Pumpkin Patch

We took a little trip to the pumpkin patch last night. It was really nice weather and the kids had fun (for about 10 minutes)! Payton has been sick so he didn't have too much fun but we did get a few good pictures of him. Claire loved it, she would have taken home 10 pumpkins if I would have let her. Allie loves being outside but the ground was really bumpy so it was hard for her to walk around. Anyway, it was a fun fall activity and a good excuse to dress the kids up in their jack-o-lantern shirts. I got the idea to make them from a Family Fun magazine and Karen and I had fun making them! They turned out really cute!

Proud Mama

Okay so I know that every mom thinks their child is a genius, but mine really is. Just kidding, but she is a pretty smart little whippersnapper. I just have to be a proud mom for a second and tell you what she did the other day.
We have a hide-a-bed in our living room couch and Claire loves to have 'sleepovers' in the couch bed with me. I don't love it so much. It is fun to spend time with her but I really prefer sleeping in my own soft bed. Last Friday night Claire asked to sleep in the couch bed with me. I said yes and she was thrilled. She got a piece of paper and wrote this...
IM SO HPE TO SP N D KCH BED!
(For those of you who don't teach 5 year olds all day, it says "I'm so happy to sleep in the couch bed!")
I was so impressed! I spend all day trying to teach kids to do this! Anyway, I just wanted to have this memory in our journal. I love ya Claire!

Arizona Trip

Nathan and I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Arizona. Unfortunately it was not a trip for pleasure. Nathan's brother Steve passed away from injuries sustained in a scooter accident. It was a sad occasion but we were grateful that we were able to go and spend some time with his family. He has such an awesome wife and boys. The drive there and back took about 12 hours each way but we were traveling with Nate's sister and brother so we had lots of drivers. In spite of that I only got 3 hours of sleep last night! I'm sure I wasn't the happiest kindergarten teacher today but the trip was worth it. I had actually never driven to Arizona before so we stopped and took some scenic photos on the way there and back. Steve's family is in our thoughts and prayers, we are grateful for our knowledge of the gospel that helps bring peace during trials such as these.

My new addiction

I have been feeling guilty lately because we decorated Claire's room with sort of a theme, but after we painted Allie's room last year I haven't really done any decorating. I decided to decorate her room with butterflies so we got these cute vinyl stickers for the walls at a craft fair. I love them and now I want to get more! I have used vinyl stickers before but it has been awhile and now I am getting back into it. I really want to make a families are forever sign for our front room. I'll let you know how it goes!