Goodbye October

 Halloween was pretty low-key for us this year. The big event was the Murder Mystery party we threw a few weeks ago. We were partied out after that. We didn't even get around to carving our pumpkins.

We did really enjoy Zoo Boo with some friends. All the decorations were so fun and amazing

 Daphne had her first trick-or-treat experience

making the discovery that good things appear in the bucket

Wrappers are no obstacle. She just ate right through those.

We also went to the ward trunk-or-treat, but the Little Destroyer has put our camera out of commission, so no pictures of that.

We only get about 15 trick-or-treaters each year, which is fine with me. All in all, another great Halloween. We're excited for next year when we will have a family of 4 to outfit!

Bucket List

Everyone has a bucket list. This is a condensed version of mine:

This is my entry in the Just Ask Bucket List Getaway Giveaway. Just Ask offers a breast and ovarian cancer screening and is encouraging people to share 15 things that I want to enjoy in my lifetime as a reminder to be aware of my health. Want to enter? Head over to TodaysMama.com to get the details. 


1- ride in a hot air balloon
2- step foot on all 7 continents
3- complete a half marathon
4-be fluent in a second language
5- star in a play
6-have grandchildren
7-get another degree in something I am passionate about
8-write a book (even if it isn't published and is just for me)
9-have a beautiful flower garden
10-take a cooking class
11-visit all the major league baseball stadiums with my husband
12-swim with dolphins
13-have a home library with big comfy chairs and walls of books (and good lighting)
14-learn to play piano
15-travel, travel, travel. Just my travel bucket list is about 35 lines right now.


What's on your list?

Spooktastic

A couple of great October reads:

2 books I read this month. Both sufficiently chilling to get me in a Halloween mood. The Hangman's Daughter, a fictional account of a real person, an executioner in medieval Germany.Lots of mystery and witchcraft. Portrait of a Killer, supposedly is forensic evidence presentation of who the real Jack the Ripper was. It was a little far fetched, but still a great book for a dark October night.

Happy Halloween

Duck Tales

 Last weekend Bryce and some buddies went duck hunting on the season's opening day. Between the four of them they got a pretty good number of birds, and lucky me, Bryce brought home a sack full of them.

The group shot down about 15 all together.

Getting up at 3 in the morning to go stand around in the freezing early air, waiting for ducks to fly by is not my idea of fun. Daphne and I had a sleepover with our friends Jenna and Macy and then went out for a yummy brunch. But I'm glad Bryce enjoyed it.

We're not food prudes, so we decided to cook the poor things. This is the duck cassoulet we made with the five birds he brought home.  It was surprisingly yummy, as long as I didn't dwell on where they came from.

I felt kind of proud of my hunter/gatherer for bringing home the bacon...or duck.

Fall break

She loved taking a nap in this hammock.

 For Bryce's Fall Break we went camping down in beautiful Brown County. The trees were probably a little better the weekend before, but it was still pretty amazing. The weather was great the days we were there and the ground was dry so Daphne's rolling around in the leaves wasn't a problem. We were joined by our new friends the Dawsons, and had a really fun evening with them. Even though our darling girl decided none of us should get any sleep that night, it was still a good time. We didn't hike this time around, but we drove to some of the good vantage points, played with leaves and sticks and enjoyed the beauty of fall.

 On the way home we stopped at a pretty fantastic pumpkin patch. It was just on the side of the road, there was no hay ride or hike to get your gourd. Just plenty of beautiful, (and beautifully priced) pumpkins right there to choose from.

check out all those colors!

 

We also hit up Zaharakos Ice Cream parlor for lunch and made a stop at the outlets. I continue to be disappointed in the options for baby boy clothes. Every time I go shopping for little brother I come home with a new wardrobe for Daf.

October

There are so many things to love about October! Firstly, the weather.  It was 85 for more than a week here. You just can't stay inside when it's that nice.

At the beginning of the month the canal downtown is dyed pink for breast Cancer Awareness month. Of course we went to see that.

It was a lot easier to see the pink in person, here it just looks like dirty water.

We went to Kelsay farms with some friends where I fell in love with the Corn Crib. What a genius idea!

Jenna Gunnel & Jamie Thompson

 We played on the Hay bale mountain and network of tunnels

 Daphne and Macy did some pumpkin bowling

 We rode the Moo Choo Train

 And took a hay ride through the fields.

 This was a really fantastic farm, and totally worth the groupon.

Then of course there are the fall leaves. Usually I don't relish yard work, but I was looking forward to taking a picture of little missy in the leaves. As it turned out, I couldn't keep her out of them She just played and played while I raked and raked.

There's also general conference, apple picking and Halloween projects to love about October. I seriously think it's my favorite months.

Murder at the Circus

So, chances are if you read our blog then you're also a friend on facebook and you may have already seen all the pictures from our awesome Halloween party. But in case you missed it on FB and you want to to hear all about it, here's the scoop:

Four the past 4 years, we have had the pleasure of hosting a Halloween party for all of our dental school friends. Our group has grown from 6 children when we got here to 20 with 4 more on the way and that makes for an out of control party! This year we decided no kids, and let's make it something extra special while we're at it. We did a circus themed Murder Mystery Party.

 Every year our friends have blown us away with their creative costumes, so I know this year would be amazing. Here is the cast of characters

 Circus bossman and wife with expensive tastes

fiscally minded ticket taker and FBI agent

 Knife thrower and spotlight grabbing acrobat

 Lion tamer and Elephant performer

 Sword swallower and sabotaged tightrope walker

 clown and snake charmer

 Team of trapeze fliers

 Tattooed lady and muscle man

 sketchy midway director and swindling fortune teller

 I do have to brag just a tiny bit and say that I sewed Bryce's coat and my whole costume

 All of the ladies

 All the guys, in character

 the poor victim and her treacherous murderer

Daphne woke up to join the party.

We had a wonderful time. Everybody got so into it, and participated way more than I expected. The food was great, prizes were awarded, and I am devastated to think this was out last big fling with these fun people.

Thanks everyone for being such good sports and for playing along.

She's a big girl now!

 Sweet little Daphne turned the big 1 a week ago. She is officially a big girl now, walking and eating all grown up food. She is very proud of her four teeth. At 20 lbs. 4 oz., and somewhere around 30 inches tall she would look like quite the child if she only had some hair. As it is, she's still pretty bald and kind of looks like an infant when she's being held.

 

We had a little party with some ward friends on the 17th, her actual birthday. She was one spoiled (but adorable birthday girl.

She didn't quite get what to do with the cake. Luckily she had a friend to help her out.

 Then this past weekend we had a BUG themed party with her two buddies Luke and Max. You can read  Kim's cute post about it here. We made bug antennas for all the kids, did a pinata, a bug hunt and playdough. We had cute themed food. And I have to say, I am a big fan of splitting up the party prep three ways. I think I will spend the rest of Daphne's life looking for other kids with close birthdays to be her friends.

some of the party guests wearing their antenna and ready for the bug hunt.

All the birthday babies, with their matching bald heads. So cute!

 

 

 We love our little birthday girl so much. Happy birthday Daf!