Monday night for FHE we went to the PUMPKIN PATCH!!!! Eric told me Sunday night he was too excited to go to the pumpkin patch to go to sleep. I just laughed. This was one of those things we did miss while we were in China. There weren't pumpkin patches and pumpkins were very hard to come by so we didn't carve any either. This pumpkin patch was called "The Farmstead Pumpkin Patch." It was lots of fun. When we got there, the first thing we did was walk around the patch
and all find our pumpkins.
We all had different kinds that we liked. Heidi was the one to help everyone pull their pumpkins off the vine.
Then we went on the jumping pillow
and the slides. One of the slides was a roller slide and the kids didn't really like going on it.
Then the girls went on the cow train. This has always been one of the things the kids like to go on.
Then we heard the announcer say that the pig races were going to start soon. We quickly picked out our spot in the front and center. The announcer asked for volunteers to cheer on their piggies. No surprise to us when Emma was picked.
Her piggy was called "Pig Diddy". The race started and Pig Diddy was in the lead and WON!!!!!! Emma was then awarded a pig nose and told that she had to wear it the rest of the night at the pumpkin patch.
Eric was so bummed he didn't get picked. After the pig races we went in the corn maze. Dad led the way using the map and we were able to make it out safely. We also did some ducky races. Dad was the big winner, even when he wasn't trying to.
By now we were starting to get a little tired and cold. Eric had not gone on the cow train so we went over and everyone but mom got a train ride.
It was such a fast moving ride my kids were wishing it would last forever. (not) Then they rode on the little go carts
and tried roping a steer.
After a few hours of playing at the farm we were all tuckered out and ready to go home. One last thing we had to do was take a family picture with the pumpkins
and then get one of all the kids in the giant rocking chair.
It was another fun evening tradition that we were able to do again back here at home, in USA.
Then the 6th grade choir sang , then 6th grade band played. Heidi has switched instruments on us this year. Last year in China she played the clarinet but after we moved back she decided she wanted to play the flute. This is kind of cool but we are waiting to see if she likes it before buying her a flute. For now she is using mine and I am not sure how much I like sharing it. I do think, though, that someday it might be fun to do a duet with her. She has picked up the flute quite fast and is 1st chair in the band. I love hearing her practice. Her band played several short songs that were ok to listen to. (If you have heard a beginning band play you understand what I am saying.)
Then it was the middle school choir and middle school band. Emma and Eric were starting to get restless but I held them off a few more minutes. 
Then came Meagan in the high school choir. Her voice is really getting pretty when she sings. She is taking voice lessons from Jen Black (a lady at our church who is amazing). I have heard a huge improvement in her singing in the last couple of months. She likes to sing alto but can sing some soprano. Most of the other altos in the choir all ask to sit next to her bacause she can read and sing the music and they need help. (I will try to get a picture from my friend and add it later) After Meagan's choir then it was the high school band but Eric and Emma were done so we went home. For a music concert only 2 months into the school year I was impressed. Way to go my musically talented girls!!!!!
I put lots of ponies all over Emma's and then used tin foil to make them stick out a little more. Ialso sprayed her hair different colors and tied red ribbons in some of the ponies.
The kids were also supposed to wear red every day. Emma wore her red dress with Heidi's red and black witch tights. She won the award for most red on in her class but not wackiest hair. The little girl in her class that won had all of her long hair spiked up and looking like a "volcano" (as Emma put it) I would have loved to see that.
The kids all helped put in the apples
and I did all the other stuff of getting the apples ready and filling the containers. The kids all had a blast playing in the leaves and playing with the Schwendiman kids. We were working as fast as we could and we were almost finished when we were told that the rain storm would be here in about 10 minutes. We quickly finished and brought the cider into the house to pour the last of it into the containers and the guys got the press all cleaned up just as the rain started to come. We were lucky to get it done and now we have lots of yummy cider to drink for the next year. If you like cider then come and visit us and we will be sure to bring it out and share with you.
getting buried in them
and throwing them. 
Then Meagan came out to see the pile of leaves and jumped in them too. The boys thought it would be so much fun to bury Meagan also. 
We have all had so much fun this fall playing in the leaves. We will be sad when it gets too cold and all the leaves have been raked up and thrown away but for now we are having a blast!!!!
Then the kids picked up litter as we walked back to our car. This was the most litter we had seen on our entire trip. Then David, Heidi and Emma wanted to take a little hike back to where we were going to listen to the Park Ranger. We dropped them off and drove the rest of the way. Eric was not happy and didn't want to do anything but be carried. Meagan and I still wanted to see somethings so we dragged Eric along. 
During the Park Ranger presentation we learned some cool things about the rocks in the canyon. He said that if we drilled down in the ground so far we would come to the rocks in Arches and asked if anyone had been there. We raised our hands. Then he said we could keep drilling and get to the rocks of Mesa Verde and asked if anyone had been there. We raised our hands again. He continued talking about all the different types of rock that were found in all the different parks we had been to. The kids thought that was so interesting. We also found out that Bryce Canyon is really not a canyon because to be a canyon water erodes away the rock. That is not what happens in Bryce. 
Here the water gets down in crevices and then freezes and expands and that is how the cool "Hoodoos" are formed. 
Poor Eric was tired and feeling yucky but lasted a little while. I really wanted to hike down into the hoodoos and take a picture. 
I was able to convince everyone to at least go a little bit. 
Then David, Heidi and Emma went all the way to the bottom. 
At the bottom were these 2 trees in the middle of all the rocks.
They said it looked really cool. The kids were then able to get their 4th and final Jr. Ranger badge and the Park Ranger that had given us the presentation was the one to do it. Bryce was really pretty and I was quite impressed. I continued taking pictures as we were leaving
including driving through this little arch on the way out.
We had a great vacation and everyone seemed to like it. They only asked that not all of our vacations be "Nature" ones. I told them that next time we will do something different.
Today was the first part of of our trip to a place I had never been to before. I was hoping it would be cool and it was. In both senses of the word. I was glad I had worn pants but wished I had brought a sweatshirt, at least in the morning. As we were driving to Zion we went through a very long tunnel and it had these windows in it. 
When we were talking to the park ranger later he told us that the windows were where they blasted the mountain first and then would work to end of the mountains from there. While we were at Zion National Park we saw lots of animals. 
Eric thought it was so funny that the wild turkey went and ate the restaurant (trying to find bits of food on the ground)!!
The first hike up to the narrows was very easy and fun. 
We found this big flat rock and had a ton of fun taking pictures on it 
and sliding on it.
In fact, Eric said this was his favorite part of the trip.
It was too cold for us to actually walk up in the water to see the narrows so we stopped at the end of the dry area. 
Emma was so bummed. She had wanted to go swimming the whole time and the day we told her she would be able to it was too cold and as terrible parents we wouldn't let her go. We went on another little hike to the 3 Emerald Pools. 
Eric, Meagan and I didn't feel like going all the way to the 3rd pool so we just stopped at the first. Heidi, Emma and David went all the way up and had a great time. 
Unfortunately for them they missed out on the wild turkey coming right up to us. We also found some of our final license plates here. In fact at Zion's we were all done except for one. We couldn't find Delaware. The first state was our last one to find. The kids finished up another set of Jr. Ranger tasks and received their 3rd badge. 
It was another beautiful place for us to visit.
