Fall is here.  Today Jeremy tried to get our girls to pose in the leaves for some stock shots and our garage is full of drying leaves for a photo shoot on Tuesday.  Today we made our annual Halloween cookies and got a bunch ready to door bell ditch.  My kids think acting like hooligans and not getting in trouble for it is one of their ultimate joys.  We even carved some pumpkins and Spencer and Allison had a pumpkin seed cook-off.  Yesterday I forced my kids to go with me on a fall hike.  I asked them how can it be forcing and they informed me that when I say "you can choose not to go but I don't think you will like the consequences" it counts as forcing.  But once they got over their grumps they had a great time.


Spencer pretended to be miserable and then we hiked to where he did his Eagle Project and he was in heaven running around and showing off everything he did.  I am such a mean mom.

So I feel like we have sufficiently celebrated fall this weekend so that we can cheerfully go back to school and work tomorrow...with a cookie in our pocket and a sugar high.

Spencer had a volleyball game Saturday.  I love, love his coach.  They are not the best volleyball team.  In fact its sometimes painful to watch.  The entire time his coach is praising them and cheering for them while trying to offer pointers.  And it is all done with great enthusiasm and sincerity.  Jeremy said he loved watching Spencer try to high five a girl after a good hit.  It involved several attempts as they tried to make it work.


Saturday night Spencer had a Halloween dance to go to.  We spent the afternoon getting a KFC bucket, a rubber chicken and a sign that said "6 foot man eating chicken".  He thought he was pretty cool.


Robyn had to finish a biography project this week.  She had school Monday and I got to go join her for lunch.  She didn't think it was very nice that she was the only one who had to go to school.  Allison and Spencer just went back to bed.  She chose to do her biography on her favorite writer Gail Carson Levine and did her research, her art project, decorated a pumpkin like Gail (a little pumpkin as she is a super tiny lady), presented to the school and closed out the week watching Ella Enchanted to see what was different from the book.  It was an awesome project.  And I am really, really glad she is done.


Allison went to her long delayed birthday lunch with Jeremy on Monday.  She took Robyn's flat Stanley with her so she could write an adventure for Robyn on her Flat Stanley Project - this year has lots of projects I have noticed.  Every year Allison picks to go to a chinese buffet.  I think its the unlimited shrimp.


Allison taught in Beehives today and it was also my first time being in there.  Way, way different than Primary.  I felt like saying if you have something in your hands, put it under your chair.  Not sure how well that would go over.

Jeremy has been busy with some painting projects at his photo studio that has been keeping him busy.  He and I got to go out Saturday night with some friends for dinner and a temple visit.  It seems like what is gone from our lives right now is the down time of doing nothing.  So I am enjoying and embracing every normal, nothing happening, wearing my PJs evening.