Toasted Oatmeal Cake

We made THIS cake over the weekend, and totally devoured it. 

It’s a perfect Fall cake!

Bits of Our Week

I haven’t kept up on our week’s activities, and notice all the pictures in the folders that didn’t make a blog post and won’t be in the blog book.  SO I’m going to try to be better about documenting our week.  It just seems like they fly by so fast!  Here are bits from this last week….

Weekend Halloween parties were fun.  Does someone look a little more colorful than the others?

Speaking of parties, it has been busy each weekend with birthday parties.  I had to take a picture of all the invitations the kids brought home last week.  There were also email and text invites to a few other parties.  I think all of my kids’ friends were born in the Fall!

Kaylee finished her ocean project.  She made a fish quite similar to the one Nathan made when he was in sixth grade.  Her oral report cracked me up.  She writes just like she talks.  I can’t believe she said some of the stuff she did!

The giant silhouette in our dining room, that Jacob made for me years ago makes me smile every day.  I’m going to be sad to take it down this coming week.

Still amazed at my Jerrica artist.  Her Halloween pictures are constantly plastered all over our fridge. 

Jacob came down for his laundry, looking for a shirt.  I couldn’t get over how muscular he is.  I told him that he couldn’t have his laundry until I took a picture of him.  I also told him that when he is 40 and old and fat like me, he would appreciate pictures like this reminding him of his youth.  :)

I think I should start swimming!

He’s going to kill me now for posting these on my blog!

Jerrica helped me put little I Love You candy buckets on the kids’ beds last week.  She was so excited for the kids to come home and see them.

Then Kaylee’s little basketball team won the SOCO 6th grade league this week.  They were really a good team!  Kaylee is so small, but is so quick and feisty that she makes up for her size.  All of the team and parents went out to Buffalo Wild Wings for a little par-tay on Tuesday night!

 

Rebecca Rae printed up some of her photos from her trip to Oklahoma with my parents.  I know you can barely see her in this picture with the Route 66 sign, but it’s one of her favorite pictures from her trip.  My parents were so good to her!

Kaylee’s soccer game was canceled due to snow, but Rebecca still had hers.  As we were driving to her game, I told her to score a goal for me.  She said that she would point to me after she scored a goal and that she would give me a thumbs up when she would make an assist.  We both smiled big as can be as she would do each of those out on the field.  I took pictures behind the goal.  This goal was awesome…

 

I think the other team’s goalie was exhausted after Miss Rebecca…

  

Stephen flew to Las Vegas with Nathan for a soccer tournament early Friday morning.  Jacob was quick to stay clear of all the girls here at home.  He went to a party, friend’s house, dance and basically anywhere so that he didn’t have to be here with all of the us girls.  :)

AND that is bits and pieces of our week!

The Tree

This tree is in the front yard of a little church in Blackforest.  I pass by it everyday as I take kids to school.  I love how big it is and the shape of it.  I have enjoyed the bright yellow amidst all the pine trees. 

Today I pulled over to take a picture of it, because tomorrow it won’t look the same.  We have a snow storm blowing in, which will take a good portion of those leaves.

Fall reminds me of the book, “Freddie the Leaf”.  The seasons and inevitable changes that we all go through.

Quotes of the Day

Jerrica, “Mom, do you like ‘Rock O Mama’ ?”  I made her repeat it, even though I knew she was trying to say, Barack Obama.

Then at Ashley’s school they had an incident where a 9 year old was asked to help find this man’s puppy after school.  Emails were sent out warning parents and security was tightened.  So I decided this would be a good time to go over stranger danger with Ash.  When I asked her what she would do if a man were to ask her to help find his puppy, she instantly said, “I would say, ‘SERIOUSLY, you think I’m going to fall for that one!’  Then I would roll my eyes and walk away.”  I smiled to myself because I can totally picture her doing that.  I did add that she might want to run rather than walk.  :)

Oklahoma

Rebecca went on a trip to Oklahoma with my parents during Fall Break.  She LOVEd all of the attention from my parents on the trip out there, and then LOVEd the attention from Aunt Tanya and Aunt Kristy when she got there. 

