We remembered!

You might remember the report of our Guy Fawkes celebrations last year. Here's year two of the tradition...

The glow sticks were a huge hit with the two kids (three if you include Trev) haha. hem...
They waved them around and made designs on the floor with them, and Luke even managed to use the little connectors to join them together. (Tip for all parents- glow sticks are really inexpensive, and make a fun activity.) I don't know what I'm going to do when my kids are too old to be fascinated by these things. Hopefully by then we'll live in a state/country that allows fireworks year-round!

Also, can I just say that photographing these things is addictive! It's so fun to put the camera on night mode and see what kind of effects you get.


And although halloween was a few days ago now, there were still some ghosts lurking around. Can you spot them?

Yes our bonfire night celebrations are a little pathetic, but we try! Happy Guy Fawkes Day :-)

bonkers about conkers!

Have you ever collected conkers? Or better still, had a conker fight? Conkers are the fruit of a horse-chestnut tree, and are one of my favourite autumn traditions.

We always used to go gathering them with dad. He would throw sticks to knock them out of the tree, and the kids would gather them up. Apparently nobody does this in America, because the tree I went to had hundreds of conkers, already open, on the ground! So I didn't even have to lift a finger- Luke did all the work (and loved every minute of it)

I really want to have a fight, but I keep getting my needle stuck in the conker, so I haven't got it threaded yet. But until I do, I can enjoy the sight of these shiny beauties in my home, reminding me of my childhood.

On another note...here's the apron I made for my Trev's mom for her birthday. Not a great photo, I know.

And finally, just because I can't resist. And who could resist those cheeks?!

The dress turned out ten times better than expected. If only she'd keep the headband on...

autumn fun, and hats.

Autumn is so beautiful. I've always loved it. I think I appreciate it even more now that it's pretty much the only time of year that the temperature is just right for being outside.

Yesterday we decided to make the most of a lovely, sunny afternoon, by getting out and enjoying a walk in the Logan Canyon. We originally planned to do an easy stroll along the riverside, but changed our minds and went for a more challenging hike up to the wind cave. It's a cool kind of rock arch, quite high up. Trev's friend Rajendra came with us, and we talked about the differences between American and Indian cultures. It was lovely.

Here we are near the beginning of the 2 mile trail.

Rajendra carried Luke for quite a bit of the way. He needed something to slow him down- his great long legs meant that one of his strides matched about 5 of ours (mine)

I carried Lainey for most of the way, but near the top, I just got so tired...I think you could barely even tell I was moving...so Trev took over for a while.

We made it! And yes I am a little red in the face. So out of shape. But we enjoyed gorgeous scenery from the top and were refreshed by a cool wind.

Look at these colours. Just beautiful. I just love the colour combinations that nature comes up with!

Okay, now let me just promise that I am not going to be a crazy hat lady who posts pictures of her hats every day. Just one last time, though... here are a few of my finished pieces.

This one is for a friend's baby. I used anew pattern and the sizing was off so the one pictured didn't fit the (week old) baby. I am making the next size up for her.

Just experimenting with colour here- what do you think? Okay, or too....clashy?

And this last one is extra warm because the yarn is a wool blend (but it's soft not itchy)

That's it for hats for a while. On to other things from my ever-growing list of stuff to try. How will I ever find time to try everything?

American West Heritage Center

While my mum was here, we took a trip to the American West Heritage Center, which is right here in Logan. They have various different activities at different times of year; our intention was to enjoy a walk through the corn maze.

We obviously picked a good time to go because we were the only people there. I'm not lying- there was no one else in sight and we had everything to ourselves! Perfect for a trip with toddler and baby :-)

A kind employee started up the 'train' just for us and we went around the spooky track several times.

Then Luke got to have his first solo pony ride. The little pony was so cute and just his size. He seemed slightly bewildered at first but he loved it!

Then on to the corn maze. It was a perfect day for it. Nice and warm but not too hot. A beautiful blue sky as a backdrop to the beautiful, tall, green stalks of corn. The maze was a little longer than expected but we had a pushchair (stroller) for each of the kids so it was okay. (Just working up an appetite for our yummy dinner at Sizzler later that night)

Mum wondering which way to go.

Map reader Trev feels confident in his navigational skills. Actually he was quite impressive.

Lainey being her usual adorable self.

After we completed the maze, we decided to have a quick look at the super slide. I couldn't resist- it looked so fun! I probably should have tested it by myself before going down with Luke because you do get very buried under the hay at the end, but he didn't seem to care. He became a super slide junkie and went down with each of us in turn.



Mum took a little extra persuasion, as she was wearing a skirt. But I knew she really wanted to try it out :-)


Before we left, we checked out the little goats in the petting area. They were just adorable!

All in all, we had a really fun afternoon. Thanks for treating us, mum!

Remember, remember...

Trev and I keep meaning to sit down and decide what we want our family 'traditions' to be. Of course, some will evolve over time, but each of us came to our marriage having been raised in families with fun and wholesome traditions. We would like to continue some of these in our own family. One thing we have decided is that, no matter where we are living, we will try to help our kids have a sense of both American and English culture.

Today is a day of celebration in England. It is 'Bonfire Night' or 'Guy Fawkes'. On November 5th, every year, families in England gather for bonfires and fireworks, baked potatoes, hot dogs and toffee (amongst other things!) Back in the day (maybe the 1600s, I'm not sure...) a man named Guy Fawkes, along with his co-conspirators, was going to blow up the houses of parliament. But he was caught and burnt at stake, hence this wonderful celebration!

Anyway, we did our little celebration today, even though we couldn't get any fireworks. Luke seemed perfectly happy with his little glow sticks!

Bonfire night has been and gone,

But thoughts of it still linger-

I held a firework in my hand,

Has anybody seen my finger?

Happy halloween, little bug!

For Luke's first halloween, I got the idea in my head to dress him as a caterpillar. I actually really enjoyed making the costume, but have to admit I was glad when it was done! I was pleased with how it turned out. Luke's first reaction when I put it on him was to wrestle with his tail, but he got used to it!

I love, love, love autumn!

Oh how I love this time of year! The leaves are changing colour, the weather is getting cooler (finally!) and the future months are filled with exciting things to look forward to. Usually, I see my birthday at the end of September as a marker for the beginning of this wonderful season. This year, I had the special treat of having my mum come and visit me for a couple of days.

It was lovely to have her here, and to share some laughs and memories together as we spent my birthday evening making pea and ham soup and fresh crusty bread. (Trev was working) Mum enjoyed spending time with Luke and watching him navigate himself around the living room, clutching onto the furniture. I know that she wishes she could spend more time with her grandson, and he wishes he could spend more time with her!

We played outside some of the time, too.

And here's the pumpkin pie I made, to celebrate the beginning of a lovely season. I made it from a real pumpkin!

It was actually quite yummy, and Trev has requested another one! That is always a good sign.