October

Sorry I have been such a slacker at blogging. October was a crazy month and blogging was the last thing on my never ending to do list. Here is a recap of all the fun things we did in October.

We started out the month by going to the corn maze. The weather was beautiful and we went while it was light this time so the kids could enjoy it. They loved running around through the corn. Gavin had to be the leader. We had to remind Carl a few times that it really is fun to just walk around trying to find your way out. He wanted to look at the map the whole time.

Next came Gavin's birthday. I can't believe my little boy is 5 already. It seems like just yesterday he was Addison's age. Somehow the birthday celebrations turned into a whole week instead of just one day. It started with "truck" grandpa taking Gavin out for ice cream the day before his birthday. Then on the morning of his birthday, we gave Gavin his bike which he couldn't wait to ride. But of course it was a preschool day so he had to wait until the afternoon. Thursday night we took him out to dinner for his birthday to Subway of all places (we tried to get him to choose somewhere else but that is where he wanted to go). Friday afternoon I took Gavin and a couple of friends to Jumpin Jacks where they had a great time bouncing around. Friday night we had a combined party for Gavin and his cousin (Jacob) who share the same birthday. Saturday we went to Jamba Juice for smoothies (that's what Gavin really wanted instead of a birthday dinner) and then we had another party with my side of the family. Needless to say, Gavin had a great birthday week (I think I was a little partied out). Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us.

Our next event was the Pumpkin Patch. It was a beautiful day so we decided to try the Pumpkin Patch at Engh Gardens. It was really cute. They had several places to take pictures; there was a straw maze for the kids to walk through, and there was a pirate ship for them to play on. Gavin was disappointed that we didn't stay very long, but Addison was grouchy and needed a nap. The only down side was the pumpkins were very pricey (probably to pay for all the cute stuff).

The Friday before Halloween we had a party at Carl's parents house. It was very fun. We all dressed up--Carl's costume scared the little kids and Ace (the dog). We carved pumpkins, played Halloween bingo, and had a donut eating contest. After seeing the adults/older children eating the donuts, all of the little children wanted to give it a try. It was hilarious!

And finally, Halloween. This was the first year that we were on our own for Halloween and the first year that we were in our own neighborhood. (Gavin has gone with his older cousins the past couple of years.) My mom and dad came with us and my grandma stayed at our house to pass out candy. There were actually more adults than there were children. We started down our street and Addison quickly got the hang of trick or treating. She would push her way up to the door and knock. Then she'd look back and laugh. The people at the door would give her candy and then she would just keep standing there, so then they would give her more candy. She knew how to work the system! We soon hooked up with one of Gavin's friends and they were running around like crazy. We were amazed that Gavin's bones survived the night because he kept running and falling so much. Addison had to walk like the big kids so she tired out pretty quickly. Compared to previous years we didn't go trick or treating very long, but they both had a great time and that's all that matters.