Straw Maze

Tyler really wanted to go through the straw maze this year. So, we finally went to the straw maze on the 30th of October. We drove there, just to find out that they weren't open yet, so we went to Big Jud's and then off to the straw maze again.

We were one of the first groups there and we had a blast trying to navigate our way through the maze. Although admittedly, one could easily feel a little claustrophobic in there. It took us about a half hour, but we made it through! Surprisingly, Braden especially enjoyed running through it.

We decided that would be a fun tradition to have. Eat at Big Jud's and then off to the straw maze.

Halloween 2010

Fun Halloween this year. Tyler was a clone trooper, McKenna was a ninja, Kylie a spider witch, and Braden was the tiger.

We attended our neighborhoods annual trunk or treat. They always have different games to play and of course hot chocolate and donuts.

There were so many kids this year. We highly underestimated enough candy and we ran out after about 45 minutes. We'll have to plan differently for next year.

Braden was a lot of fun to watch this year. He didn't want to participate at all at first, and then I started taking him to different cars where he would receive candy. He quickly caught on and absolutely loved trick or treating. It was hard to seperate him from his bucket.

Carving Pumpkins

We got our pumpkins at Wal-Mart in Idaho Falls. The kids all spent a lot of time outside looking through all the bins, trying to find that perfect pumpkin. After about a half hour, they finally found them.

Braden was fascinated by what was happening. As you can tell from the pictures, he was really trying to figure this out. He just kept putting his head in the pumpkin and staring for a long time. I am sure he was wondering why on earth we were doing this.

The older three really did a great job this year at carving. Especially Tyler. We didn't really need to "touch it up" at all.

I need to figure out how to take better pictures of the finished product. I will also upload an updated photo of all the pumpkins, but here is Tyler's pumpkin. He picked out a pattern and carved the entire thing himself. The saddest part of the night was as he was taking it outside, it slipped. It broke off the haunted house part. Allen and I did our best to pin it together, but I think you can get the overall idea.

Pumpkin Patch

The week before Halloween, we decided to go and check out the pumpkin patch that we have heard so much about. It was fun and the kids enjoyed running around looking at all the pumpkins. They had a little straw maze - more for Braden's age. They also had a little train that you could ride.

We enjoyed looking around, but decided to save money by purchasing our pumpkins at wal-mart. But at least it provided some great photo ops!

Student of the Month

October was an exciting month for Kylie. She was chosen as the Student of the Month at her school. She got her name on the wall, a certificate, she had lunch with the principal - and he gave her a special halloween cookie, and she also got a gift certificate for a jamba juice.

Definitely a highlight of the month! Allen and I also got to spend a little alone time with her and took her for her jamba. Great job Kylie! We are very proud of you!

Eyes

October has been the month of going to the eye doctor. It started with Braden. Since the second he was born, he has had a droopy eye. The pediatrician really wanted us to get it checked out, so I took Braden to an opthamologist who specializes in pediatrics.

The Dr. was quite thorough in his examination and assessment of Braden - or at least as thorough as you can be with an 18 month old. He determined that his vision wasn't being affected yet and we are going to give it another 6 months and we will go in and get it checked out again. If it does start to affect his vision, then we will be in Utah having surgery to correct it. However, the bad thing about the surgery is that obviously he would be put under anesthesia and the side effect is that his eye would never again close all the way. We are hoping that it will be fine until he is in his teens. At which time if he decides he wants to have the surgery for cosmetic purposes, it is just a local and they can make it so his eye would open and close normally.

I really liked the guy and decided I wanted to make sure we were doing all we can for Kylie. I made Kylie an appointment and again, another thorough exam. It is amazing to me that they can check everything that they do. One test they did showed that her brain doesn't work properly with her eyes and it isn't showing her everything. We also found out that Kylie has absolutely no depth perception. (I think we figured this out already). They did determine that her eyes changed quite a lot since January and we had to get yet another new pair of glasses. We go back this month and depending on how things are going with the new glasses, she will probably get an eye patch that she will have to wear for a couple of months.

This is Kylie in her new glasses. They are "barbie" glasses. Fun sparkles on the side of them.


Finally, especially since school has started, we have noticed that McKenna has been really struggling with reading - which she hasn't been up until now. So I took her to the regular optometrist (another guy that I REALLY LIKE), and found out she needed glasses. However, she is opposite of Kylie and mainly only needs them for school and for reading.

McKenna has not been excited about this at all. She has made a few comments how now, everyone won't be able to tell her and Kylie apart. It has been a huge struggle to get her to wear them and keep them on. The first day she had them, they broke. We got them fixed, and they are now broke again. I guess it will definitely take some getting used to.

Here is a picture of McKenna and her new glasses. Not the greatest picture, but she really does look cute in them. I hope we can change her mind.