Happy Halloween 2015

Happy Halloween! We are in full Halloween celebration mode over here. Today Everly had her Halloween party at school. We also are getting Halloween pancakes at Ihop and then going to a Halloween event at the Foothills Aquatic Center. Tomorrow we are just going to go trick or treating in our neighborhood which should be interesting since Aspen loves walking. Hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween!

Schenpf Farms Pumpkin and Chili Festival 2015

Last Thursday night we made the very far trip out to Schenpf Farms to attend the Pumpkin and Chili festival. We have been to the peach festival before (here) and did the pumpkin festival last year (here) and really liked it so we decided to go again. You can get 2 for 1 admission on Thursdays in October and I had already taken the day off so that is why we chose Thursday. I always dread driving out there (thankfully my sister drove), but once again I am really glad we went. The kids are bigger and were able to go on more rides this year so it was a lot of fun. We hit up the carousel, watched the pig races, rode ponies, jumped on the big bubble/pillow, got faces painted, rode the bumblebees, rode the airplanes, rode the swings, went on a hayride and roasted marshmallows. We also picked out a couple of pumpkins and, of course, had some more funnel cake! We did a lot and there were still a bunch of activities we opted out of like the corn maze, roller coaster, and train ride. We had a great time and just wish it wasn't so far!

 

wearing Teddy's jacket

loves the pony rides

so funny to watch Ted on rides

 

 swings and the jumping pillow

 

 Hayrides

...Aspen has no pants on, haha.

Weekend in Review

We had a very soccer-filled weekend! It started off Friday night where we went straight to my sister's school for her game Friday night. The kids really love going to the games even though they pretty much watch none of the game. Also, we spend a good portion of the game taking trips to the bathroom but it's still fun. The weather was also great Friday night. Saturday morning I got up early for a dark 7-mile run with my sisters. Last Saturday run before my 3rd half marathon next weekend. Saturday afternoon I met my sister at the library for story time with Ev while Aspen napped at home. Then we went to the mall for a couple of hours and got Mae a halloween costume. On Saturday night we had spaghetti and carved pumpkins at my sister's house. Proud of us for not waiting till the night before halloween this year! On Sunday morning Justin took the girls to support Cameron at the autism walk while I went to my soccer game. We won and then headed back to my sister's school for another soccer game. It was a little toasty in the sun which meant that the kids were definitely ready for a nap by the time we got home. It was nice to have a "light" weekend because we have a lot on the agenda for the upcoming Halloween weekend.

 

hoping for that pace next weekend!

 

I made the RIP one for the carnival fish that died.

dying!!

 

snapchatting fun with these two crazies!

St. Luke's Carnival 2015

Is it clear yet how much we loooooove fall??? There is just so much to do once it is finally not a million degrees out! The past couple of years we have really enjoyed going to the St. Luke's Carnival so we went again last Saturday night. Here is my post from last year. It is at a Catholic Church walking distance from my sister's house and the kids have a blast! I love getting some Carnival food (fry bread, funnel cake) so it is a win-win for everyone. It seemed like it was going to rain again but it didn't so that was good. Between our group that went we won 3 goldfish and I believe 2 of them died within 24 hours. Everly named hers "Jackie" and I have no idea why. Jackie died and Everly doesn't believe me. Anyways, we were a little bummed that they didn't have the bumblebee ride but the carousel was a little better this year so that was cool. Someone threw up while the kids were on the teacup ride and it was disgusting but the kids had no idea. They totally would have stared if they had seen it. Everly loved having her buddy Riley at the carnival with her. Aspen enjoyed 90% of the carousel, and to be honest, it was a long ride so I am pretty proud of her. She wanted to walk everywhere again but did pretty good. If you like going to the state fair, this carnival is really dinky but it is perfect for us and for taking the kids so we love it. Can't wait to go again next year!

that fry bread was what dreams are made of, 4 amigos on motorcycles

besties and brothers

carousel!

Even Mae got in on the action.

Here is a video from the night and you have to pay special attention to the end when Justin took the kids on the adventure course. Ted wanted out.

 

See you next year, St. Luke's!

Touch-A-Truck 2015

Last Saturday we attended Touch-A-Truck out at the Westgate parking lot for the second year in a row. It is a FREE event put on by City of Glendale Parks and Rec. I think it is a really cool and fun event. Here is my post from our first time attending last year. What kind of kid doesn't like climbing up on trucks and honking the horn? The kids loved the little swag that lots of the truck companies were giving out. Everly is obsessed with a CEMEX calculator she got and Teddy with that whistle! I wanted to throw it far away but he wouldn't let it out of his sight. Aspen wanted to walk everywhere which is great except for the part where she is slow because she is soooo tiny. We also got caught in a little rain but it wasn't too bad and the fact that it wasn't hot is a win for us. The kids had fun (despite Everly having an un-diagnosed ear infection) and we worked up an appetite so we stopped for Freddy's on the way home. Freddy's is always a good choice and Aspen ate an entire hot dog! Little piggy! Also, I must say that all of the vendors and people helping with this event are always so nice and helpful. Kids can be a lot sometimes and they have always been so patient and generous.

This year they also had a bounce house and blow up slide.

Tattoos are always a must..

Norterra Spooktacular

Last Friday night we raced home from work to make it to the Spooktacular event at Norterra shopping center. I had never been before so I didn't know what to expect. They have car shows regularly on their "main street" so the event was combined with that and Trunk-or-treating. There were several shops giving out candy and some of the car owners, too. First, if we do decide to attend this again, we will definitely be getting there much earlier. It got insanely packed and was almost impossible to find a parking spot. They also started running out of candy, which is lame. If you decide to go I would get there at like 5:30 and leave at 6:30. The reason we did it was because my mom bought the kids nicer costumes from the Disney Store so we wanted to take full advantage of them and get as much use as possible. So for that reason, the event was good because the kids got to use their costumes. They look so adorable in them, too. We have a couple of events next weekend for them to get some more use out of those costumes!

adorable...right!

hand-me down costume, but still cute!

 

Columbus Day Zoo Day

Last Monday I had the day off from work so decided to take Aspen to the Zoo. Everly still had school so we dropped her off and then met my sister and brother-in-law at the Zoo (after picking up donut holes, of course). Unfortunately, it was still really warm. We should have brought bathing suits so the kids could splash. Aspen wanted to walk everywhere. She is doing really well, but the Zoo is big and her tiny legs don't cover ground very fast so we had to bribe her with donuts to sit in the stroller for a little bit. We also took advantage of the giraffe encounter since we were close to it when they do the feeding. They are pretty cool animals and I was totally a wimp about touching the tongue. Aspen wasn't into it much but Ted, Mae, and Cameron enjoyed it. We also got to see the baby Orangutan which is now a year old. It is soooooo cute. We had a fun morning but I am definitely ready for the cooler zoo temps!

little walker

 

cheese!

giraffe feeding

 

matching hello apparel shirts

baby orangutan and sting rays

And here is the video from the giraffe feeding: