Halloween

Ryan wanted to carve his pumpkin into Jack Skellington, a character from the movie, "The Nightmare Before Christmas".

Britta chose a scary face with a hat for her pumpkin.

The kids act squeamish when it comes to gutting the pumpkins, but sometimes I think it is Britta's favorite part.

Ryan is proud of his his carving skills, as he should be!

The finished product....

with the candle inside!

They both turned out great!

Of course Britta did her traditional pumpkin facial.

Pumpkin is stringy and slimy, and the smell isn't so great either. I don't think I could do it, but Britta says it is so worth it!

Dagny is still rather small for Halloween, but I found this pumpkin costume that Blake had when he was a baby and decided to take a few pictures.

She makes a very cute pumpkin!

Ryan wasn't planning on dressing up for the Ward Trunk or Treat, but changed his mind at the last minute. He didn't have a costume, and came up with this at the last minute. I was so surprised that he would wear it! It is so out of character for him. He is even wearing a coconut bra, but you can't see it very well because of the the leis.

Ryan had said he was too old for trick or treating and wasn't planning on going this year, but his friend Ethan, talked him into it. They have gone together for the past several years. It's not unusual around here for kids to trick or treat all through high school. After sorting through all his candy, I think he was glad he went.

Ashley had this idea that Britta could dress up like her. Ashley has a prosthetic leg, and they found some fabric at Wal-Mart that matched her leg. These two are so silly, but have a lot of fun together.

Marching Band

 Ryan has really enjoyed marching band. He wasn't too sure when he attended Band Camp over the summer. The camp lasted for a week, from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm. Some long days, for sure! After the band camp, they practiced Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. It's a big commitment! I feel it is a compliment to him that he was able to participate with the high school as an 8th grader. All their hard practice paid off and they had an amazing performance that was titled, "Spin."

 This blog is a collection of pictures throughout the season. Ryan was in the pit playing the marimba. 

He also played the chimes. 

 The band marching around the field.

They had several competitions throughout the fall. I went to as many as I could. 

The marimba is similar to a piano in some ways and because Ryan has had so many years of piano lessons, it comes easily for him. 

 We have a Color Guard that performs with the band. They have several different colors of flags and sometimes they march with rifles. Our school made it to the state competition in Fort Collins, where we placed 17th.

 This is a band concert at Mesa Middle School. The 8th graders who are part of the Marching Band at the high school wear their uniforms to promote the band. They get quite a bit of recognition. Ryan likes the drums better than the marimba, and he hopes to be on the drum line next year with the high school.

Fall Break Hike

One day during Fall Break, we went hiking in Castlewood Canyon with Wade and Kimberlea. They go quite often with their dogs, Bella and Leo. 

There were some rocks to climb on. The dogs were curious and wanted to sniff every crack.

Britta loves animals and she walked Leo most of the time. 

The weather was quite warm for October. This bench in the shade made a perfect resting spot.

Crossing a bridge.

Enjoying the hike together.

There is a little river going through the bottom of the canyon. Wade took off his shoes to dip his toes in and the dogs had a great time splashing around, even though the water was quite cold!

Britta got this little bear at Girls Camp this summer, so he has become her hiking pal. He fits perfectly in her Camel Bak.

The scenery was beautiful! There are a lot of fun rock formations in Castlewood Canyon.

When Britta saw this metal rattlesnake on a rock, she wanted to take a picture in Denya's honor. Denya HATES snakes and is terrified of them. There are snakes in the canyon, but I have never seen one. I sure love Colorado and all the outdoor activities we can enjoy here!