No Two Snowflakes Are Alike

Jake came home from school today all prepared to teach us how to make snowflakes.  I have been wanting to incorporate some fun winter/Christmas crafts into our holiday celebrations, so I was more than happy to let him lead the way.  

 teaching brother

 determined Petunia

 she held her mouth like this every time she was concentrating on cutting - somewhere in my mothers photo archives there is a picture of me in a pink leotard on the uneven bars doing just the same thing with my mouth.

 ignore my ghetto burned out light bulb

 Jake hung them all around the house for us, kicking off our holiday decorating night

I love these reflected in the window

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Transition

This weekend was one of the nicest we've had in a while - clear, sunny, and dry.  What better time to finally get the yard in shape after weeks and weeks of rain?

Jake is so like me - he loves yard work, especially when we are all out there doing it together.  He actually said, "Lets get this party started!"

 This was all I could get of Brian when I told him I needed to take his picture.  He said I should take a picture of his boots I had stolen, and was wearing...

 So I did!  I love them, even if they are 4 sizes too big.  I think that's what I love about them.  I had to get rid of my cute lime green ones because they made my feet claustrophobic.  True story.

This is Austin's idea of yard work.  A nice rousing game of mini Frisbee.

and this is Leah's - teaching herself how to scale the chain link fence.  Which she did.  Successfully.  About 3 times before we sent her inside.

Finished product.  Nothing makes me feel better than a clean yard.  Just in time to put up Christmas lights!

Love these faces

Family Pumpkin Patch Trip and Pumpkin Painting (and my 100th post!!)

Being on crutches through the middle of October put us a little behind on our Halloween activities.  We didn't actually get out to the pumpkin patch as a family until the 29th!  Regardless, the kids had a blast.  

 she doesn't look it, but Petunia was quite excited - all week she kept saying, "first the pumpkin patch then trick or treat!"

 Angry bull faces

 this picture is funny because at the time I took it, Austin was declaring his ability to talk to pigs and was snorting at them

 dancing on top of hay bales to fiddle music

 corn maze wanderer

 this one is for my dad

 just sure she needed her own wheelbarrow

 the Mendoza's came along for the activities

 Because of our late outing, we didn't get pumpkins until they were well picked over.  The ones we chose were small, but perfect for the kids to tote their own.  I had been thinking about painting instead of carving this year, one because my kids love to paint, and two, because I loathe carving.  I also was a little leery of what we might find carving into pumpkins not picked until the end of the month, so painting it was.

 Austin did this bat free hand!

 finished product

my "art deco" pumpkins.  they actually looked really cool and I am going to do several next year in varying fall colors.  Austin didn't understand "art deco" and wanted to know what they were supposed to be.  I told him the gray one was a ghost pumpkin, and he was satisfied.

Happy Halloween!!

This year was the best Halloween yet!  We decided this year that we would do homemade costumes - what we had on hand, sewn or thrift shop re-purposed.  The boys got to choose, and after MULTIPLE changes, finally narrowed it down to Frankenstein and Karate Guy.  Leah has been wandering around for months saying, "Aarrgghh, I'm a pirate!", so hers was an obvious choice.

 Austin has wanted to be a karate kid since he watched Jake take lessons this spring.

 Leah has this thing lately with not wanting to look at the camera.  Such a pill!

 Aarrgghh!  I'm a pirate!  (Yes, that's chocolate on her sleeve, already).

 Dad the makeup artist

 Bolts pre-paint

Still so handsome even under all that monster paint

Happy Halloween!

The boys got to do real door-to-door trick or treating this year after the ward trunk or treat, and they made a haul!  Leah was recovering from a nasty chest cold so she recuperated with Dad at home while I took the boys around the neighborhood.  Everyone loved Jake's makeup, and Austin was the most polite trick or treater ever.  He cheerfully chimed in on"Trick or Treat!" and followed it up with a bouncing thank you, and then a compliment for their porch, lights or pumpkins.  "I love your porch, it's spooooky!"