My mom gave her a little journal to document her trip.  It was fun to have her read each entry to me when she came home.  Rebecca was good to write down so many of the details.  She was in awe of the cotton fields and all of the flat land that didn’t have a mountain in sight.  I bet the cotton was gorgeous since it’s harvest time.  She enjoyed going to the Indian reservation and especially liked the Indian necklace from Aunt Kristy.  She claims it’s filled with luck.

I missed her SO much but knew how special this trip would be for her and my parents.  Sometimes when you are in a big family, you don’t get that one on one time with grandparents.  I am so thankful for them making it special for her.

Nathan

This was a crazy weekend filled with birthday parties, sleepovers, basketball and soccer games, baby shower, wedding reception, and Stake conference.  It took everything out of me!

Nathan had a sleepover with a bunch of his soccer teammates.  He didn’t sleep AT ALL!  Stephen picked him up for church Sunday morning, tried to keep him awake for conference and then let him crash when we got home …

I couldn’t resist sneaking in his room and snapping a picture of him.  That’s how I have to take pictures of my boys, when they don’t know I’m taking them.  :)

Anyway, he looked how I felt!  I think this picture just sums up our weekend.

Fall Randomness

I wish Fall lasted longer than it does.  The bright yellows, reds and oranges found in the trees and bushes.  The perfect mid 70 degree weather!  Then of course all of the yummy Fall desserts filled with pumpkin and spices.  We have made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, a layered pumpkin cake with a nut crust, peach and apple cobblers and of course good old pumpkin pie.

Jerrica was so proud of her pumpkin pie that we made together one afternoon.  She kept asking me to go and get the kids from school so that they could try it.

I read a lot in the Fall.  It seems like I’m always waiting a few minutes for a kid to finish a lesson or practice, and I make sure to always have a book there to wait with me.  I just finished this book, and didn’t want it to end.  It was so nice each day to escape into that time period with all of the characters.  I REALLY enjoyed it!

We have also been reading a slew of Halloween books.  Ashley has enjoyed this Junie B. Halloween one.  She even decided to be a clown this year because of it.

Rebecca took this picture of Ashley and I reading Junie B together.  I’m glad she took it because it will remind me of these days together and that little finger pointing at each word.  I do enjoy snuggling with her and reading together. She makes me smile when she giggles at silly little things in her books.  Although after seeing this picture, I’m thinking my hands are starting to look older…. 

 

The kids have had a blast with the leaves this Fall.  Some years we have an early snow and all of the leaves get wet and mushy.  This year we have crunched them under our shoes, made huge nests with them, and of course we have had a few leaf wars.

I wonder what is behind her back?  Surely not more leaves to throw at me!

We have also been busy harvesting and canning.  When I came home from my mom’s, I brought home a ton of her tomatoes and canned them with mine.  Kaylee and I made salsa, marinara sauce and had a little brushetta day.  There is something about the aroma when those sauces are simmering.  I really think I could drink salsa.

We finally picked all of our pumpkins from the garden.  The kids have already claimed which ones they want.  I miss seeing this big one out in the garden.  It always made me smile when I would drive in our driveway.

Fall is definitely my favorite season!  I completely agree with L. M. Montgomery….

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

Loved This

A quick must read article – HERE. 

Loved the following quote from the article…

“We often hear the phrase, “light at the end of the tunnel,” but that doesn’t mean there can’t be light inside as well.”

I so needed to read that tonight!

Quote

Found this from a friend and loved it!

“Our house is just a little house....but God knows where we live.”

There is not a doubt in my mind that God knows where we live, because He lives here too.  :)

My Little Witch

Halloween is fast approaching.  Jerrica decided to be a witch this year so that she “can scare all of the three year olds”.  It makes me smile every time she says it.

She wants her cat to come trick-or-treating with us.  I assured her that he would much rather stay home and hunt for his treats.  She sure loves him.

I think he is a little scary….

She can scare the three year olds and Fat the Cat can scare the 40 year olds.  :)

Parks

Our family goes to a lot of parks.  We have soccer games, picnics and get togethers at parks.  Now to some, parks may be for just the young kids.  Not our family.  Stephen is always ready to go with some kind of game, and when he plays, the teenage boys play, we ALL play. 

