Happy Halloween!

I can't believe we are already approaching the end of the year! Christmas will be here before I can blink! We had a nice Halloween this year. The night before, we got together with our good friends, the Kirby's and carved pumpkins. The kids liked scooping out the gunk and playing with the seeds. Ethan decided to carve out John McCain while I carved Dwight from the Office, one of our favorites! They both turned out pretty good. You can find patterns online for pretty much anything.

Audrey made a very cute Cinderella this year while Caden went as a little frog. We thought that was appropriate because from a young age, he has always hoped around when he's excited, or do "happy hops" as we call them. He was dang cute and really got into the trick or treat thing. He actually would go up to the door and say trick or treat and thank you. He normally is super shy around strangers, but I guess the whole candy thing makes everything ok!

Caden and Audrey loved having easy access to candy all evening. They did well!

Lake Cuyamaca Getaway

Last year after busy season we rented a little cabin up in Lake Cuyamaca near Julian for the night and had such a nice time that we decided to do it again this year. Maybe this is a new tradition for us! We invited the Russells (Ethan's sister's family) to come along and rent the other side of the two sided cabin. We left the day after we got back from Utah since Ethan still had time off. Ethan did a lot of fishing and the kids all ran around exploring and picking little apples from the trees. That night we ate stew and hot dogs then enjoyed some delicious Julian apple pie with ice cream! The cabins come pretty well equipped with everything you need plus games and movies. After putting Caden to bed, Ethan, myself and Audrey stepped outside into the cool mountain air, laid a blanket on the ground in the parking lot and watched the stars. It's incredible how many more stars you can see up in the mountains without city lights to drown them out. It was a great moment.

The next morning we picked more apples, Ethan fished, we ate a massive breakfast fit for like 4 families, walked around the lake, then packed up. On our way out, we rented a little motor boat to take around the lake and fish some more. The kids loved being in a boat and Audrey even got to drive for a bit. Ethan caught a nice size trout that he cooked on the BBQ in foil for dinner. It was surprisingly the best trout I've ever had. Good times!

Pretty Caden

It's bound to happen when a little boy is around girls all day. I was getting ready for the day in my bathroom while the kids where having their own fun in the next room. I'm sure daddy is so proud! Hee hee.