Apple Picking and Family Bonding

Aunt Julene and Uncle Ryan Stoianowski (Steve's sister and cute hubby) came to visit us from Michigan for some literal family bonding. They were sealed in the temple! What a wonderful, spiritual experience it was for us to be able to be there with them. We are so proud of them and are excited for their family as it grows in size and in strength. We love having them come and can't wait until we get to visit again. To start the day, we all piled in the van and drove out to Jonomac Orchard. We got to pick 5 different kinds of apples, eat some delicious appley treats, and savor the homemade fudge. YUM! Emma, especially liked the Apple Cider Slushy.

Lizzie was patient with me as I got one more pose out of her. She is one of the "apples in my eye". Corny, I know, but I had to say it.

Grandpa and Grandma Bird joined us for the fun occasion. It's always fun to have grandparents around. Grandpa reads great stories, keeps us laughing, and Grandma always helps with dishes and my mending that seems to pile up. Thank you!

Emma liked picking the fuji apples best.

It was so fun having this time with Dad and his family to be outside with all of the beautiful colors. We did miss the boys, though. Maybe next year we can visit the orchard on a Saturday when they have their "apple launcher" running.

Trunk-or-Treat

This weekend was our ward's annual Trunk-or-Treat. Being the Activities Committee Chair, I was in charge, but did have lots of help from the Primary. It was a lot of fun. The food was great, we had 10 fun games with great youth volunteers, and the kids got candy. What more could you ask for?:) Steve and I decided to go as a couple this year, so to work with the physical attributes both of us have, we decided to go with the Flinstones. Since, the decision was made the day before and we require more material than store-bought costumes provide, I had the privilege of sewing this year. I think they turned out fantastic. As I was driving the kids over to the church for the main event, the car ahead of me had 2 kids in the back who turned around and couldn't stop STARING! I smiled and waved. The girl enthusiastically waved back with a huge smile! It was fun to be a red head for a few hours. You turn a few heads.:) Anyways...I do need to publicly thank my sweet mother-in-law who helped me sew Braxton's costume. Thanks, Mom! You were a life saver. You gave me the confidence to continue on my own!
Left to right: Indiana Jones, Eli Manning, Tom (from Braxton's favorite series called

Beast Quest), Pebbles, and Belle.

Meet the Flinstones! Yabba-dabba-doo!

My gorgeous Belle

Could she be any cuter?

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but this doesn't show enough of the damage these two did to my bathroom in a matter of minutes. Monday morning as I was starting my laundry, preparing breakfast, and packing sack lunches, I realized that I hadn't seen my daughters come down from their room. They were already dressed playing with toys when I left them. Usually this means that Emma has sneaked into my room, shut the door (to keep her wrongdoings hidden and unheard), and turned on the TV. I went running upstairs expecting that scenario, when I was totally caught off guard. She had decorated herself along with my cupboards, tiles, the toilet, rug, etc. After my gasp, I asked her to stop, told her this was a bad choice, and made her stay put. To keep my cool, I figured I'd take a picture instead of yelling. By the look on Emma's face you can see how bad she feels. She wouldn't look up at me for the picture. Lizzie, on the other hand, continues to try to recreate the "masterpiece" that was made that day. Well, Emma was punished enough by me not washing her face immediately because...10 minutes later as we were eating breakfast, each brother took their turn in asking what happened to Emma's face and either laughing or shaking their head. Gotta love 'em! Hopefully, when we encounter make-up again, the lipstick will not make it above the eyebrows.

Science lesson

After lunch last week, we ran outside to jump on the trampoline since the weather was nice (we're counting the days). Within minutes the girls' hair went straight up. Emma kept laughing at Lizzie, and Lizzie kept trying to touch Emma's "spikies" (an Emmaism). We had a lot of fun jumping, learning about static, and soaking in some sunshine. I taught them how to play "1,2,3" and couldn't stop thinking about the countless hours my brothers and sister and I would play that game. Oh, those fun memories.

Pumpkin Cookies

One of our Halloween traditions is baking Grandma Bird's ginger cookies, frosting them with orange frosting, and then decorating them with chocolate chips and candy corns. The kids (Steve included) look forward to it every year. I'm glad I can carry on this Bird tradition. I don't know what it is about fall, but it makes me want to bake! I love the warmth and comfort of breads, cookies, muffins, etc. I guess I need to start exercising more regularly, since I'm giving in to my cravings.:) Oh, well. My family loves the food. In fact, Braxton has called me the "chef of his life." I'll take that role any day of the week. He's so easy to please!

The finished product

Delicioso!

Braxton's favorite hobby

Sugar and spice

I'm so glad when daddy comes home?!

Steve was in New York and the Washington D.C. area all week. He returned on Friday to some great "Dad's home!" responses and some NOT so great. Lizzie wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. Every time he'd get near her, she'd cry, scream, throw a tantrum, and beg to get down or go to Braxton or mom. Poor Steve. It broke his heart. He couldn't do anything to make her happy. Today we began anew. At the pumpkin patch, Steve let her walk (almost) wherever she wanted and even took her down a slide. Afterwards, she gave him a great big kiss. I guess she's not mad at him for leaving anymore. They're so cute together! These girls have sure got their dad wrapped around their little fingers. I love it!

Fall is Fabulous!

This is my favorite time of year because of the gorgeous colors everywhere. I love living in the midwest during this season. I had been wanting to take the kids to an apple farm or pumpkin patch, but since our Saturdays are filled with so many games, we had to choose according to proximity. We tried out Johansen Farms--a pumpkin patch--Saturday in Bolingbrook and were not disappointed. We had a marvelous time! It was a gorgous, perfect 85 degree day. The kids had a great time at the petting zoo. Each child was able to catch their own baby chick in the trough, except Lizzie who was wouldn't even touch the chicks. All of the kids found their ways through the corn maze. Of course, the blow-up slides and obstacle course were a huge hit. Steve opted out of the hay ride to save us a spot in line at the pony rides, and I think the kids expected more out of it, but I got a few cute shots of Lizzie playing in the hay. I just love those discovering eyes and faces as toddlers explore everything with their mouths! Of course, we picked out some pumpkins after a bit of debate. Emma was so cute as she kept insisting that hers be small and bumpy. At the end, Steve bought the kids old fashioned candy sticks --he's such a softie. :) The day just got better as we watched BYU pull out another win. What a great day!