the binoculars. She had to use them to watch the fish jump in the pond.

Since the beginning of October, Nephi has turned into Halloween Town. All of the Businesses on Main have added ghostly gouls, witches, and other fun characters to the Main Street decor adding a fun spooky feel to the towns atmosphere. Elena was pretty nervous to sit and get pictures at first but obviously she warmed up pretty quick to the spooky townfolk:o)

It was a nice relaxing weekend being spiritually uplifted by conference and getting to spend time with family and seeing things we haven't been able to see for a while.

First Word

Chanel decided to suprises us on Sunday by just blurting out her first word...which of course was DADA!!! We had all taken a nap (to recover from the weekends wedding bliss) and when we woke up, I took Chanel to lay next to Austin on the couch, where she then said "Dadadada, Dada". We were so excited, and of course, I had to get a picture!

Since then she has added a few words like "Boo" and "La La". And she likes to whisper "Dada" sometimes, too:) Okay, time can slow down now, she's getting big way too fast!!!!

Congratulations...

...to the Mr. and Mrs.!!!

Natalie and Seth were married this past weekend in the Manti Temple.

It was the perfect day.

The children waiting VERY patiently for pictures:o)

The girls were such good sports during the long eventful day.

Labor Day Lux

Our Labor Day weekend came without anything planned for it. So at the last minute, we decided to spend part of the weekend in Heber/Midway. Midway was having Swiss Days so we thought it would be fun to check out the festivities. We bought tickets to take the girls on the Heber Valley Railroad. Both Austin and I went when we were kids and remebered that it seemed pretty boring...and it still was, at least for us. Elena LOVED it but Chanel would scream everytime the train whistle blew. We had to sit in the very last car, as far away from the whistle that we could, but she could still hear it and would cry.

Elena loved meeting the Conductor!

We spent the night at the Lodge on Jordanelle then hung out at the lakes beach the next morning. It was a little breezy and the water was cold but it was still fun to hang out near the water under the sun.

Then we drove down Provo canyon and stopped by Bridal Veil Falls(sp?) to let the girls play in the water.

On the 3rd Chanel turned 6 months old! And all in the same day she sat up on her own, figured out how to drink through a straw, and we discovered she had her first tooth!!! I can't belive how fast she is growing!

Everyday, Elena seems to be getting bigger, too! She just started her last year of preschool and is in a group with her friends from the neighborhood who she will be going to kindergarten with. She is having a blast!

Primary Bike Parade

A few weeks ago, Elena participated in the Primary Bike Parade promoting the theme "Riding the Straight and Narrow." It was so cute how excited she was decorating her bike the night before. They rode around several blocks in the neighborhood then had popcicles afterwards.