Pumpkin Patch

This year there was a Pumpkin Patch close by our house. Every time we drove by it Addie begged to get out and pick a pumpkin! Finally Malea called and said she was going so we decided to tag along. The boys were gone hunting so it worked out perfect. Addie loved everything about the patch. She loved the train ride, the pretend horse, the teeter-tater, the goats, sheep and big goose, and she loved picking her pumpkin! Carlee was an angel as usual. She just sat in her stroller watching everyone go by. I couldn't ask for a better baby! (Other than she has found her voice and yells at everyone now! Ha!)  It was a fun evening spent with my girls. :)

The Famous Pumpkin Picture

 

The kids are always thrilled the day I tell them it's time to go take our Pumpkin Picture! They almost sprint to the car all giddy inside because they get to do their most favorite thing of all.... take another picture! NOT! 

Well, no matter how they got to the car, and how much complaining was involved, we got it done for another year! I love them and I guess that is all that matters. I even went back and looked at all of them from previous years. This is only our fourth time doing it, and I am so glad I started. It is crazy to see the changes in each of them from year to year. I thought you might like to see too... here is a look back at the pumpkin pictures of the past... 

{2008}

{2009}

{2010}

Anyone notice what all these pictures have in common beside the pumpkins??? That brown shirt has been in every one of the them! Wow, I must like it or something! Ha! :)

Deer Camp

Deer Camp this year was a complete success! Lots of fun, food, camping and no deer! ;) Grandpa Randy, Uncle Ryon and Uncle Lex took good care of Landon and Preston, while Gavin and the rest of the camp went hiking in the rain. From what I heard, there were lots of bb's shot, many sticks were carved, and a bag of Butterfinger's were consumed. Preston also informed me that Uncle Ryon has everything anyone would ever need while camping. If you need it Ryon has it! (I guess that is a true Eagle Scout for you, right?!)

Gavin brought me back a bouquet of red leaves, it was beautiful. Who needs a dozen roses when you can have red leaves? My favorite. Addie, Carlee and I had a great weekend of shopping with Grandma! I am starting to think that missing Deer Camp might not have been such a bad thing after all.

Football Champs!

Last year the ending to our Flag football season didn't work out quite as good as this year! If you would like to read about that click here. I personally like this years story a lot better! Both the Chargers (Preston) and the Patriots (Landon) made it to the Championship game! Which was no easy task, they had to play great teams to even get there. Then it was the morning of the Championship! Everyone was nervous and excited. The Chargers played their best game and took home the trophy! Then the Patriots took the field and played awesome too! I was a very proud Mama that day. It was a fun way to end a great season. Way to go Coach Gav! (I was a really proud Wife too.) Good Times, Good Times!!

Last trip to the park...

In the middle of November we made our last trip to the park for the season. We heard the weather was going to get a lot colder in those next few days, so we called our cousins and headed to the park. The weather was cloudy and warm, perfect for capturing their joy! I love my kids so much they bring me just what I wrote above Joy, Delight, Glee and Happiness.

Raining Leaves

Halloween...

What a fun busy weekend. On Friday after the Parade and Class Party, Preston Addie and I headed to the ball fields for Landon's baseball tournament. He was so excited to miss school to play baseball that he didn't even care he was missing his class party. (I couldn't believe it.) Then after he played two games, he and Preston both had a wrestling match. It was a long, but great day!

Saturday morning Landon had another baseball game and then when most people in America were getting ready to Trick or Treat we were again at the ball fields for the final Championship game. It was a good game and even though we lost the boys were in good spirits because of course Trick or Treating!!
They had to wait through awards presentations, mom's taking team photo's and coaches pep talks. Then it was time to go knock on a few doors!
In all the rushing this is the only picture I took of Addie and I didn't even take one picture of my boys trick or treating with their friends. I can't believe it, I feel terrible. When we got to the Nowatzke's house they jumped out of the car and sort of heard us yell stay out of the road and don't leave your brother, then they were gone never to be seen from again... What a fun age they are at to Trick or Treat, they seem to have grown up a lot since last year.

We took Addie to a few houses, she caught on really quick and loved the candy! She was done as soon as she had enough to hold in both hands. She wasn't sure what would happen to it if she dropped it in her bucket!

