Homework at the Cook house

I loved the picture of Kyleigh reading under an umbrella on the lawn of our Kauai house.  I love this picture just as much.  Can't beat homework in front of a cozy fire.

Auntie Dawn

 In October we had a very quick visit from Auntie Dawn.  She was coming to the Mainland to visit her parents and while here they planned to bring her Grandma to Boise to stay with her sister for a month.  However, an illness prevented her Grandma from being able to stay for the month visit.  Dawn's parents didn't want to let her down.  They knew she was looking forward to seeing us so they didn't cancel the trip to Boise, but drove her from Hurricane Utah.  They got here in the late afternoon on Sunday and she left the next morning around 10 a.m. to drive back to Hurricane.  Crazy, but so, so sweet of them to bring her to see us.  The kids were so excited.  When she drove up Ridge ran to hide so Auntie Dawn would have to find him.  Sneaky little thing.  As usual she played along to perfection and he was so happy.  History with the Petersons includes Mexican rolls (a secret recipe), and lots of good times building fantastic gingerbread "houses."  The houses could be anything, made with graham crackers, hot glue, frosting, and lots of candy.  We made Mexican rolls for her visit and Halloween gingerbread creations (- the hot glue and mostly not 3-D).  As you can see from the pictures, a few of us ate a little too much candy.  We also got a bonus of story time in the morning with Auntie Dawn and she was able to walk the girls to school.  We miss Auntie Dawn like crazy, and all the Petersons for that matter.  We were so glad to have her for a little bit and hope we meet again soon!

Caramel Apples

before bed?  Whatever works.

Halloween

I love Halloween.  Besides the candy it is the start of the Holidays, the beginning of fall, and I can change the doorbell to spooky sounds.  This year we spent lots of time getting ready for class parties.  We made treat baggies with sucker ghosts for Ridge's preschool class.  I did the games for Kyleigh's class.  We played pumpkin stomp, where you tied a string to a orange balloon, and then to your ankle.  Then they chased each other and tried to stomp everyone else's balloon while protecting their own.  We had a vegetable skeleton relay.  I made 5 vegetable skeleton kits and they had to put it together based on the picture in their kit and had to do it faster than any other group.  We also did an orange jello slurp.  Each kid had a small container of jello and a straw.  The winner slurped their jello the fastest.  It was hilarious.  Katelyn's class had pumpkin bowling, cookie decorating, halloween twister, playing with flubber, and decorating pumpkins with sharpies.  My friend came across 30+ extra pumpkins and lined them on my driveway, so I took them to the school for Ms. Watson's pumpkin patch.  The best thing I did for Katelyn's class was a poke-a-prize board.  I bought a $10 chalkboard at Home Depot.  I left the top blank and glued styrofoam cups to the rest of the board so they were laying horizontal.  I put prizes in each of the cups, then covered them with orange tissue paper and held that in place with a rubberband around each cup.  After they knocked over each of the toilet paper rolls with a pumpkin (pumpkin bowling) they got to "poke-a-prize." I left the top blank so I could write in chalk and then change the colors for a different holiday.  I also did a balloon stomp game for Katelyn's class, but Walmart didn't have anymore orange balloons, so we used white and called it the ghost stomp.  Katelyn was one of the last two balloons left.  She had all but a few of the class chasing her and she was running around screaming (we were out front on the lawn).  It was so funny.

A few weeks before Halloween Kyleigh and her friend Amaya decided they wanted to have matching Halloween costumes.  Not only did they want to match, but they wanted to sew the costumes themselves.  They arranged with Amaya's Mom for help sewing before they pitched the plan to me (smart).  Since she was already on board I told the girls I would take them shopping for fabric.  We spent a few hours at Joanne's one morning and they spent a lot of time over the next few weeks sewing the costumes.  They turned out so cute.  They looked so cute, in fact, that they needed to show them off.  We knew we were leaving for Halloween so we invited Amaya and her family to our trunk or treat at church.  They ended up winning a prize in the costume contest and they were pretty excited about that.

We went to Pocatello the weekend of Halloween and went trick or treating with the cousins.  My mom made chili for dinner, just like she did when we were the trick or treaters.  Ridge got some candy, then shut down the trick or treating for eating candy.  We went until a few of the kids were done.  Then Kyleigh and Tucker went with Rusty to hit some more houses.  Then when Tucker was all Tuckered out (haha) Kyleigh and Rusty went some more.  They were still out when the only kids ringing the doorbell were the teenagers.  She got some serious loot.  The night ended with a candy sort and we will wait another year for Halloween.

P.S.- Ridge did not throw up on me after eating too much candy this year.  Woo Hoo!

Pumpkin Surprise

 Perhaps you know, or maybe not, but we do not have much luck growing anything.  I was surprised to see an unusual looking weed growing just off the back patio.  I normally spray those with round up, but because it looked so different I decided to let it grow. It grew and grew, then it had a bud.  We all guessed what it was until it was easy to see that we had a pumpkin growing in the back yard.  Turns out the surprise pumpkin is pretty much the best plant we have ever grown and looked really cute on the front porch all fall.

Random Sunday Pics

I think they're pretty cute!
FYI-We still aren't sure why Ridge opens his mouth like that every time you say smile?

Random Crepe Paper Afternoon

 Sometimes it's the little things.

Kyleigh's 11th Birthday

 The other day Kyleigh told Ridge she couldn't believe he would be in kindergarten next year.  She told him she wanted to strap books to his head so he couldn't grow anymore.  I wish that really worked so I could strap books to her head.

On her birthday my Mom and Dad were in town on their way to Northern Idaho.  They were here to celebrate with us.  I took her out of school for a lunch of tacos at home.  Then I checked her out early for a trip to the movie theatre.  I arranged with the parents of two of her friends to have them checked out of school also.  We went to see Maleficent in 3D.

Her birthday dinner was steak and potatoes.  We also had a mint ice cream cake with an oreo crust for her birthday cake.  We gave her some fun new things for her room, including a chair and a full length mirror.  The day before I introduced her to the wonderful world of Downeast outfitters and she got some cute new shirts.

She had a fun birthday and just a few months later I got a fun surprise...we wear the same shoe size!  Luckily, she has good taste in shoes and she is willing to share!  Kyleigh is such a great big sister, daughter, and friend.  She is a beautiful girl on the inside and the outside.  Happy Birthday Kyleigh!