Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

We are excited to go trick-or-treating in our neighborhood tonight, as long as it stops raining...The kids have been practicing their Trick or Treat, please! and Thank you! and Happy Halloween! This morning I made pumpkin shaped pancakes for breakfast, and for once we didn't have to beg our kids to finish their breakfasts. Yesterday we decorated some special Halloween cupcakes for them to bring into their preschool classes. Drew was in charge of placing a pumpkin candy on top of each cupcake. It was torture for them to help make cupcakes yesterday, and not get to eat one until today at school! A good lesson in delayed gratification I guess.

Now I'm off to deliver some Halloween treats from Hearts of Hope to our cardiologist's office. Hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween! Take lots of pictures, I'm going to!

pumpkin pancakes

cupcakes for school

my new hair-this picture is for my mom!

Jack-o-Lanterns

The kids were so excited to carve pumpkins the other night. They could not wait! It was one of those awesome, this is why we have children--to see the joy through their eyes, moment. It was adorable! Ava picked a picture of a jack-o-lantern she wanted me to copy onto her pumpkin. Drew drew a face on his and I was very impressed with his drawing. I made a bat and Dan made a scary tree. Our friend Kate was here and she made a tipsy pumpkin tossing his pumpkin seeds. We stayed up a little late to finish and the kids liked seeing their pumpkins lit in the dark.

Fog Willow

Yesterday's field trip was to Fog Willow Farm. I'm glad we went, even though it was the third patch in four days. It was very well organized, educational and fun. But I am still pumpkined out, so this post will be in pictures only. Enjoy!

Class Photo (minus a few kids)

Hay Ride

Learning how to milk a cow

Learning how pumpkins grow

Meeting Peter the alpaca

Making a mini hay bale

Halloween Pictures

Could they BE any cuter?! Thank you to my amazing photographer friend, Dee, for taking these pictures.

So many pumpkin patches

This week was the week of pumpkin patches for our family. On Friday we met some friends from church at a pumpkin farm and helped pick 200 pumpkins for our the harvest festival we put on every year to benefit the community. I forgot my camera, but the kids had so much fun walking through the rows and rows of pumpkins and picking small ones to load onto the truck.

Then on Saturday, while the husbands were golfing, a bunch of the women from our life group met at another pumpkin patch right by our house for a day of fun with the kids. Ava had her first pony ride and she really enjoyed it! Drew enjoyed watching her, he is still not interested in actually riding a pony himself. He was excited for the jump houses and train ride though! The kids jumped twice each and totally worked up an appetite for lunch. The train ride was a crowd pleaser too. After our picnic lunch some nice ladies who were leaving the patch gave us the rest of their animal feed so we could feed the goats and sheep. The kids love doing that, but the germ aspect freaks me out a little. We sanitized right after then went home and washed our hands with warm soapy water.

And today, Drew's preschool class has a field trip to yet another pumpkin patch. I can't imagine that there is anything there that we haven't seen yet, but I guess it will be fun to go with another group of friends.

Ava's first pony ride!

Ella, Eben, Drew, Chloe, Irie and Ava on the train

Saturday night we went out to sushi with our friend Pete to celebrate his birthday. Here we are getting ready to do a celebratory sake bomb:

Darcy, Eric, Andrea, Dan, Faye, Jeff, Pete, Jen

The bomb in progress

Cuteness

Some scarecrows came in the mail...thanks Grandma & Grandpa Oddone!

Gotta protect your eyes

Drew and Ava on the way to school

Nut Tree

Saturday was a busy day of parties for the Himmelberger family. We started at The Nut Tree in Vacaville for our Hearts of Hope Halloween Party. All the kids dressed up and we got unlimited free rides for the whole family. We had never been before, but it was a lot of fun. It's not huge, maybe only about ten rides and some places to get food, play games, and walk around. It was very clean and not too crowded, just perfect for us! Drew and Ava dressed up as a cowboy and cowgirl and looked adorable:

The first thing we just HAD to do was go on the train ride. Drew was pulling me over to the train as I tried to have a conversation with another heart mom. It was a good first stop since we could see the layout of the park and plan out what rides we'd like to do. The train conductor took his job pretty seriously though and told us "only the conductor opens and closes the doors," and "there's no eating on the train." Which made me and Dan giggle and come up with other stuff you couldn't do on the train. Like "there's no smiling on the train," and "there's no having fun on the train." He he.

After the train was the balloon ride which both kids went on, then the carousel ride for me and Ava while Dan took Drew on the roller coaster! He was scared, but didn't cry and apparently it was his idea to go on it. I wanted to ride the roller coaster so I was bummed they went without me. I asked Drew if he'd go again with me, but he refused! There was also this emergency vehicle ride and each vehicle made it's appropriate sound. Isn't it cute that the kids picked the Coast Guard boat to ride in, since their Grandpa served in the Coast Guard?

After that it was the bumper cars (no pictures) a little walking around and then some lunch for the kids. We also had to stop in the Jelly Belly store right out side the park. Yum.

Me riding the roller coaster by myself

Drew on the balloon ride

Cowgirl Ava riding her horse

After the Nut Tree we drove 45 minutes toward home, but went straight to Drew's friend, Tommy's, birthday party. It was a halloween themed party so there were lots of fun fall crafts and even a "cake walk" where you could win books and a piece of candy. We had a lot of fun, but when we got home we were all exhausted!

Sunday morning we were in charge of bringing breakfast to our marriage class before church (we have to be there at 8:30), and snacks for the rest of the congregation. After church we went out to lunch and got home around 2. Then we heard Arianna's family was here in Sacramento, so we were able to have a short visit with them too. All my "free time" on Sunday was used to work on my "hooter hiders" and I made two with matching diaper carriers. Phew. I think I need an extra day on the weekend for relaxing.

Apple Hill

We decided to make a last minute trip up to Apple Hill on Thursday. We went with the Quayle family and the kids were so excited! First, they all got to be squashed into one minivan, which was very exciting for them. They watched a movie on the drive up and everyone was well behaved. As we made the turn onto the frontage road that is lined with farms, the kids were shouting "Yay! Apple Hill!"

Keilani, Drew, Jacob, Ava, and baby Meigan (covered up in her rear facing carseat) excited for Apple Hill!

We stopped at two places, High Hill and Plubell's. High Hill has free freshly made apple juice (yum!), lots of apple yumminess like apple donuts, apple fritters, caramel apples, apple pie, apple juice and plain old apples. They also have a fish pond and picnic area and the kids love to run around, roll down the grass hill, feed the fish and ducks and eat apple donuts. They also have pony rides on the weekend, which I didn't realize and talked up pony rides to the kids before we got there. Fortunately they weren't too upset that the ponies were "resting."

The five kids and a GIANT pumpkin

Drew and Ava squinting into the sun

Ava and Keilani, best buddies

The kids feeding the ducks and fish

After a yummy lunch of roasted chicken and apple salad we headed over to Plubell's, which is known for it's animals, pumpkin patch and tractors for the kids to sit on. The kids enjoyed feeding the goats, but the black one kept butting the smaller goats when we'd try to feed them. So Drew would feed Blackie to distract him while Ava fed "the tiny ones." She was scared of the big ones. We visited the pigs and chickens, played on the tractors and then went to pick our pumpkins. We also tried to buy pies to take home, but there was no pie to be had! I guess we'll have to go again...

Drew feeding Blackie

Ava feeding a tiny goat

Me and my kids

Drew swinging (the girls are in the background looking at chickens)

Drew and Ava drive the tractor