October little things

She was sure to let everyone know about the day.

Even the minute of her birth (which Dave made up after her incessant asking and we couldn’t remember because we didn’t have her baby book with us).

This it the text she sent all her friends’ parents so they would remember 😉

We got to celebrate in California which was kind of a fun way to switch it up.

More about that big day back HERE.

We utilized our new table outside to eat dinner out there…we need to do that more.

October marks the time when the weather starts to cool down at least at night and it feels SO GOOD!

I have about 37 pictures like this of Lucy because I’m so happy she can do handbells.  My heart is full every time I go with her.  She has her first concert this week and she’s so excited.

We live close to Dave’s aunt and uncle and find love to visit when we can…love them so!

Lucy has the best teachers in school AND at church.  Here’s one of her church teachers who brought over a sweet bday gift:

We love our neighbors…and had them for dinner…

CLaire’s friends:

The girls claimed they all wanted me to take some pictures…for some reason I’m pretty sure the boys weren’t the ones asking…

Ha!

We all ran out to soak in the gorgeous harvest moon.

I wish I could have captured that wondrous beauty better.

THis is why we have a dog:

Loved this book and all it taught me:

ALl about that back HERE.

I got to “shadow” Claire at the junior high.

How I adore her.

 (back HERE)

…and then took a giant mother/daughter road trip up through Utah:

To watch the senior olympics my Dad was competing in:

(HERE)

Check out fall beauty:

(HERE)

…visit and love-up Dave and my siblings and their kids:

(HERE)

Went back through St. George to see my parents again who fed us a refresher of chocolate ice cream as a great break for our travel 🙂

And had the best church experience:

(More about that HERE.)

And to top it off we went to Zions National Park…

…and Seven Magic Mountains:

(all about those over HERE.)

We pulled out Halloween stuff:

(Bo was overjoyed about that.:)

Lucy is still Lego crazy.  She saved up all her birthday money to buy this:

I went to Costco like this one day:

For real.

I stuck those shoes on to help get my nephew in the car and then had to run to Costco and completely spaced my footwear.

Quite the fashion statement right there don’t you think?  Ha!

We had what seems like a whole flock of birds try to fly through our windows…poor guys:

There were close to twenty of those bird prints…

Claire organized some fun friend stuff:

We played “3-Deep” which always seems to be a hit.

(Instructions for that “3-Deep” game are back HERE.)

Lucy put together her Lego stuff:

And continues to write notes like this to people:

I got to go on a date with this handsome guy to the temple:

Here’s Grace hanging on our bed to tell us about her night one weekend night:

…and here she is off to a basketball game in full spirit 🙂

Seriously, these girls love this dog so much.  Claire is her biggest teaser.

Claire and I spent hours and hours with me sitting on the sidelines and her kicking away at that ball.

…so much more about that soon…

Grace took this cute boy to the “Harvest Dance:”

(More pics. of that back HERE.)

More soccer:

Lucy passed up her cousin in height:

Oh wait, what’s that??  More soccer??

(Apparently with a very tall opponent…)

And more handbells:

I replanted a few plants around here and couldn’t help but snap a couple pics of how beautiful they are with the sun coming through.

God is such an incredible artist!

I already posted this picture but I love our card-shark Lucy:

Another snippet into Taiwan and what Max is doing there:

I LOVE HIM!

Oh wait, what’s that?  More handbells?

I tell you, I can’t stop!

Our puppy:

Book club…I still need to write about this book!

Notes to encourage kids to be reverent during church…not sure writing notes is really all that reverent though…

Carving pumpkins with the youth for church:

Parent/teacher conferences…such a great report from Lucy’s teacher.

Oh man I’m so grateful for that woman.  Teachers are amazing you know that??

Grace and her friend visited a pumpkin patch:

Lucy and I went to good will to try to find last minute Halloween stuff as well as an outfit for her upcoming Handbell performance.

And in the process we found the book “Alice in Wonderland,” which was like hitting the jackpot!

I mean, she HAD to read that sucker before she could actually BE Alice in Wonderland for crying out loud.  So she followed me all over the store with her nose in that book and got half way through by the time we were done.

Elle was Phoebe from Friends for Halloween:

…and was HORRIBLE at sending me any other pictures in October.  She’s trying to change her ways though…right Elle??

Early-morning tennis with cousins:

…straight to a soccer game:

One that seems to have somehow overtaken our lives and held them captive every Saturday…

…while we did…you guessed it…more soccer.

Lucy offered to play prelude music in Primary since she’s getting so darn good at playing her church songs:

Family dinner:

…and pumpkin carving:

More from pumpkin carving HERE.

Enlarged piano music is helping Lucy shine in that arena:

I taught my first art masterpiece lesson of the year.

And as luck would have it, I got to have two helpers join me:

(They were home from school early that day.)

We studied Pablo Picasso and did self portraits with these artists:

The “art team:”

Accidental twins:

Lovies:

This is the best snack:

Just sharing.

And here is Halloween:

…and prep for Halloween:

And Halloween hoopla with friends:

Much more about that and how I almost burned our house down back HERE.

Little ways we decorate the house for Halloween:

And with that, October is wrapped up.