Tree Hunt 2017

We participated in Manhattan's Red Cedar Holiday Harvest again this year. I love it. They provide donuts, cocoa and a free tree! This year there was also a little train to shuttle people back and forth from their cars.

Chowing on donuts and headed out to look for our tree.

Happy girls!

Rory's maybe not so happy to have to stick his head into a prickly cedar.

He braved it and got us a good one.

The train conductor was very nice and gave us a ride around the parking lot even though we parked right next to the entrance.

The girls had fun getting out all the ornaments and putting them on the tree.

The final product! Sadly half of one of our light strands has given up the ghost. Maybe someday we'll fix it.

Manhattan Sign

We've been having a warm spell so we decided to do a little family hike. We went up to the big Manhattan sign. Lily had to break out the energy pills early.

Up up up we go!

The girls love this hike. The letter slides are fun. (Until you slip and think you're going to fall off the hill. I'm looking at you Lily.)

Blow this one up big. I'm not sure what she was doing.

Lily's glamour shot.

Proof that there was one pregnant momma up that hill.

Happy Birthday Lily!

This little thing turned 3 last week! She's been a fun baby to have around. I guess we'll have to start calling her a big girl now though. She loves coloring, pre-school, pretending to be whatever animal strikes her fancy and playing with her sister.

Excited to open her presents!

Madelyn was very good at directing the present opening.

She got so many fun things!

As soon as everything was opened the girls got down to some serious playing. Thank you grandparents!

Blowing out the candles later that night.

Happy Birthday sweet Lily!

Halloween Festivities

 I'm finally getting around to posting some Halloween photos. 

These first two photos aren't actually a Halloween festivity but Lily was wearing her kangaroo costume. She wears it most days. We went to Manhattan's Renaissance Festival. Here we are freezing our bums off and listening to the story of the Pied Piper.

The rest of us were busy watching knights fighting but Lily just wanted to go home.

That same day we went Trick-or-Treating at our zoo's Spooktacular event. 

It's a popular event so we always have to park far away and hike in. The girls love it though. Animals and candy!

We went to a pumpkin carving party at Rory's professor's house. The four on the left are ours.

And finally the real big day came! It was an Idaho Halloween. We put on coats and gloves and hats after this picture. The girls were troopers and got a big haul. Lily didn't trip and spill her bucket at all!! I feel like she did that a lot last year.

A&H Pumpkin Patch

 We got to go to the Pumpkin Patch this weekend! Madelyn's been begging for weeks but it's been rainy every Saturday.

There were lots of pumpkins to check out.

The girls are growing. Lily weighs a whopping 27 lbs now!

We took a little "hay" ride. There wasn't any hay. We sat on old van seats. It wasn't as itchy as regular hay rides.

The whole reason Madelyn wanted to go to the patch was this huge slide. She looks forward to it all year.

Lily actually liked it this year.

Bouncy houses!

The petting farm was particularly cute this year because there were lots of babies. These lambs kept escaping.

The girls learning how to play checkers. I don't think they got it.

Corn pit!

And some more slide pictures.

Lily found a pumpkin seat.

Rory whooping me at pumpkin checkers.

Madelyn's pumpkin seat.

Lily took the last three pictures. She's going to be a fabulous photographer someday.