One game is ball tag.  We usually have a soccer ball in tow.  Stephen and I are getting older so real tag is hard for us to keep up with the boys, yet BALL TAG makes it all possible.  It’s pretty much you throw a ball to tag somebody else.  If your aim is good, then you are good.

When Stephen decides he is going to get you, he WILL get you. 

   

The little girls play for a while and then run on to something else.  They usually run back to join in the fun after all of us are worn out.

Another game that Kaylee and Nathan were playing as we were waiting for soccer to start was Swing and Shoot.  Once again it involves a ball.  You swing a baby swing back and forth and then try to make a basket into the swing as it’s moving.

Of course the game escalates to, “let’s shoot from the top of the monkey bars, let’s shoot while sitting on the bench, let’s shoot with our eyes closed, …”

Another game that I play a lot with the little girls is Secret Missions.  I give them little tasks that they have to complete in order to receive their next mission.  I used to do this with the boys when they were little and they all have loved it for some reason.  The missions vary from go swing 20 times, go find a pinecone, go find two different colored leaves, go say hello to someone, go bring me 5 blades of grass, go touch the fence, go down the slide three times….  Notice I’m always saying “go” to get them away from me.  :)

I don’t know what it is about parks, but we love them.  The fresh air, a picnic, and a little exercise just makes for a great outing.

Jack-O-Lantern FHE

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matt. 5:16)

Start with a happy little pumpkin with his candle lit.

Have you ever been just afraid of the dark? Have you ever been in a place that was so dark that you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, even with your eyes wide open?   Think of when we have been camping and used just a small flashlight to see our way around.   What a difference it is to have light!   Even a small light makes a big difference in a dark place.

Jesus Christ taught those who followed Him were “the light of the world.” He said that you don’t light candles and put them under baskets. When you light a candle, you put it on a candlestick so that it gives light to everyone in the room. He told us, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (See Matt. 5:14–16.)

What happens when you cover this pumpkin with a blanket?  Is the light as bright?  Eventually the light will go out.  What happens when you don’t share your light?  Would it be hard to relight the light within you, when it goes out?

How can you let your light shine? One way is by keeping the commandments and choosing the right. When we are honest, when we keep the Sabbath holy, when we are kind, we are letting our lights shine. When we obey the Word of Wisdom, when we dress modestly, when we use the names of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ reverently, we are letting our lights shine. Each small light makes a big difference!

Uncover the pumpkin and talk about how good it feels to have light in a dark situation.  Then testify and share how good it is to be in the light!

Of course this is perfect for carving pumpkins as the activity!  :)

Kaylee

Kaylee had an 8 o’clock soccer game Saturday.  Rebecca was still in Oklahoma with my parents.  Nathan had a game in Boulder and Jacob had a swim meet in Lakewood.  Stephen and I went off with the boys, and left Kaylee to babysit and entertain the little girls for the day.

I sat at the swim meet relaxing to the rhythmic sound of the swimmers warming up lap after lap.  I had the best book to escape into, and an icy drink to top it off.  Stephen and Nathan made it back to watch Jacob’s last event, and home we went.  We had been gone most of the day.

We arrived home to find a stack of board games that had been played in the living room.  There were remnants of popcorn in the loft where they had watched movies.  Pictures were stuck all over the fridge that had been drawn.  Then I took a look at my Kaylee. 

She looked exhausted and drained!  She stood there explaining all that she had done with the little girls and how tired she was.  I asked her if she was ready for bed, to which she replied, “No, I want to get out of this house.”  Oh how I could totally relate!  Working and keeping kids entertained at home is HARD work!

I told her to run up to her room and get fixed up, she was going on the date with dad and I tonight.  We were already planning on going out and to the movie.  A huge grin spread across her face and she quickly got all fancified to go out.

I sat there snuggling her by my side during the movie thinking how grateful I am to each of my kids.  They make it possible for me to spend one on one time with each of the other kids.  I was able to spend the afternoon with Jacob knowing the girls were in good hands with Kaylee.  I then could spend the evening with Kaylee knowing the little girls were safe with the boys.

Love doing things with all of the family, but also love and know how important it is to do one on one activities as well! 

