Halloween!!

I was planning on going to the pumpkin patch all season and everyday that I was planning on going it rained so we didn't make it, but I did buy some pumpkins and I let the girls paint them. Alyssa was very excited and painted her entire pumpkin, Megan did it for a few minutes but quickly lost interest.
We had our ward party last week so we tried out our costumes early this year. Alyssa was Strawberry Shortcake, she had the clothes and I decorated the hat. We also dyed her hair red which she really enjoyed, but was more trouble than it was worth so I don't think I will do it on Halloween night.

I tried to find a pink cat costume for Megan to be Custard (Strawberry Shortcakes pet cat), but I failed miserably so she just wore the pumpkin outfit that I got for Alyssa's first Halloween.

slacker

I know that I have been a slacker bloger so here are a bunch of pictures.

Zoo trip

The day after we got back from Utah, it was the 2 dollar zoo days at the zoo so we had to take advantage before the rains started to come. It was a bit chilly when we went, but that meant less crowds so I was okay with that. I really liked the sea lions, we watched for a while and noticed that they were swiming in the same path the whole time and then we went back the same way to leave and they were still doing the same path. Maybe they were trained?
I thought that the cold would mean the polar bears would be having fun, but they just sat there.

We spend almost our entire trip looking for the lions and we finally found them! Apparently it is a new exhibit that just came in September and there haven't been lions at the zoo for a long time.

Megan and dad got lost in the desert from inside the bubble you could see the bugs climing in the sand.

Carrying wood

While we were in Utah, we went out to visit Sian and Damon (Caleb's twin brother and his family) they have two girls similar in age to mine so it is always fun to visit. They are redoing their basement and Caleb got to help carry wood (lucky guy) but the girls decided they wanted to help. I was holding Megan but then I put her down to take pictures, I thought she was just mad because I put her down, but when I did pick her back up I found a thorn in her foot. Oops!

How many kids does it take to carry a board?

Alyssa found that princess dress about 30 seconds after we arrived and wore it the whole time.

Hula!!

I was the ward campout a few weeks ago and we decided to go at least for the evening because it was only like 30 minutes away. Not to many people showed up but the kids had fun running around and playing with the hula hoops. Alyssa is getting pretty good at them, she can do a few revolutions before it falls.
Megan just likes to carry them around because Alyssa has one.

Even if we were planning on spending the night, Alyssa decided that it would be a good night to get sick and throw up for the second time in her life. She was feeling fine when we got to the camp site and then she was feeling better by morning. so it was a short lived sickness.

Even Caleb got in on the fun.

Purple dresses

Grandma Bell made matching dresses for the girls and I decided to go to the Portland Temple to take some pictures with the beautiful scenery. However, the girls decided that they didn't want to take pictures that day so none of them turned out great. Here are a few of the ones that are okay.

Fountain

A couple of weeks ago we decoded to take advantage of one of the last few warm days of summer and I took Alyssa to play in a fountain. It was colder than I thought and she didn't last long, but I think she still enjoyed herself.

Megan wouldn't hear of playing in the water.

Utah Trip

We had a surprise trip to Utah last week and although it was great to see everyone, but unfortunatly we all had to get together to attend my grandpa's funeral. He has been battling cancer for over five years now so we all knew that his time was coming, but it still came too soon. I love my grandpa and will miss him a lot, but I am glad for the time I got to spend with him and that he got a chance to meet my children. I tried to explain to Alyssa what was going on, buy I don't think she really understood, but maybe she did. It was great seeing my parents because they have been in Jerusalem and I didn't know when we would be able to see them next, and I got to meet my new nephew Will which was really fun. Alyssa and Megan enjoyed being chased by grandpa and playing with Tyler. I think Tyler liked Megan best because he called her doggy and a dog is his favorite animal. It was also great to see Caleb's brothers and their families. Anyway, it was a sad reason to get together but really great to see everyone.