Fall Festivities

This week:

Last soccer practice, fed the missionaries and one was a Swiftie :), Activity Days for Westin, Apple night for Young Womens, a quick pumpkin patch trip or we would miss it this year, parent teacher conferences, our ward Trunk or Treat, a CSU game for Michael and Westin, some major primary program prep for sweet and nervous Camden, with a successful primary program on Sunday by all the kiddos.

I loved this week. I love this season, of the year and of life. Busy with such fun things. 

That's it, I'm canceling Asher's birthday. 

Our last Monday soccer practice of the season.
I really loved these afternoons, just reading and watching Bennett play while Camden and Asher played on the playground.

If you lie down, they will come.

These leaves are a job. We raked them up but had to leave the pile for Westin and Bennett to come home and jump in :)

Balancing the Balance Bike :)
He rode to pick Camden up from school and brought his bike so they could all ride home.
Pretty tricky.

Westin and Bennett hid under the swing and jumped out of the leaf pile when Michael and Asher and Camden got home :)

Asher has been waking up early lately. This was him wanting to lie down instead of letting us start our workout :) He's so sweet.

Camden has never gone up to the stand in church to sing any song for any holiday, and wouldn't go up to practice the primary program.
I met our primary president at our church on a weekday this week when it was empty, and he just explored the stage and turned the microphone on and off, walked around and looked at where he'd be sitting and his brothers and picked out where we should sit in the pews. He practiced his part a few times.
He was a changed man after and was so excited for the primary program on Sunday.
It still floors me how different kids in the same family can be and how different their needs are. Sweet boy.

I love walking in on him coloring. He does it so much.

Throwing together our trunk for Trunk or Treat. Always the last thing I think about for that night.

Spooky salad!

Leaned into Westin's obsession this year. I loved Camden's ref outfit so much :)

Bennett's First Grade Picture

Westin's Third Grade Picture

A friend had extra tickets to the CSU game Saturday so Westin and Michael bundled up and had so much fun. Westin loves that the tight end is in our ward, and he ran up to Westin after the game and handed him his gloves. Westin was on cloud nine.

Bennett is obsessed with his digital camera, it's so cute.

Louisville Fall Break

We had a week with some field trips, some sick days, some packing days, and all the usual things -- but we were looking toward Saturday when we could take off to Louisville to see Grandma and Grandpa!

We were all healthy the couple days before flying out, which I was so grateful for, but then after we landed in Louisville we had a few more of us get sick that week. Such a weird virus experience -- slow incubation and you think you're in the clear then another family member would drop. I felt so bad we were sick at Michael's parents house, no one wants that around! My day hit when we were at Mammoth Cave. So I tended to my bag in my pocked hoping beyond hoping I could make it through the cave tour without being sick, and Michael tended to the screaming toddler :) I'll never forget the moment she said, "Now everyone be silent and listen -- you'll never hear silence like this above ground!" And we all listened to Asher scream. Ha. I'm just grateful I didn't throw up in that same moment... managed to make it back to the Visitor's Center for that!

But really, the sick moments couldn't ruin a fall week in Louisville with family. We had SO much fun there. Feeding baby cows, visiting the candy shop, seeing the colors, finding fossils at Falls of the Ohio, visiting an apple orchard, seeing Jim Gaffigan, fires and woods exploring with cousins, setting up beautiful bunk beds made by grandpa for Eli and James, hot tubbing at Rachel's, so much delicious food from Grandma, and just loving being with family. I love being in Kentucky. The boys had a total blast, and their flights were our easiest flights yet. It's heartbreaking to see our baby growing up, but I'll take the easier traveling!

 Lots of trip pictures! 

I recently bought a green sweatshirt, and when I saw it packed in my line up I couldn't help laughing.
Looks like I needed some color in my life :)

This is a fort built by a grown man whose wife sent him "outside to go do something, anything" during Covid haha. Oh what a time that was.

These babies were born the day before!

Asher got some face kisses from the cows and totally loved it.

Camden chose gummy vampire teeth as his treat :)

I thought this pumpkin was so cute! Little bugs painted on its bumps.

The theater we saw Jim Gaffigan in was so beautiful!
And he was hilarious. Such a fun night out with Spencer and Rachel and Ed and Sally.

Always so hard to say goodbye.

We randomly landed back in Denver the same time Katie's family landed from their Florida trip, so we had a little catch up before we all went home to our post-vacation blues.

Time zones are hard.
Asher struggled on Sunday.
And Bennett got sick the day after we got home, the last one of us to drop.
It took almost 3 weeks but we all ended up getting sick. So weird.

Luna is pretty trustworthy off her leash now and it's fun!