Pumpkin Point Farms

Warning: This is a very picture heavy post. Just to let you know!

 One of my favorite fall traditions is taking the kids to a pumpkin patch. Isn't it everyones? If my Instagram feed is any indication then yes it really is. We have been taking the kids to the same one for  6 or 7 years. It is the best. It is called Pumpkin Point Farms. For locals it is at 11800 south and 3600 west.

It is row after row of pumpkins. They are already picked which I actually love. It is great to be able to just pick the pumpkins up and go. No fuss no muss. 

They have wheelbarrows that you can take with you to really load up! 

They even have wheelbarrows for the kids. Watching the kids trying to push the tiny wheelbarrows is so stinking funny! They try so hard to control them and they just can't. I wish I had a video of it because holy moly it is so cute. 

They have tons of photo ops set up which is great. Trucks full of pumpkins, Tow Mater, a horse trailer full of hay, piles of hay bails. And so on!

So cool!

On top of all the other photo ops they have a whole row of tractors that the kids can climb on. The tractors may be my kids favorite part. Can you tell? I mean Nicco doesn't even look kind of excited, emirate?!

I swear Lola liked being there. She has just gone into the stage of hating her picture taken. Lovely.

They also have two different corn mazes. One is pretty small and one loop so it is perfect for smaller kids. They also have a much larger one that is better for bigger kids. My kids did not like the big one! They cut through the corn to get out of it. Yeah my kids are THOSE kids. 

And last but not least Mater!

So cool! 

This is the gentleman that owns the pumpkin patch. The couple that owns the Pumpkin Point Farms are charming. Plus they really seem to appreciate having people come down to their patch. Oh and they do a hay ride from 5-7 every night. BTW. So fun! Everyone should check it out! Their prices are so reasonable and they are great people. Go local!

Peace Out- AnneMarie

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.....

This my friends... is my BEST friend. 

My lover. 

My confidant. 

My boyfriend. 

My partner in crime. 

The father of my children. 

My hero. 

My person. 

The man of my dreams.

My somebody. 

TODAY IS HIS BIRTHDAY!! 

How does one honor someone so important whom you love more that any word, or gift, or thoughtful service could ever be enough to truly express the granditude of your feelings for?? Or how grateful to the heavens above HE is in your life?? HE is the person I prayed for. The person that I believe with all my heart was intended for me, and my greatest gift from God. He and I are not perfect by any means but he is definitely perfect for me! 

I pledge to do everything I can to be sure he feels as loved unconditionally as I do. Forever, for always, and no matter what!

Happy Birthday JASON!! 

Now lets PAR-TAY!! 

Our Christmas Daily Advents-Making the Christmas Season More Memorable

A long time ago we were having the talk we always have with our kids to discuss last years Christmas to discover what worked and what didn't. (PS if you don't have this little talk you should!! It is amazing what is important to them and what we as moms and dads are doing that isn't necessary and can relieve stress by letting it go.) It became clear that when we discussed the presents/gifts they couldn't remember most if not all that they had received. This was less than a year before!! (in their defense  they were little but still....)

BUT

They could remember with some awesome clarity the things that we did together. 

Welcome to the birth of our

DAILY ADVENTS
(this is what we will be doing this year)

Nov 28: Decorating the house and tree

NOV 29: The Family Thanksgiving Dinner

NOV 30: Wisemen still seek him (FHE)

DEC 1: Make our advent calendars

DEC 2: Sign Christmas cards and Hot cocoa bar

DEC 3: Sibling shopping and Crazy candlelight  dinner

DEC 4: Read our fav Christmas stories

DEC 5: St Nicholas Shoes

DEC 6: Ward Christmas Party

DEC 7: First Presidency Devo and munchies

DEC 8: Northpole breakfast for dinner

DEC 9: Sing along

DEC 10: Make gingerbread houses

DEC 11: Eggnog and popcorn night

DEC 12: Ho Ho Someone or Toys for Tots shopping

DEC 13: The Forgotten Carols and dinner

DEC 14: FHE Lesson w the grandparents and   Christmas dinner

DEC 15: Elf on the Shelf Arrives (all 30 days was too much)

DEC 16: Make and deliver neighbor gifts

DEC 17: Random acts of kindness day

DEC 18: craft night and plant candy cane     seeds

DEC 19: jingle bell jaunt

DEC 20: baking and treat making day

DEC 21: Family Christmas Party

DEC 22: Saran Wrap ball

DEC 23: Jammie movie marathon and pizza party

DEC 24: Lunch out and movie, family puzzle           building, make cookies for santa.             finger foods, open jammies and a             family devotional.

