Fall activities and.....MORE FOOD!

Last Saturday all the boys (plus one) were eating peanuts on the front porch-I thought it was so cute! However, they left peanut shells all over the driveway and were even floating them down the stream-probably not good for the pump.

Grandpa's pumpkins have been so beautifully gracing my front porch. They are still, but now with scary faces to boot! The kids had fun carving pumpkins. We had to literally force Logan to stick his hand in the pumpkin and get the guts out. He doesn't like to get dirty or touch slimy stuff. Blake reminded him that the scouts will not be kind to a fellow scout who will not bait or gut his own fish, so he'd better get used to it!

Isn't this just the perfect Fall photo? Ed, and the pumkin patch, on a tractor, in front of a barn, with his pumpkin! I had to lug this thing back to the bus. I loved sharing a beautiful Fall morning with Eddy and his kindergarten class.

Sir Edward approves of the tasty caramel apple.

My annual Halloween piano recital/party. Participants were skimpy this year-only 6 pianists (and myself-I played Bach's Tocatta in d-), but everyone had a fun time, I think.

I didn't get to eat one, but they were fun to make, and they LOOK good.

I did get to eat plenty of these and they were very tasty. Do you like my Inky kitty cookies-they just need green eyes

Strawberry pie in October...really??? Medford is awesome!

These berries were soooooo good! They were perfectly sweet and delicious...I wish I could have more right now. They didn't last long around here!

Hodge Podge

The next picture of our front yard will hopefully be green! We just had sprinklers put in and Blake planted grass seed-they just started poking up yesterday! The left side of the house was just ugly gravel, so I can't wait to have it be lovely grass and a nice planting bed. We'll just leave it to Blake's yard-magic.

Camden comes around for a lap at the Jewett Jaguar's Jog-a-thon

Eddy's first jog-a-thon. The kindergarteners got to run on a smaller track. It was hilarious to watch them go all over the place and get tired after one lap (not Eddy!)

Johanna's response to "hard labor" that Blake put her through. Blake had the kids (and me too) shoveling gravel from one side of our house in preparation for sprinklers/grass.

Our beloved Alameda Home! Johanna lived here from ages 1-3 and Logan spent his first 4 months here. We were able to visit Alameda and our friends the Pixtons, Teuchers and Harlows, and have a fun time in San Franscisco for a few days.

Food Glorious Food! My homemade salsa with homegrown tomatoes......so good and pretty to look at!

The last blackberries-it was slim pickins, but oh that pie was good!

If pie weren't enough, we also had this giant chocolate cake-I should have weighed it-it was heavy! Camden always enjoys his desserts, so it's appropriate that Cam hold the cake for this picture.

Back to School for Eddy

I made these cute apple cupcakes to give to friends and the kids. It's our yearly tradition for the first week of school.

Johanna had some friends over for her 14th birthday. We BBQd and they watched movies

Kindergarten Eddy! He was pretty excited for the first day of school. It was just last Monday since Kindergarten starts a week after everyone else here. It's been a little hard for him to get up in the morning, but I think he's been enjoying it. He's in a conjoined classroom-two classrooms headed by one teacher with a conjoining door. Eddy's group is "the blue dolphins".

Eddy's new school, new backpack, and new shoes. With 2 older brothers, Eddy hardly ever gets new clothes, so this outfit is a handmedown. Not that he cares!

Tons of Fun=tons of pictures!

Johanna and Logan ready for their first day at Scenic Middle

Cam at his desk at Jewett Elementary

Eddy earned this "super singer" badge at primary last Sunday-he was Super proud of it and wore it all day

Our church has a huge pear farm here and we have all been asked to work in it to bring in the prolific pear harvest. Blake, Johanna, Logan and I all went last Friday. Hot, dusty work!

Logan with his pear basket. He is so thrilled! He came back with us on Labo day for 3 hours!!

an Andrea in a pear tree

After our planned swimming trip to the Kroc center didn't pan out (it was closed), the kids had a fun afternoon jumping over the sprinklers under Grandma and Grandpa's trampoline.

Logan!

Camden!

Johanna!

We had a great time at the Oregon State Fair. We ended our trip with cotton candy in the shuttle to our car.

Boys in the bumper cars. Poor Cam couldn't figure out how to get his car moving, so was pinned in the corner the whole time.

Johanna and Logan enjoyed the swings. This used to be a favorite ride of mine. Now, being old, it just makes me sick...

The last Blackberry Pie......oh so good!!!

I wish I could say our whole summer went like this-siblings having fun together, doing something creative and constructive....At least I captured this one moment of doing that!

Summer's not over yet!

WE went camping at Jedediah Smith State Park last weekend with a bunch of people from our ward. It was so fun! It was in the redwoods of CA, so very beautiful. We hiked and swam and went to the beach, which isn't far away.
bad pic, but that's Logan on top

Camden and friend Tate playing Monopoly Deal before dinner Friday night.

We went camping with about 100 people from church. We had a potluck dinner, followed by a talent show. The kids and I ressurected our famous "Wishy Washy Washerwoman" song, to much applause.

Plum kutchen baked in my NEW pan from Katy

Saturday was spent at the southern Oregon beach. It was cool, but the kids had a great time, of course!

A grove of Redwood trees was right across from our campsite-it was awesome-the kids were climbing all over the downed trees

What's better then a camping breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon? Especially for Blake who ran 10-12 miles on the boyscout trail that morning.

You can't tell,but Johanna's holding a tiny frog! We had a great time on Friday playing in this river. The boys collected tadpoles, and Johanna and I swam in the perfectly clear and deep water!

Stuff we've done

Here's a lizard we found coming down from hiking-Johanna dubbed it "Gilbert"

After a rocky start (complaining galore), we all had fun hiking to one of two "tablerock" hikes in Medford. It wasn't too far, but it was pretty steep, and hot! So with Eddy, we were kinda slow (plus, Johanna didn't feel great). A pretty view from the top though.

Johanna barely made it! Isn't this tree cool-I don't know what it is, but there were a lot of them with this peeling bark revealing bright green underneath

My birthday bootie-always fun....

The fam in front of the Medford Temple after Cam's baptism. It's right next door to our chapel.

Blake and Cam before the baptism. Poor Blake-the suit was a little too short for him...not too comfortable. We had to baptize Camden twice-his foot was sticking out.