Sunday afternoon I had everyone dress up again, so we could pretend it was Halloween and I could get some pictures! So, pretend this is what Landon wore trick or treating (he really just wore his baseball uniform, good thing I didn't buy him a costume this year!) and pretend that Addie is going up to someone's house to say "Trick or Treat!" (She can't really say that, she would just stick her hand in the bowl and grab as much as possible!) Hey, while we are at it pretend that those two boys in the bottom right hand picture are always as nice to each other as they look right there! Thanks, now I feel a lot better!

Tricks and Treats!

This week has been full of Tricks and Treats! Tricks in the fact that it has been a Trick to get everything accomplished and Treats meaning all the fun we have had! Here are few pictures of our Halloween Week...

School Halloween Parade.

Pumpkin Carve at Grandpa's.

Note the picture of Addie in the middle, this is how she has been a lot of the week. Her witch costume she will be wearing tonight is very fitting right now! Augh!!

Happy Halloween!

Deer Camp

Deer Camp was this last weekend, it was great. We stayed in a tent at Cougar pass and had loads of fun! Thankfully Addie stayed home with Grandma Gai (and Bradi too) and was treated like the Princess that she thinks she is! I missed her, but was glad she was where I knew she was clean. As for the rest of us clean was not even in our vocabulary this weekend!

Here are a few memories:

• The drive out was beautiful. I loved the all fall colors, the bright read oak and the golden Quaking Aspen were my favorite.
• Gavin and his A+ driving skills. He drove us to our camp without a hitch, even when it was narrow switchbacks with a cliff on one side. Augh! I just closed my eyes and prayed, then after I noticed my palms were sweating. I am not much for heights.
• We passed all this beautiful "Deer Country" as Dennis would call it. Only to camp in the middle of burned down Cedar Trees. Still wondering about that one....
• Our tent, it was great! First time we have used it since we purchased it 7 1/2 years ago. The little boys are already planing our next camping trip for the spring, it really was fun!
• Garrett's Dutch Oven Potatoes and the Squirrel Pi$* Sagebrush Steaks (excuse the language had to be completely accurate!) It is a long story but the pan to cook with was left home. We found a grate left from previous campers on the ground and used it. It's amazing what you'll eat when your hungry! They tasted pretty good too, Outback might want to check into this new idea, and put it on the menu!
• The wind on the first night was fierce. We didn't get to have a fire, so everyone was in their tents by 8:30. Because it was so early, Preston put on a little dance show complete with flashlight strobe lights! Have I ever said how much I love that kid?!
• The lack of Deer and the unbelievable amount of hunters.
• Dad, Ryon and Lex showing up! It made my day!
• Puzzles, books, pretzels, jerky and good visits with Aubrey.
• Jake and his Boy Scout fire building. Dennis and his throw fuel on it way to build a fire.
• Stories and marshmallows.
• Dr. Pepper
• Dirt in my nails.
• Ryon fixing the flat. Glad the mechanics showed up!
• Dad and his many stories, we decided he really loves to hunt and that alone made it so fun!
• Shooting the twenty two.
• And best of all, the shower I took when I got home!

Good Times, Good Times!

Pumpkin Pictures.

I can't believe it has already been a year since we took our now annual Pumpkin Pictures. I love fall, the changing weather, the great colors, Flag Football, Trick or Treating and of course the Deer Hunt. Speaking of which, we will be leaving in the morning and sleeping in a TENT. The boys are thrilled. Preston has never slept in a tent before and Landon was so little the last time he did, he can't remember. I on the other hand DO remember and can't wait to get that tent set up! ;o) Really I am excited, the memories we will be making are some that will last a lifetime. As you know, Deer Hunting stories are never forgotten, there is just something about those orange shirts that keep the memories vivid in our minds. Good times are ahead and I better get packin'!

Hunting or not, have a great weekend! I'll be back with I am sure a few stories to tell around this campfire we call FreiFam!

Green is turning into my favorite color!

Two weeks ago we finally had our yard landscaped. It has been a few years in the making, but we finally got it done. (Thanks Bob!) Now that our yard is in, I have decided my new favorite color is green! I just love walking in the backyard and looking at the green grass or pulling into the drive and seeing that bright green patch. Green right now really just makes so so me happy! Who would have thought? :)

Swiss Days Parade

After the 5K we raced home and got ready for the parade. We had built the float earlier in the week and it was ready at the Webster's for all the Frei Grandkids and Great Grandkids to ride on. The float must have turned out cuter than we had thought, because we won "Best Overall!" I couldn't believe how many people were on the parade route, it was fun to see everyone. Landon and Preston loved throwing candy, Addie was getting pretty good at waving by the end too.

