Snow

I woke up in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday shivering despite the two pairs of sweatpants and sweatshirts. As I got up to check the heat, I looked outside and saw that it was snowing our first snow of the winter. I woke up Travis and Kaity and headed outside. Travis had promised Kaitlynn earlier this summer that he would wake her up if the first snow happened at night. I decided that I had better get out the camera and document the moment just in case Kaity didn't remember it waking up the next morning. Turns out we didn't get more than a light dusting, but it made the kids very anxious for more!
The bike is a picture of Aubrey's new Christmas present. Now that we live in Idaho, we entertain ourselves by treasure hunting instead of roller coaster riding. I couldn't resist picking this up for Aub's photography when Travis discovered it at the Goodwill. I LOVE it! and really hope she will love it too!

Happy Halloween!

We have survived our first halloween in Idaho. It sure was different this year to trick or treat with warm clothes on under our costumes instead of bugspray, but the kids had a blast. We had a little bit of drama with Kaity over her jacket, but all turned out well when we found two turtle neck sweatshirts and jacket that fit under her costume. We discovered Idahoans go all out for the holiday, and the kids had to come home twice to empty out their buckets before going out again to collect more candy. I sure am glad that the rain drops all fell this afternoon so the clouds would be empty this evening. We sure missed trick or treating with grandpa this year and attending grandma's chili cookoff. I've taken for granted the traditions that we have enjoyed for the past 9 years. I guess part of life is rolling with the changes that each day may bring, and savoring each precious moment we get with the ones we love. I hope you all had a spooktacular halloween! BOO!

Fall yumminess

So here is a picture of my porch mom. It isn't complete yet, I haven't gotten my cornstalks but you can get the idea. I put the second picture on so you can see my dying grass. I completely forgot that grass goes dormant here. So anyway, when I asked my neighbor next door what do I do for my grass to keep it alive, you can imagine the stupidity I felt when he said, "it's not dying, it's going dormant for the winter." Now in my defense, our lawn looks WAY worse than anyone elses and you know the lawn trouble we had in Orlando, so I think that it was a reasonable question. So our lawn is now going dormant and the leaves are starting to change. Yep, fall has arrived. Today was our first day of cold weather and to honor the occasion I made apple cake. I love that apples are so cheap here. I am taking advantage of it and am putting them to good use!

Apple Cake

3 large eggs 1tsp baking soda
2 cups flour 2tsp vanilla
2 cups sugar 2tsp cinnamon
1 cup oil 1/2 tsp salt
4 cups tart chopped apples
Beat eggs until light and fluffy. Mix sugar, oil and add to egg mixture. mix flour, soda, salt & cinnamon and add to mix. Add vanilla. Fold in apples and por into greased 9x11 greased pan. bake at 359* for about an hour. You can cover with cream cheese icing or icecream, or poke holes in it while warm and drizzle caramel into it. SO GOOD! I however, did not have any extra toppings today and it was delicious!

Falling in love with autumn

We have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of fall and all the fun things that go with it. I know that the novelty of cool weather will wear off pretty soon, but for now we are enjoying the pants and light jacket days, and hot cocoa before bed. Last weekend was the official opening of Linder Farm, so of course we had to attend! The kids had a blast riding on the hay wagon and picking their very own pumpkins right off the stalk. What a different adventure pumpkin pickin' is in Idaho! No more digging through the bins at Walmart looking for one that is not already mushy and rotten! Ah yeah! No farm adventure is complete without a turn through the straw maze and fresh fried donuts! I loved that the kids were in awe of everything around them. We can't drive anywhere without them oohing and aahing over all the pretty leaves. Quite an awesome sight when you have never seen it before!

torture

So this has been my life for the past 6 weeks and 2 days. Hives on my entire body. I am ready to come unglued. I can't believe that today is the last day of summer vacation and I accomplished nothing fun with the kids. I am posting this picture not for sympathy or to just whine, but as proof to my kids later on that it wasn't my fault that their summer was wasted. So here's to hoping for a better fall and a fun itch free winter. Here's to hoping anyway...

Brayden loses his first tooth!

A few minutes ago I was talking on the phone and Brayden came up to me and opened my hand. I looked down and his tooth was sitting in my palm. He was as cool as a cucumber until I realized what I was holding, then he started grinning and ran to look in the mirror. He is so excited to "meet the tooth fairy tonight." Another milestone in my baby's life has now come and gone. I'm feeling a little bit blue about that. Has anyone figured out how to stop time yet!?

camping at Warm Lake

We found this awesome place called Warm lake last Sunday on an afternoon drive. We loved it so much that we decided to go back this weekend and try camping. I was really nervous before we left (I'm not a camper) and packed anything and everything that I thought we would need. Turns out, we needed hardly any of the extra stuff I packed into the van and we had an AMAZING time. I admit, I am hooked! I loved boiling water for hot cocoa over a fire and watching the stars appear. What a better way to get tired than watching tv! I am now mourning the end of summer and the wasted time we could have spent camping. Travis' next day off, we are going again!