Fall Fun

Between more sicknesses and activities it feels like fall is already flying by. This week alone we had 4 doctors appointments - it's feeling like medical overkill these days. Ian has turned into quite the fashion-conscious toddler lately. The day this picture was taken he checked out his clothing options for almost twenty minutes while standing on his tractor. The end result was stunning...

Oh, he's not quite done yet...

The boots were certainly the finishing touch needed for the perfect ensemble.

Rachel decided to get creative as well and came out of quiet time with all of her black barrettes adorning her hair.

One afternoon Justin took the kids to one of the USU women's soccer games. They loved the game, but the most exciting part was some hill rolling.

One of the really great things we were able to do this summer was to have a little garden. Even though it was small, we were able to get a ton of produce and it was much more successful than our previous endeavors. Here are the kids right before we picked all that we could before the first night of freezing temperatures. This year we planted, basil, cilantro, peas, beans, peppers (bell, Anaheim), and tons of tomatoes.

Rachel has really turned into quite the useful sibling when it comes to Josie. She cannot get enough time holding her and is always willing to get diapers, clean clothes, or anything her sister needs. About a million times a day she asks, "can I please see Josie's face?" She continually wants to check in on her sweet little sister.

For General Conference weekend we headed down to Farmington to see family. Rachel was in total heaven because she went to the Gardner Village Halloween festivities with just Grandma and Grandpa. Here she is posing with her favorite - stuffed animals.

They have funny witches all over the village and here she is posing with Grandpa.

When her energy started to wain, they got her some frosting...or was there a cookie too?

For some reason, she made Grandma pose pretending they were sitting on the strings.

But, the funniest part of the adventure is always the "Witchy Poo" display. Ah, even Halloween potty humor is hilarious. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the exciting afternoon!

While we were visiting, Josie got some attention from her adorable cousin Payton.

And, we topped off a fun evening of watching a girl movie (Thoroughly Modern Millie) with ice cream when the big boys returned from a session. It was the kids' first sundaes that they topped themselves and they delighted in every bite.

We also rummaged through fun stuff to find some finishing touches for Halloween costumes. Here is a little preview...

Our boy with the fractured elbow is doing great. After a checkup this week they found that it was indeed fractured (they could see new bone growth on the x-rays) and so they cut the cast off to find his arm caked with sand. Instead of recasting the arm, they kept the old one and it is just Velcroed on so that we can bathe the poor kid properly and he can strengthen it a little bit each night. Only two more weeks and we're finished with the cast for good!

Rachel continues to love to play doctor and one day she emerged with this self-wrapped sling.

This weekend our complex had a fun little fall party and the kids cut out decorations.
This activity was an absolute hit with Ian, who has lately been obsessed with cutting up paper.
There was also some pumpkin bowling.
Justin took the kids on a little hike up Green Canyon. They were super excited to explore a cave and hear the echo. When Justin asked them if they wanted to go to a cave, Ian responded with, "see dragon!" Even though there wasn't a real dragon, they had a great time.