Grandpa and Grandma Reber were also in the parade. Ryon and Lex got the old Buick running and it looked pretty spiffy! Mom found old hats to wear and I think they looked snazzy! Can't wait until next year when the old 10 Wheeler will make its debut! Good Luck with that Lex and Ryon! :)

Halloween Fun!

This week has been jam packed with fun Halloween activities. We had our annual pumpkin carve and we even frosted a few pumpkin cookies. Here are a some pictures... 

This was the first year Landon carved his pumpkin almost all by himself. He chose his picture (spooky alien), dug out all the seed and even cut most of it out. I was really proud of how careful he tried to be and patient he is becoming. 

Preston dug out a few seeds, and then talked Grandpa Randy into cutting out his ghost for him. His short little attention span couldn't last through all the cutting , so he would check on Grandpa once in awhile. Mostly he played ball with Kason. Thanks Grandpa for helping him.

 

Landon wasn't to sure about all that slim on his hands!

For FHE this week we iced pumpkin shaped sugar cookies. I don't know if anyone could taste their cookie from all the candies on it, but they did have a masterpiece of candy corns and M&M's! Yummy!! ;0)

Stay tuned for two Football Players a Flower... and a visit from some "freakin' aliens!"

Flag Football

Flag Football Season is finally here! Our family has been excited for it to begin! This all started back in the summer when Gavin and Matt decided they wanted to coach Landon and Brax in flag football. They put a little team together and have been practicing ever since! Now that the season is here I think we were all excited to watch them play. 

Our team is the Patriots and they are doing really well for 5 & 6 year olds. They all know plays, can run reverses and even throw some passes. It has been fun to see how far they have come from the first practice back in July.  We have won our first two games 40-12 and 32-12 so the season is looking bright! 

Yesterday right before Landon went to school he told me that he didn't feel very good. I told him I had to take the carpool so he could ride with me and then decide when we got to school if he felt better. When we got there he decided he could go. I was a little worried but he seemed ok so I  sent him.  Then when he got home he went in and laid on his bed. He drank a big thing of Gatorade....and what do you know? It came back up!! This is at a little after 4:00 and the game is at 5:30. After he threw up he said he felt a lot better and he was running around our house. I being the mother told him that we could miss a game and he could rest. He had another plan... he went to the football game and played. (I figured we were outside and he wouldn't be kissing anyone so he couldn't get to many other's sick!)  He did good too,  ran for a touchdown and was a great quarterback.  When we got home he was pretty tired and went to bed at  8:45 which is very unusual on his part. This morning when he woke up he is totally fine, ate breakfast (2 big bowls of cereal)  and is excited to go to school.  Weird little bug or whatever he had. I did learn something from all of this. My son has a lot of heart when it comes to sports. He may not feel the best but he is going to be there with his team through thick of thin helping them achieve their goal. Good job Landon. 
I have to commend Gavin, he has put a lot of effort into this little team. He wants to make sure everyone plays, has fun and learns the game of football. He comes home after the games and reviews to make sure everyone got a handoff, pulled a flag or was involved in the game is someway. He is learning patience through coaching and it makes me smile to watch! Good job Coach! Good luck Patriots!! Go TEAM!! 

Fall is Here!

The weather this weekend helped me get excited about fall. It was fun to get out the long sleeves and pants and open the windows. I loved that we were able to smell and listen to the rain! (It has been awhile for that one.)  Now that the weather cooled just a little I am ready to put out my fall decorations and start looking for Halloween costumes!  I have been looking at the display of pumpkins at the fruitstand for a week now, saying I need to stop and take a picture, but I just wasn't quite ready to give up on summer.  Well now I am ready, so move over summer, FALL is in the AIR!!  This morning after everyone was ready for school I decided to run down and snap a couple pictures. This is the closest thing our family will get to a pumpkin patch, so I had to take advantage. It turned out pretty cute... Happy Fall y'all! 

Swiss Days

Swiss Days was last weekend. They moved all of the events into the valley because the new Town Hall was completed and so was the streetscape. The parade was changed to go right down Santa Clara Drive so we figured we better have a float. It was great because it went right past the Fruitstand so Grandpa and Grandma Frei could sit right on their porch and watch. 

