Luck Drive turns out to be just that

On our block of the neighborhood the street behind us is called Luck Dr. And although it is named in memorial of the Luck family that we are not a part of, we can now claim to have a share of some "luck".

It started out as a quick spin around the block on the Harley for Donny, just to warm it up. Then there was gravel and a sharp corner. Then a wreck. Doesn't sound so lucky? That part wasn't. The bike was totaled. Donny miraculously walked away with some bruises and a scratch! Even the fence that stopped the bike after it slid across the sidewalk seemed  just fine! 

So, goodbye much loved Harley Sportster. 

Hello hidden blessing Jeep Wrangler.

Before it even was running and licensed the kids adopted it as their new favorite place.

Donny is happy to be able to use 4wheel drive once in a while and spend hours fixing and perfecting his new toy. I mean vehicle. Harley you will be missed, Jeep you will be loved!

Halloween finally came

Sheesh, we've been waiting all month! These aren't in order but you get the idea. Lots of dressing up, lots of candy. 

Trick or Treat. Warm, lots of walking up hills, great neighbors that make donuts, cotton candy, hot cocoa, and scones. Oh and the candy is super too. 

 Dad the welder, maybe he needed some lessons first?!

 Mom the Elephant. Lots of sequins. Z. was probably jealous.

 S. the pink tooth fairy. She was stoked about those eyelashes.

 N.'s addition to the Halloween decorations in the living room. Dirty socks, certainly scary!

 N. as Slenderman. Those gloves are the creepiest! Too bad he can't see very well out of the mask.

 Cousins trick or treating all around the neighborhood.

 N. explaining that his shirt is showing his costume. Andreas Korean student was fully decked out as a dinosaur and had a great night on his first Halloween in the USA.

 Family party with the cousins, not even scared. Bummer.

T. was super hard to see running around in his black morph suit. He surprised me more than once coming around corners looking like a shadow. Z. freaked us all out! We are not used to seeing a punk in the house. Scary!

Spooky Piano Recital

S. started lessons just in time for a Halloween Recital. She did a great job on her first performance.

 T. was born with music in his soul. It leaks out of him it is so strong. His fingers fly across the keyboard. He is so fun to listen to.

 Grandma is an excellent, patient teacher. Her lessons are a great blessing to us. And she isn't nearly the witch she pretends to be ;)

Z. also had a piece to perform but had a more pressing ballet class at the same time. She was a little sad to miss the recital, but not overly sad. She is just as fun to listen to as T.

Everything Else October

I like to see that even though the kids complain when they have to sit near each other most of the time, that there are times when they do it by choice. And even have an enjoyable time while doing so. I like it enough to get a picture when it happens. I also like the statement I overheard from a neighbor kid about my bed. That it looks like a hotel bed. Motivates me to keep making it daily although Im usually the only one to see it. And maybe she was talking about my room in general and how its like a hotel because there is a weirdo sink in there instead of in the bathroom!

 Keeping this little guy out from under foot while my sister and I do fun things with apples and canning jars.

 Donny and his projects. This one was an attempt, and a pretty one, at covering the metal stairs on the great wall. It didn't turn out as awesome as planned but it will eventually be.

 Harley Dog enjoying her yard. The grass has been a lovely blessing. And she hasn't dug a single hole out there yet!?

 Aunt R. came to visit and have some baby expecting parties. She is such a kid magnet, and so Loved! We can't wait to meet little "Costco" haha come Christmas time.

 Watching General Conference with Grandpa and Grandma Merrill. Best spiritual recharge since the April edition. Im so very glad to have these conferences where we get to listen to the Prophet and hear great uplifting talks from church leaders. Good time to refocus and really reflect on our spirits and thoughts and actions and our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ our Savior.

 Fall carnival time is so fun. S. took down an old classmate with a big grin on her face.

 Z. enjoyed herself too. This must be some kind of mustache gang?

 Famous "Giant Pumpkin" growers brought their prize winner to the school to let us all see and marvel at.

 Cousins! Cousins! Cousins! We love them! And can't get enough!

 Snuggles with Grandpas "Salt and Pepper".

 Another fun Donny project. Bomber canoe for the scouts. Finally looks like something they'd be proud to row.

 Halloween is on the kids minds nonstop. They come up with so many creative ideas and ways to celebrate. Facepaint and fake wounds on clothing sounded like an exciting way to make the backyard spook ally a hit.

 Cleaning up all the facepaint wasn't as exciting. Especially off of the walls and doors. Whoops.

 T. caught red handed sneaking some "Poptropica" time in on the spare computer while he was supposed to be doing his homework!You know if its quiet he is up to something. I didn't even know that old computer still worked! And, like hiding his face was making him invisible or something?

 I Love(!) that N. has a mind for math. Its also great that Z. trusts him to help her out with hers because its already beyond moms comprehension.

 S. and her carpool buddies! What a little SuperTeam they are. Their backseat conversations and singing keep me very entertained! Im a little nervous that soon they'll be speaking Chinese together and I won't know what theyre saying. Hooray for Chinese immersion.

Carving Pumpkins

S. and T. were so motivated to carve theirs that they were nearly finished before I even knew they were doing it at all. 

 They love to leave some "guts" sticking out of the mouth to look like the pumpkin threw up. Gross!

My favorite part is the thorough job they did of cleaning up after themselves. Oh, and they cleaned up a pan full of seeds for toasting all on their own. Nice!

First grade FieldTrip

Lucky mom got to go to the Zoo with S.'s classmates.

 S. LOVED the Zoo. Loved watching the silly elephants play in the water. Loved watching the polar bears giant hairy paws while he swam. Even found a new boyfriend, Lion!

Fall Break Campout

Last family campout of the season. We invited ourselves along with neighbor-friends. That way Z. didn't miss out on a campout with friends and we could still keep the "no sleepover" family rule. The weather and scenery was beautiful. We got a camp spot with a giant boulder in it before all the deer hunters showed up.

 Fall means a fire is necessary for heat and not just for a fun cozy atmosphere. There was a lot of experiment time, creating fake meals with bugs and pine needles.

 Breakfast in the trailer. The other table is bigger but keeping it a bed is easier, so they all jam onto the little one. Glad we have a heater or they'd all be sleeping jammed together too, for body heat!

 Z. and her friend posing on the boulder. She loves that she finally got to camp with a friend.

 When the rock looses its excitement a tree replaces it. This was filled with kids. Like 7 or more!

 Grandma and Grandpa A came along as well. The little river was a beautiful spot to play.

 Harley joined in on the river play, can you spot her? Love that camouflage dog!

 Grandpa took T. fishing. He was so excited to catch 2 trout. They tasted delicious roasted over the fire.

 Thanks Gpa for gutting those fish, but you seem to have ruined Z.'s "Glamping" trip with fish guts.

 Soaking in the morning sun on the boulder. At this point the trip was over and they were filthy, exhausted and covered with adventure scratches but they still didn't want to leave. The mountain has a special feeling. Magical feeling.

 Mom saving as much of that sunshine warmth as possible for the long winter ahead.

 GoodBye camping for this year! We will be back to those mountains as soon as we can!