There you go...What do you do to make the season memorable?? If you have questions on what any of these are feel free to comment!! We love nice comments from nice people!!

LOVES

Emily

Fall Bucket List

Fall is here! Yay fall! I am always so happy when things start to cool down. Too be totally honest I think that is why fall ranks up there with my top seasons. I am not a hot person. I am a cool/cold person! I love fall activities. I love fall food. I love the pumpkin spice and everything nice! So to celebrate fall a little bit better the family came up with a little fall bucket list. We went overboard with our summer one. We had waaay to many things to accomplish on that one so we kept fall to a minimum. We want to accomplish as many as possible over the next two months! Here it is:

*go to a pumpkin patch or two!

*check out the witches at Gardner Village

*go booing

*decorate! I know I am lame that October is half over and I haven't put up decorations yet.

*play in the leaves

*go to a drive-in

*make hand print turkeys

*Aunt Emily's pie night

*get some family photos done

*picnic up a canyon

*go to a corn maze

That is all we are putting on there. Who knows what will get done. We are keeping things loose. No restrictions! Basically no pressure for mommy to get it all done!

Summer Fun Activities!

We are fast approaching the end of summer vacation around here. School starts in less than a month. Boo! I gathered up a few easy and fun activities and crafts to do with the kids. I need some inspiration on how to make this last month count!  

Gold Glitter Slime. So rad!

These Marshmallow shooters are smart and cheap!

Since all our flowers are dying from the heat I thought these accordion style ones would be fun!

These flying fish are inexpensive and really easy to make! 

There are some really intense versions of these on pinterest but this is a good basic one I think! Kiddie car wash! Throw that bad boy on a dry patch of grass and let the kids go to town!

This is RAD! DIY solar smores. This might be my favorite one so far.

My kids are to the age where they don't eat play-dough but this would be fun for them anyway! Incredible Edible Playdough. I love this! Plus play-dough keeps my kids entertained for hours.

Magic Potion! These use dry ice so adult supervisions is definitely required but look how cool!

Who doesn't love bubbles? Everyone does. And these ones don't pop! Well really they are harder to pop. They even say they bounce.

Late summer nights will shortly be coming to an end around here. So I want to enjoy them. I love this idea for Glow in the Dark Ring Toss. My kids would get a kick out of it!

Then off to bed in their glow in the dark party teepee! 

 Anything I am missing? How are you trying to stretch out the last bit of summer?

Hidden Falls Hike

I mentioned a while back that my family made a goal to hike weekly. It has been fun adventuring a bit. The kids LOVE it! Being in the mountains and in nature seems to put them in awesome moods. Like woah! That is something I can really get behind. 

Here is one of our latest adventures. Hidden Falls! Now to say this is a hike would be a little bit of a fib. But dang it is pretty and totally worth doing. That being said it is more like a nature walk. Which I am totally down with. Hidden Falls is found up in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It is a little bit hard to find. Anyone who has driven Big Cottonwood canyon is aware of that super tight S curve about 4 miles in. Right at the beginning of that curve is a little parking lot. Park there or along the road. You have to really watch for it or you will miss it! You can hear the falls from the road.

If you parked in the parking lot you will see these stairs. Go up those stairs and through the wooded area and then across the road. Yeah across the road! Needless to say you need to be extremely careful crossing that bit of road because the cars are going very fast down that patch. So be so careful. We ran across even though we didn't see any cars just in case. From that point it is pretty self explanatory. Follow the sounds of running water! 

My little adventurers at the beginning of the walk.

Nick climbing up and not being able to get down some rocks. HA!

This was their first glimpse at the falls.

It was a great little waterfall. And freezing cold! This is melted snowpack so it is very cold. So be prepared for that.

Facing the falls is a little rock face that my kids couldn't help but climb. Especially Lola. We lovingly refer to her as our little mountain goat. She just bounds up rock faces and mountains like a baby mountain goat.

To get to the falls you may have to get a little wet because you are walking up the creek to reach the falls. I was able to get up through to the falls without getting my feet wet but Nick and the kids all stepped in the creek. Make sure you wear shoes that you are okay getting wet! Be prepared for stepping in freezing cold water too. 