Glow in the Dark

I have said many times that my sisters are very, creative and crafty.  Here is yet another example…

Aunt Tanya made a glow in the dark tic-tac-toe game.  She used glow in the dark puff paint to draw the game lines.  Then she sewed little orange pockets to the bottom to hold the glow in the dark spiders and snakes.

 

Kaylee and Rebecca played one night in their room after we first got it.  Today I played with Jerrica in my walk in closet.  It was fun to play with snakes and spiders.  I had to smile at all of Jerra’s comments as we played.  She is SO enjoying this Halloween!

Thanks again Aunt Tanya!  We love it!

the Temple

The Friday before conference Stephen and I went up to the temple in Denver on a date.  I love the peace I feel as I enter the doors of the temple.  I love having Stephen there by my side.  I love that my kids were at home “knowing” where we were.  I love the inspiration that I receive.  I just love the temple and the blessings it brings into my life.

http://cariosbornephotography.zenfolio.com/

I want to remember that Fall day with Stephen.

Halloween Drawings

Jerrica LOVES to draw!  She goes through a lot of paper! 

Jerrica has drawn a ton of Halloween pictures this month.  Today as I was gathering up her papers from the table, I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures of her masterpieces.  She was grinning ear to ear as I was doing it, asking if she was a good artist.

This one is a Frankenstein taking outside his pumpkin that he carved.  It’s night and it’s Fall with the leaves coming down.  Rebecca taught Jerrica how to draw stars and Miss Jerrica thinks she is all that when she draws them.

Here is her vampire and bat.  She was drawing all kinds of bats when she first started drawing her Halloween pictures this month.  I just love her bats!  They make me smile every time I see one.  Jacob had taught her how to draw a bat with a little trick for their wings.  I also love the cut fringe.

 

The last one amazed me with her detail.  It’s a picture of a witch with her pet dog that is also in costume, notice her stars once again.  The bee is a trick or treater coming for candy from the witch.

 

I just love these little pictures!  I have a feeling they will be staying in my Halloween box for years to come.

Photo Shoots

 

This week was FILLED with photo shoots for so many different clients. 

However, the shot above I’m a little partial to.  :)

Or maybe this one below with just the kids…

LOVE Fall!

Hotel Transylvania

A couple of Saturday nights ago we deemed the night a family night.  We all went and cheered Kaylee on in her basketball game.  Then we headed straight to the movie theater to see Hotel Transylvania.  Jerrica has been soooo excited to see it, and I thought it was the perfect movie to kick off the month of October.

It was such a cute movie.  We LOVED it and highly recommend it!  I enjoyed figuring out who was playing the various parts of the voices.

I also enjoyed Jerrica on my lap beaming ear to ear that we were finally watching her movie.  She snuggled me so that I wouldn’t be scared.

My sister, Kristy came up with a cute idea to go with the movie.  They were key necklaces for the girls, like a hotel key.  I like to give the kids things that will remind them of the memory of the movie.  Kristy’s idea was perfect because in the movie all the monster guests were gathered around trying to check out and hand their key back.

Ashley was cute yesterday swinging her key necklace on her neck and talking about the movie.  Kaylee chimed in that she wants to name her first daughter, Mavis because she thinks it’s such a cute name.  I love reminders of memories, maybe that’s why I love pictures so much!

The Tooth Fairy

Ashley finished watching the movie, “the Tooth Fairy”, and immediately went to work.  No one was really paying attention until she was all set up in her room.

She was quite creative and had cut a plastic bag in half, using the handles as two wings.  Of course she had to color the plastic and add a little glitter.  She had Rebecca’s white baptism dress on.  Then she had lined every couch pillow in the house into a long walkway into her room.  She sat there at her desk ready to grant wishes with her homemade magic wand.

This girl LOVES to pretend and act out movies.  She makes me smile at her creativity, but frown slightly at the huge messes she makes to create these scenarios.

Bike Ride

One of our favorite Fall traditions is going on a bike ride under all of the changing leaves.  This year Stephen didn’t have to pull the trailer because now Miss Jerrica can ride all by herself!

 

Since the bike ride, Jerrica keeps saying, “I’m really good at riding bikes.  Can we go again?”.   A little confidence sure goes a long ways with kids.  :)

LOVE these absolutely beautiful Fall days!