Halloween {2014}

Halloween was a long day. It started out like this:

 

 And this was the crew by midday. No one wanted a picture taken, they were sick of trying on costumes for final tweaks and they were just plain crabby.

I had to resort to taking individual shots of them in their Halloween garb. Even then they were not perfect, but at least I have something!

By time dusk rolled around it was sleeting out. We took a few quick photos and put on lots of layers.

 Elsa

 Sven

Anna

 

Due to the weather conditions we didn't make it far. Thankfully we were able to cruise the neighborhood in grandma's golf cart so it made things a little more tolerable. You know it was miserable out when Emma asked to go home. She is her mommy's daughter- it would take a lot for her to miss out on free chocolate!

Birthday Retreat

This past July we held a surprise birthday for my mom's 50th. Today is her actual birthday though- Happy Birthday mom! We just returned from a mini vacation up north. That was her only birthday request this year. She wanted the whole family to go away together. They rented a cabin near Cadillac for the weekend. It was in the middle of nowhere so everyone was able to relax and enjoy each other's company.

 

 

Jason joined us for part of the weekend since they are still busy harvesting. There were a lot of off road trails close by so he brought some toys along. We took a few hours to go riding together too.

 

The weather was beautiful on Sunday, amazing for late in October!

My grandparents made the trip up from Arkansas as well. We had four generations all together. Games were played, stories were told, bonds were strengthened. So grateful for this time together!

Family Photos

 We finally had our family photos updated in August. Or the kids' photos rather. The hubs isn't a fan of having his picture taken and it's hard for him to find time with the exception of a Sunday. I decided not to push this issue this time around. I needed to at least get updated pics of the kids though, since the last time they were taken was right after Elissa was born. I have a mommy friend who is an uber talented photographer so I signed up for one of her mini sessions back in August. Both of us being busy mommies, I recently got them back. Poor Felicia worked hard for every shot.

 Easton wanted to play in the rocks, Elissa wanted to eat them and Emma simply didn't want to have her pictures taken.

While we were packing up and chatting in the parking lot Felicia captured these last few gems. They depict my busy, chaotic free spirited little peeps perfectly!

Ready to TRicK or TrEaT!

My mom has been busy at the sewing machine again this year. I bet you'll never guess who the kiddos are dressing up as...

 

Easton had the choice of Sven, Olaf or Kristoff. He chose Sven so there isn't much to his costume, just a brown sweat suit and antlers.

Pumpkin Patch

We finally got our pumpkins this past weekend.

No screaming pictures of Elissa this year. She fell asleep on the way and it as freezing outside so we figured she was better off in the van.

It took me a while to get up the courage to paint them with the kiddos, but we finally managed. It didn't go too poorly.

That is until Elissa decided to do a taste test on the paint. As you can see, she was not impressed!

The Carve

We headed downtown with friends yesterday for our first trip to 'The Carve'. The pumpkins that were completed were really impressive, but I'm not sure my kiddos fully appreciated them. luckily they had lots of activities geared towards kids that kept them occupied!

It was great to get out of the house and let the little ones run off some steam. I'm thankful for the nice weather since I know old man winter will be here before we know it!

Harvest Survival 101

This fall seems like it has been particularly hard. Maybe because I have 3 active kiddos this year. Possibly because the hubby has been a bit more stressed this harvest. Some days it feels like it will.never.end. The good news is it will; it always does. I have to remind myself that, like everything else we face on a daily basis, it is just a season. It's not always enjoyable and some days are down right hard, but we will survive. I need to focus on finding joy in the small things to help take my focus of the struggles. Then maybe they won't seem so difficult.

 We have spent a lot of time eating out without daddy. Which is a small feat in and of itself. McDonalds is a favorite hang out because of the play place. Soon we will be avoiding it with cold and flu season right around the corner, so we need to get extra time in now :)
 

 Taco Bell is another fav for the munchkins. Yes, I took them in their jammies. While I would prefer to feed them well, with fruits and veggies at every meal like we do at home, you and I both know that dining out with children isn't glamorous. I try to load them up with healthy choices at home if I know we will be eating out later in the day. We stick to fast food primarily, dreaming of the day when we can sit down in a real restaurant again. However, the cost to feed them all in a real dining establishment at that time will be a whole other issue...

 

We have also tried to get some time in with friends. It helps the kids to have new faces to play with and mommy benefits greatly when she can spend time with someone who is a little closer to her age. One night we went to a friend's house for dinner. We ordered pizza and watched a movie together. Fun for everyone!

Cranes 2015

We took our second annual trip to Crane's this week with our cloth diaper playgroup. Amazing to see how all these littles have grown and changed from last year!

This is the best shot we could get with so many wiggly toddlers! We are missing a few peeps (including Emma who was at school) and had a few new faces join us.

Easton insisted on pulling the wagon. We had over 20 lbs of apples when we paid! Strong boy!

 



 This is probably my fav picture of the day. This little lady had no desire to have her picture taken and she let the pumpkin know exactly how she felt!

Of course, we had to make a stop at the restaurant for donuts, chili, apple cider and a ride on the tractor. No trip is complete without them!