The float turned out really pretty cute. Lucky enough we kept the Fruitstand that Bradi built a couple years back. All it need was a little paint and it was good to go. The fruit around the float always makes it so bright and colorful so with not a lot of work we had a nice float. 
The kids like throwing candy and eating the apples out of the baskets. Wes threw an apple to Jake Erickson on the parade route and pegged Dave Frei right in the head. Who knew attending the Swiss Days Parade was a health hazard!?!  

Addie sat in her bumbo chair for pretty much the whole route. She loves that seat! I thought she looked pretty cute on the back of the float with her cute shirt and chair. (But I am the just the mother!) On the way back to the Fruitstand after the parade she finally fell asleep right in the bumbo. You know parades can take it out of ya! 
The best thing about the whole parade was all the comments about Gavin's pick up. Nobody knew who's it was because it was so clean. Everyone kept asking me "Who cleaned this truck?" or "Who's truck is this?" or "I have never seen this truck so clean, I hardly recognize it!" I kept laughing, because I cleaned it. (With a little help from Fabulous Freddies!) Maybe we will have to wash it again before another 6 months passes!! 

On Friday afternoon we went to Hands On at Heritage Square. The boys love to "Milk a Cow," brand a piece of wood and make rings out of horseshoe nails. I love the friday activities because they are free and the kids get to learn a little bit about their ancestors. Swiss Days was great and like Britton Webster it is one of our "favorite holidays," too! 

Roundup Time!

The Dixie Roundup Rodeo is more like a family reunion than a rodeo to me. We go every year, sit in the same seat and attend all 3 shows. The Roundup has been around for 74 years and I bet my family have attended almost all of them! 

This year Gavin and I weren't all that excited to go to the rodeo. I don't know if I was tired, or if 3 kids has just taking it out of me. To say the least, I was not thrilled to go. Although we had  2 little boys who were very excited, so Gavin and I put on our game face and headed to the rodeo, with 3 kids, 2 bags (1 diaper, & 1 camera) 3 lawn chairs, 1 cowboy hat (we had to turn around to get it) 3 belt buckles, 8 cowboy boots, 5 pairs of wranglers and 1 headband that Addie liked to pull off! Once we got to the rodeo, I remembered why we go every year. It isn't about what is going on in the arena, it is about all the friends and family you get to see while you are there. It is about eating peanuts and cotton candy, drinking watered down coke and watching the kids enjoy the clowns, bucking horses and bulls. I complain about going to the rodeo, but I really don't know anywhere I would rather be.  Thank you Lions club for keeping the tradition alive! 

Friday night "Pink Night" at the rodeo. Gavin really is tough enough to wear pink! 

Preston being a great big brother. He insisting on holding Addie to let her watch the rodeo.

Grandpa showed me in the rodeo book that the second Dixie Roundup Queen was named Addie, so maybe someday our Addie will be a rodeo queen! She all ready is the queen of our house! 

These 2 think Ad's is pretty special. 

Lots of family photo's takin' at the rodeo. 

Landon took Braxton on Saturday night. The two of them were so cute, they clapped for every queen in the grand entry, and every cowboy when they were done competing. These two are true fans of the rodeo! 
On Saturday night there was A LOT of people at the rodeo. It was probably the biggest crowd the Lions have ever had. The Irvin's couldn't find a seat so they squeezed in with us and it was great! Preston and Carson looked like true cowboys in their plaid shirts and boots. 

Well another year has come and gone for the Dixie Roundup. Lots of memories have been made at the Sunbowl and I am sure many more will be made in years to come.  Like the song says as you head to your car after of the rodeo..."Happy trails to you, until we meet again." 

Soccer Season

Soccer Season is in full swing  at our house. The boys have had two games so far and are loving it. 

Landon is playing a little stiffer competition this year and doing great. He was playing a little scared the first game but last week he broke out of his shell and started being aggressive. He almost scored a goal, it just bounced the wrong way off the goal pole. He is hoping to score one at his next game! 
Preston has made a complete turn around from last year. He is actually playing not just standing on the field watching grasshoppers! He has scored a couple goals in each game and doing great. He loves to "sprint" down the field and guard the goal so the other team can't score. His team has been really fun to watch. 
Preston's games have been right in the middle of the afternoon heat so Gavin brought the squirt bottle to cool him off. He loved getting a little squirt when he came off the field. 
I love watching the boys play, it is neat to see how excited they get before the game. They like to get out their water jug  and find their chin guards and cleats for Gavin to put on. They are growing up and I love being apart of it.