Fall Fun

This year we had our own mini pumpkin patch and grew five pumpkins!! The kids loved watching the life cycle of the plant beginning with the tiniest seed. I recommend growing pumpkins to anyone!! They require no work. I did not regularly weed or water; I simply ust used a 4 by 4 raised garden (you can buy at Home Depot or Walmart), put a weed liner on the bottom and added half steer manure and half garden soil (advise from gardener). The pumpkin flowers are also very beautiful and we saw lots of butterflies in our garden.

This was the first year that Alora worked on her own pumpkin. However, she did not want to do any of the dirty work so mom got stuck with gutting three pumpkins! Elijah wanted nothing to do with carving and took off to play with cars. We roasted the seeds from all three pumpkins and Alora had fun making different flavorings for the pumpkins (cinnamon spice/ BBQ).


Elijah wanted to be something scary this year and I was happy to find him an original costume. He loved being a spider and liked to make his "scary" spider face. Alora insisted at the last minute she wanted to be Snow White (her costume last year) and not Tinkerbell (the original plan). Mom just went with the flow despite a slightly tattered dress.
Scary spider face makes me laugh.
This year instead of doing our traditional down town trick or treating we spent a half hour down town and then went door to door by Alora's elementary school. It was so nice to beat the crowds and the kids loved the adventure of running up to the front door.

Who needs Halloween to dress up? Alora received a hand me down Easter dress and begged every day to wear it. It is trimmed with lace and has pearls on it and Alora thought it was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. Finally, mom and dad gave in and she wore it to a friend's birthday party.

Some fun fall things I don't want to forget

- Elijah's favorite book "The Wheels on the Spooky Bus"
- Alora's obsession with bats and "Stellaluna"
- Alora's first field trip on a school bus to Rasmussen Farms (mom didn't go; gotta give my girl her independence!)
- Wee Sing Halloween and singing endless songs with Elijah; making ghosts and pumpkins as puppets to go along with the songs
- Taking Elijah on fall walks and throwing endless acorns at imaginary attackers
- Endless crafts and watching Alora's talent at making Rice Crispy Pumpkins
- Incredibly mild weather for the fall with very little rain. Telling the kids every couple days it will be the last nice day of weather for months (losing some of my credibility)
- Hours of soccer in the backyard