Pumpkin Patch

Our traditional fall-time adventure to the pumpkin patch.  👍🏻🎃

Halloween 2017

Maybe mimes weren't what we originally planned to be this Halloween, but I think this has been my favorite family costume to date. If only I could have painted little Evan's face as well- I think it would have been hilarious, but it wasn't worth the risk of irritating his skin, but guys can you imagine a little baby mime!? He was donned in all black and white stripes though, which was a feat! I can't tell you how hard it is to find black and white striped things for babies or men. Navy? Yes. Gray? Yes. Black and white? Insanity inducing difficulty! The best part about our costume is that nothing is a "costume" (apart from the face paint) it's all real clothes that can be worn again, win-win! I only wish the girls took the part of mime a tad more seriously because I'm pretty sure we're the loudest mime family in history. Oh well, they sure look cute!

Photo bombed by some sort of creepy creature

This was taken the Friday before Halloween. Maisie's class took a field trip to a Halloween festival and so we last minute put together this skeleton look because a few items that I had ordered for our mime costumes hadn't been delivered yet. Maisie LOVED it! She was channeling her inner Emily (Corpse Bride) all day,

Halloween 2015 - AKA The worst Halloween ever

Well this Halloween was eventful and it was really fun until it wasn't.

I was feeling funny the day prior, but didn't think much of it- loss of appetite and a sour feeling stomach. Anyway, on Halloween we all got ready in our Alice in Wonderland themed costumes (mostly homemade) and walked to the event just a handful of blocks from our house. When we got about halfway I commented how my stomach wasn't feeling great, but still not paying too much attention to it. We walked around for a couple hours, eating, playing games, riding the horse drawn hayrides. Then as we walked home I said "I might just throw up tonight". Anyone who knows me, knows that throwing up is about the worst thing my body can do. I fight it at all costs and cry like a baby after every "episode". Within a half hour of being home I knew I had the stomach flu (not really flu, but that's what everyone calls it). I hopped into the bath covered in goosebumps from the cramping, stomach churning and every fiber in my being aching with dread because it knew what was going to happen next. Then it happened.

Relief for about 20 minutes and then again and again and again for the next 8 or so hours. I was in bed the whole trick or treating experience and I cried hot tears knowing I was missing Maisie's favorite holiday. As I was trying to catch sleep between throwing up I heard Austin trying to get the girls ready for bed. Maisie mentioned that her stomach was kind of hurting, but Maisie's stomach is almost always hurting for some reason so Austin didn't think much of it. Big mistake. Huge. Within the hour she was sick as well. So allllll night long me and Maisie were alternating who was throwing up. While I could handle myself just fine (although nursing Ellie through the night was rough stuff) Austin was thrust into what I call panic mode. Maisie was so exhausted from the day and is such a deep sleeper that she wouldn't wake up all the way when she needed to throw up so Austin would hear a gurgle and immediately have to spring into action- changing clothes, starting laundry, bathing Maisie, making sure she stayed hydrated and comfortable while dealing with Ellie when she would wake up and checking in on me every so often.

Maisie and I awoke in the morning exhausted, dehydrated and empty, but no longer sick. It was such a relief to have had it pass. Definitely not the way we had intended our Halloween going,  I mean if someone is going to throw up- it better be from sugar overdose and certainly NOT the stomach bug. We will remember this Halloween for years to come, if only it were for better reasons.

p.s Austin and Ellie ended up getting it exactly two nights later- why, oh why, did it have to hit us two at a time!? I can almost say that, that night was worse than when I had it. But at least I had it first, which is usually not the case- I am usually last. So while I didn't enjoy watching Austin and Ellie deal with it, it was nice knowing I couldn't catch it... again.

Pumpkin Patching 2015 - Treehouse Nursery

The weekend before Halloween we went to a local pumpkin patch called The Treehouse Nursery. It was a fun family owned farm. How fun would it be to own and run a pumpkin patch? I think it's my calling in life... that or a Christmas tree farm... or a sheep farm? :)

Gone trick or treatin'

This year we took forever to decide on what to be for Halloween. We had originally planned either Peter Pan or Alice and Wonderland themes (Mary Poppins was also a contender) but we wanted to spend as little money as possible and also make Maisie happy. So after weeks of throwing around ideas we finally decided on a fishing theme. Maisie the mermaid, Ellie the fish and Austin and I would be anglers. Our sweet friends let us borrow some of their fishing garb and it made for some laughs- look at Austin in those waders. So funny!

We lucked out on weather because that day it was 72 degrees and even that night wasn't cold at all. Last year we were frozen by the end of it all and required emergency hot coco, but this year we were comfortable. Also, to add to the fun, Austin's parents came to town to visit before the weather gets too bad and we can't easily go visit each other. Maisie was in heaven having grams and gramps (her nicknames she gave them). We came home ate Jimmy Johns (Maisie's favorite), made witches brew (complete with cauldron and dry ice) and ate candy and halloween cookies. 

my first time using royal icing... it didn't turn out too bad seeing that I didn't have the proper piping bags or tips and just used a ziplock with the corner cut off... haha!

It was a very fun Halloween. And let the records show... I now officially don't mind (too much) if it snows. Which is probably a good thing because check out the forecast this week:

Yuppp... it's getting cold fast. You see those 27s? Those are the HIGHS for that day. Don't even get me started on those lows...Yikes!

Hocus Pocus Halloween event @ Hemming Village

Last Saturday we went to the annual Hocus Pocus Halloween event in Hemming Village. We had so much fun last year that we knew that we had to do it again. We weren't able to stay as long as we wanted because we had a previous engagement, but I am so glad we went even if it was just for an hour and a half. It was 75 degrees and amazing- also it was the last warm day of the year. Get this, snow is being predicted for Sunday... yes, THIS Sunday. Boy, I'm not ready for that, but we have been incredibly lucky to have had such a beautiful autumn. 

I only took a couple pictures this year of the actual event and I don't think I have to give an excuse, but having two kids now changes my ability to bust out my camera as easily. But there was a professional photo booth there though, so that gave us another photo to add.

On our way back from the event we walked through Porter Park and since it was so beautiful-the park was covered in bright yellow and orange leaves, we decided to have a little makeshift photoshoot.

Sisters: all fun and games until...

...some one gets their hair pulled.

Look at that fist full of hair! Poor Maisie haha!

After we dried a couple tears we tried again, but in a position that Ellie would be less likely to pull hair. Sidenote: Maisie was so good about it. She knows that Ellie can't really control her hands fully yet and that she doesn't know any better, but that doesn't stop it from hurting. No anger, just pain.

"Here Ellie, hold this instead."

Ririe Pumpkin Patch

Last Saturday (the 11th) we went to a nearby pumpkin patch. It's hard to find real pumpkin patches around here. Most in our area are just a random field where some one dumped a whole bunch of already picked pumpkins and then calls it a"punkin patch". Oh yes, the signs and flyers really say "punkin patch". No thanks Idaho.

But, we did manage to find a legit family farm with a real pumpkin patch in Ririe. The patch was reasonably large, but it didn't offer any of the pumpkin patch fixings that we are spoiled with being from Oregon. No petting zoo (or any other farm type animal), no fresh pressed cider or fresh donuts, no mud (this could be a good thing I guess) and no other fun activities for the kids (or kids at heart). But, I am still happy we found a real patch and for that I am thankful.

p.s I went looking through the blog archive to find Maisie's first pumpkin patch and guess what? -we took her to her first pumpkin patch on October 11th, 2010 and then EXACTLY 4 years later we took Ellie to her first. I just thought that was pretty neat.