Getting to the falls is a little tricky. You will see these stairs to your right. Don't take them! Follow the path down to the creek. But really we want to go back and take those stairs. That path takes you to two different vista points. Maybe next time.

Of course on the way down we had to stop and enjoy the views. So beautiful! Nicco was in love with this canyon. It will be one we visit often because his reaction was awesome! He talked about how amazing it was and how he liked it so much. How it was the most beautiful place he has ever seen. It may sound weird but when he was talking about it it made my heart swell. It seemed to skip a beat. He is a tender boy and he sees the world in a different way. I will never forget his reaction. 

All in all a fun little adventure spot. It would be a great walk to do to wind down your day or get it started up the canyon. It was a great respite from the heat down in the valley! Have you been on any hikes lately? Were they family friendly? We are always on the lookout for fun family hikes! 

Italian Sodas-Yummy!

Have you had an Italian Soda? They are yummy!I have had them in fancy Italian restaurants before but when my Gabby came home from a manners dinner with her young woman's class and was raving  about the Italian Sodas they served she had to find the recipe and of course thanks to pinterest she was successful. Here is the one we found...my only change would be choosing to just use the half and half the recipe calls for instead of the fat free version I purchased. That being said even with the fat free half and half it was still So SO good!! 

Italian Sodas

You will need:

Torani flavors of your choice 

Half and half

club soda

and ice cubes

Add 3 ice cubes to your glass

Then add 1/2 C of club soda

followed by 3 TBS of flavorings and

1 TBS of half and half. 

Top with whipped cream (optional)

Stir and 

ENJOY!!

I think this would be so fun at a party! Make your own style!!

A camping hack!! What? No more dishes!! YES!

 Awh camp sweet camp....Our family loves camping!! We love being together and disconnecting from all the devices and truly enjoying each other. Look....we even carved our sentiments into the sand.  Awwwhhhhh......................................

Cute right?? Yep. I love camping BUT....I really hate (oh wait my mama told me not to say hate) OK...I really strongly dislike, with a passion, washing dishes while camping. Needless to say not ideal and kinda yucky actually.  Well....once again necessity being a mother...here is my solution. (with the help and giant brain of my cute hubs we make a great team he and I; I must say) 

First we added about half an inch to an inch of water to the bottom of our cooking pan.  Then we put a Reynolds crock pot liner (you know those things intended to keep your crock pot/slow cooker clean)into the bottom of the pot over the water like you see below.  As you can see, its not made to fit inside our smaller than a crock pot pan, but it really does work. I promise. I will let the pictures do the rest of the talking....

BEAUTIFUL!! 

Please note we have only tested this over the camp stove. No idea what other cooking methods would do....Enjoy!!

My water proof picnic blanket -A tutorial (sorta)

I am sure you remember our post on Free Movies in the park but if you don't you can check it out here... Well, we have been attending, and have been enjoying the fun, but have run into two little problems. 1) the blankets are getting a little moist as we sit on them in the grass and 2) we are having a hard time getting them to stay put. (read between wiggly kids and people walking through our party the blankets were a bunched up mess) SO....they say necessity is a mother and it must be true because I came up with a solution to both little troubles; my version of a water proof picnic blanket. How you ask?? I sewed a cheap blanket to a tarp.  HAHA!! 

Pretty simple but very effective and I'll show you how. 

 What you'll need:

a tarp (we used a heavy duty 8x10 tarp)

a blanket (we used a cheap $5 twin size blanket from Wallys)

thread

the usual sewing notions

tent stakes

OPTIONAL: a tent stake mallet

First we laid out the tarp and 

then centered the blanket on top of it. 

Next we pinned and pinned and pinned. 

(you will want a lot of pins) :)

Then once it was pinned we simply sewed around it to 

attach the blanket to the tarp.

 NOTE: it is big and kinda heavy...you may want assistance just holding the bulk of the materials and to help maneuver it while you sew.

Now we can use the grommets in the tarp to stake down our blanket and never worry about whatever is on the grass seeping up to get us.  YAY!! AND it will stay right where we put it. HOORAY!!

Gabby is so helpful staking down the blanket and all....

Don't they look so happy to be nice and dry?! 

I plan on storing the mallet, stakes, and blanket in a cute reusable shopping bag and keeping it in our van for ready to go capabilities.