Pumpkin time!

 We've been lucky to continue with in person school for the kids and Casey. The high school had to go to a yellow plan (every other day) for a week because of higher cases. I know the kids thrive having in person class / school and I hope and pray it continues! Alice is still all hype for at home preschool. Even though she varies on how much she'll do with me she's still loving it!  

Kendal had KYA basketball observations on the 15th. She's on a team with 5th / 6th graders this year called the Huskies! There wasn't an opportunity for her to join a traveling league this year so we'll enjoy a simpler basketball season. Kendal started practice this past week. Her team looks great! She complained about being on the small side on her team, but we told her it's even more reason to get out there and show some grit and determination! We can't wait to see her play this season!

There was no school on the 16th so we headed out to Raft River so Casey could fix some shingles that came off on his parents roof. We just hung around the house for the day. The kids picked pumpkins and decorated Grandma's porch with them. Casey took the kids to see Grandpa and ride in the Beet truck in the afternoon. They all had a good time, Alice was upset when her turn was over. We had dinner with Cheryl before heading home that evening. 

I decided Saturday morning to go take family pictures. We did our own version of family pictures (I may not justify the price of a professional photographer, but pictures are very important to me so we still get them one way or another). We headed out to Twin Falls Power park and got some photos. A kind woman saw we were doing a timer / running method and took a few for us. I always find it crazy how many pictures it takes to get a few good ones. Patience was running low by the end, but we bribed with some ice cream afterwards to make up for Mommy's demands. 

Saturday night Casey and I decided to have a date night we ditched the kids with a movie / pizza and went out to eat at Maxies. It was a simple date, but some quality time with my sweetheart which was wonderful!  

I bought Casey another pie pumpkin this year because last years was a hit. He made it Saturday and we all enjoyed it on Sunday (18th). That Sunday was our first time back with our "whole ward" since march. (It may have been a short lived luxury since our State restrictions got put back to Stage 3 yesterday - we'll see how things go in the coming weeks.) I got to do a caramel apple night, a pumpkin decorating "distance version" contest, and a murder mystery night with my YW lately. My group will be changing soon so it has been nice to get in some quality time with the group recently. 

 

Casey took Peter to the Last JV game last Thursday. The girls and I watched Hocus Pocus. Kendal wasn't a big fan; however she came around to the funny bits, and I was enjoying some 90's nostalgia. 

Kendal has been working so hard these past weeks on for her recital. This past week (Friday 23rd) was her fall recital. The group played Disney / fall songs and each kid dressed to match their song. Kendal was Cinderella and played Bibidi - Bobidi - Boo , and Boogie night fever for her pieces. Even though she felt nervous with such a large group she did a great job on her songs! 

This past Sunday was Nana's 90th birthday. I didn't want to miss her birthday this year so we headed down on Saturday for a visit! We had a big family party at Nana's with family. I got to see some faces I haven't seen in years. Alice was thrilled to have Maggie there to play with and the two were so cute together all weekend! We spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa's! Sunday we did home church with my parents and Katherine. We even got a peek at Baby Emmet when David brought him by. He's a precious / perfect little man. It was hard not to get to hold and give him all the love, but we'll wait. We spent the afternoon out at Nana's again. We got to see Peggy and Nathan then as well as Billie and Maggie. The girls continued to play and enjoy each other! We said goodbyes after dinner and headed home with Alice crying for a good while about missing everyone. It was a quick weekend, but a wonderful one! 

 

I love this sweet lady so very much. My Nana is such a great example to me and we are so very blessed to have her in our lives!

I promised the kids we would carve pumpkins Monday night. (I forgot Casey had a basketball meeting) I threw together the rest of the pumpkin into a small pie yesterday afternoon for a treat afterwards. As we opened the pumpkins - Alice's was rotten on the inside. I did a couple of scoops before the smell became too much and I stopped scooping and just carved. Since it was so soft, and the smell was getting to me I made it the quickest carve ever - and it may not be epic, but Alice was thrilled! Kendal and Peter made their designs and helped clean out their pumpkins. They didn't get very far carving because the pumpkins were thick so I helped them finish out. They were all happy with the results and we enjoyed some pie after!

 

Seasons change . . .

Peter finished up his last two soccer games on September 23rd and 26th. He ended his season with three wins and three losses. Even though it was a short season Peter had a great month playing soccer with friends! Casey had a good time coaching Peter ("even if it felt like herding cats sometimes"). He is a great coach and it shows with every game how much he cares and does for his team! Peter enjoyed his season! He loved game days and had so much fun this year! We're proud of Peter and the hard work he put into his season. He was out their giving his all and even got in some goals! Way to go bud!

On Sept 24th Casey took Peter to the JV football game. They enjoyed some fresh made corn dogs and got to spend some quality time together! 

Kendal had volleyball games the past few Saturday's. On Sept. 26th she only won a few games, Oct. 3rd she won over half, and this past weekend was her tournament! This past week the KYA volleyball girls got recognized at the High school game so I got to take Kendal to the games and enjoy some time with her there! We went into the tournament hopeful yesterday. The girls played two teams and won / lost each time. However getting into the pool play was based off of points and we made it through! We played the first place team and ended up winning against them and in our second round were beat. So we ended up second overall in the tournament! We were so shocked yet so happy for how well the girls did! They showed up and did a great job! We saw improvement throughout the season and had a wonderful group of girls! Kendal was thrilled to get second place. She grew a lot this season and we are proud of her! It was a neat experience to coach this season. I loved getting to help out, spend quality time with Kendal, and see all the girls progress this year! Sadly I missed most of Peter's soccer games because of helping out, but it's an experience i'll always cherish. 

