I was delighted when Katrina asked if she and her roomies could come for dinner on a Sunday in October. I wondered why I hadn't thought to invite them. I didn't go to college, I don't know how it works. Matt wanted to treat them to something nice so we had ramen noodles. J/K I am sure they have their share of that! I don't actually know....like I said, I didn't go to college;)
We had a surf n' turf menu with steak and salmon, caramelized carrots, spinach salad, rolls, carrot cake, and cheesecake! Ava said I owed her a proper cheesecake because of the Jello No-Bake cheesecake I tried to pass off on her birthday.
These girl's were worth it. They were so delightful and I felt grateful Katrina has good influences around her. Oh, and they are lucky to have Kat as well! I was trying to remember when it was that they came for dinner. I looked at the calendar and it was easy to see when Katrina had last been here....
October means that pumpkins are ready to be picked!
And leaves are ready to be thrown!
I wish I had captured a picture of Graham chasing the girls on his bike while dressed as spiderman (head to toe!) The image in my head will have to do. It was priceless.
And UEA break is here!
Maybe it was because I had just taken a trip with Matt, but I felt it wasn't fair to the kids to sit around the house as I worked while they were on fall break. So....we had a staycation. Graham recalls this as the best UEA break EVER!
Thursday:
By the time we got out the door it was lunch time so of course. As we arrived in Murray the kids were starving. While we were looking for Kneaders, we passed Wendy's. Callie set her mind that that was where she wanted to eat....and would ONLY eat. Subsequently, as we waited in line at Kneaders she repeated, "I am not eating anything!" I asked, "Well do you just want some chicken noodle soup?" She answered, "Just soup!" I asked, "It come with grapes, do you want those?" "And grapes!" "It also comes with juice and a cookie." "Juice and a cookie, but that's all I'm eating here!" She was thrilled when her kids meal came in a cardboard haunted house and she gobbled up the whole thing.
As we pulled into Wheeler Farm I told the kids that my aunt Chris lives across the street. I remembered coming here as a really little girl. I don't think it has changed one bit.
We asked a gal to get a group photo of us on the vintage truck. She was something of a perfectionist and kept shooting till she was happy with her shot.
We picked out our pumpkins after a trip through the maze. We were delighted to have Lindsey Taylor and the boyzzzzz (a for each) join us for a wagon ride.
On Friday we headed to Utah County:
For lunch this time we ate at Cafe Rio. Callie still had Wendy's in her head from the day before, "I am not eating anything here!" As we were in line I said, "Well kids get a free quesadilla, do you just want that?" "Just that!" I accidentally ordered her a regular kids meal so it had meat in it and it came with beans and rice. As she gobbled it up she said, "Mmmmm, this is sooo good!"
We then went to the Halloween store. It was really awful!
Aside from a few clever masks it was full of gutz and gore. As the cashier rang up our spidey gloves I could tell I was going to get a migraine because of the blind spots. It was that store I tell ya....or maybe the brain squeeze headband from the day before (I literally had a forehead dent when I took it off).
I knew what I had to do. I needed some Aleve and a Coke. I drove to the nearest convenient store and got both. We then headed to Movies 8 where I could sip it off while the boys threw water bottles into the air in the parking lot. Me and Ava sat in the car and looked at the Macy's ad. Callie was back and forth between the two activities. After sitting through Maleficent (which we really loved!) my head was pretty much back to normal. I am so glad I have learned to nip and manage my headaches.
I was well enough for a quick trip into the mall and Target. Callie had Chloe and Joey in tow.
Callie wanted to be Elsa from Frozen (who didn't!) I was all sewn out from Mallerie's dresses and I wasn't going to spend what the Disney store was asking. Callie was happy with this find from Target.
Saturday:
We wondered if we had waited too long to get our bike ride down Provo Canyon in but the leaves were still marvelous!
We had waited too long in the sense that the Geertsen's were out of town but we traveled with both the Taylor bunches minus Ashley. Cade filled in as Mr. Mom nicely.
We picniced at Vivian before caravanning to the falls for our first pit stop. It worked best to have the bike trailer hooked to my bike, (I won't lie it was a lot of extra weight) but I made it! All downhill from the falls.
Ava and Grayson rode the tandem bike. I wanted to get a shot of them as they passed by me. Matt had the same idea so he pulled out his phone to do so but something went wrong.
I stood off to the side to get a photo of A and Gray as they passed. Here is how it came out. After all that, Gray is facing the wrong way!!
We enjoyed the rest of our ride down the canyon and I loved listening to Violet and Callie make up songs about the fall leaves. We ended our ride at the Riverwoods, which was probably for the best with the shape Matt was in. It took months for him to heal, which can only mean one thing, cracked ribs.
Matt took fall break very literally. He fell and he broke!