Alice is home with me so she very much dominates my camera roll these days. She believes her whole wardrobe should be dresses, skirts, dress up, and anything sparkly. She is independent, unique, and just so much fun at this age. She is loving home preschool and demands it almost daily. I try to work it around days I have Jemma and do other activities while I have both girls. Alice is going through her workbook quickly and just wants to do and learn! I could push a bit more, but I think our pace is good for now. Alice also supplements with a couple of learning apps (Homer, and Kahn Academy). Having Jemma around always makes for a busy day. She is loud and on the go always (as little kids should be, but not always good for apartment life with *!#^ neighbors). I take the girls on walks regularly and to the park. We also do any big play, and dress up in my room because it turns into loud singing and dancing around. I've gotten to take Alice a couple of times to help at the school library. She just wants to read ALL of the books while I clean and put away other books. 

We've got a few online Fridays behind us now. I pray we stay in green because it's a long / hard day getting the kids (mostly Peter) to work on everything they're given. I am grateful with how well the kids have adjusted this year though. They are champs for wearing masks and doing things differently at school. It's not smooth sailing by any means, but they (we all) are doing our best. Casey is staying on top of things and getting along with school.  (Peter's picture, if he's not into a book - he won't read it. If he's into a book - he won't put it down) 

We felt the need for a break / something fun to look forward to so we decided to go up to Boise for our fall break. Between appointments (my eye exam, Peter getting a chipped tooth fixed, and flu vacines) and volleyball we knew it would be short, but we went anyway. We left Thursday afternoon (Oct. 1st). Since Kendal missed her big 4th grade field trip this spring we went to see the State capital that afternoon. We explored a bit, and learned a bit about Idaho. Kendal was so happy and grateful we went to the Capital and let her see it! We took the kids to build a bear next. Kendal and Peter were set on spending some saved up money there and they were having a sale on buy one get one half off. We thought about waiting till January to get Alice one when she turns four (and would get a bear for $4) but the lady overheard us and was generous enough to let us do the birthday deal then! So Kendal picked out a multi colored bear she calls "Caramel", Peter got a monkey he dubbed "Monk", and Alice got a birthday bear she named Elsa and since the bear was a steal we got a little Frozen outfit for her bear. After dinner at the Tortilla Factory we took the kids swimming at the hotel. We had the pool to ourselves for most of the time. Kendal and Peter were racing, swimming, and playing to their hearts content. Alice was petrified at first and clung to Casey, then me for most of the time. She was most comfortable hanging out on the steps and watching everyone else. She did warm up in the end and was loving splashing and diving for toys with Kendal and Peter. She was so upset when we decided to go. We went up to our room and let the kids pop popcorn and watch a dinosaur show till it was lights out. (Casey's phone didn't save pictures so some of the capital ones are from the next day when we went back for a couple of pictures, and we lost the build a bear pics.)

The next morning we had a reservation to go to the Boise Zoo! We went right in as it opened and were happy to see so many animals out and about. We had to follow a certain path and a few exhibits were closed, but we were far from disappointed. The kids all found animals to gush over and even Casey and I were in awe at times. Kendal said she loved it all; especially finding the Lion king animals! Peter loved any monkey we saw (which were quite a few) he couldn't pick a favorite, but thought the Rhesus monkeys were the coolest. Alice echoed Peter with enjoying the monkey's, however she also went on about the zebras and giraffes the most! We found a local shake / burger shack for lunch then headed to the Nature center to explore. Alice loved the "little fishies" all around, and Kendal and Peter just enjoyed exploring and wandering along the paths. We played a bit on a nearby playground then headed home late afternoon. 

Casey got released from being ward Clerk a few weeks ago. He's been in that calling for 3 1/2 years! (I won't say i'll miss having him gone for meetings every Sunday). He was called the same week to be a technology specialist with the ward and is helping broadcast sacrament meeting to the ward each week. Casey has a couple of weeks before he dives into basketball season, so i'll soak up time with him while I can. We enjoyed watching conference last weekend. It was a good couple of days to fill our cups, receive some light and guidance, and feel our Heavenly Father's love in our lives. It may have just been me but I felt like Christ was very predominant this fall session. I definitely need some more focus on Christ and will try to do better. 

We got a new nephew this week! David and Anica welcomed little Emmit late Wednesday (Oct. 7th). He's a cutie like his brothers, and I can't wait to squish and kiss his sweet cheeks! 

My parents and Katherine came up for a visit this weekend! They came Friday evening and we got to have them here for Saturday and into today! It's nice when we got to see each other. It's not as often once school gets going, so we were happy they came up to spend time with us! They stuck out three hours at Kendal's tournament with us yesterday and we just had a good time spending time with each other!  

We've soaked up the warm days so far this fall. I know it's taking a turn this week, but I've really enjoyed the sunshine (even though it's a smoky sunshine). So the seasons are changing; the kids sports seasons are over for this fall; and the warm days are becoming a thing of the past. Onward we go