Halloween 2016... a couple days early

The festivities really started last weekend with Blazing Pumpkins, but the excitement has been building for much longer.  It was finally time to do something with the pumpkins we collected from the patch.  A few were crafted.

One was carved.

tongue out in concentration

And the best part was that this year she did it all on her own.  No parents required!

Today she had a Halloween Party to attend.  Since she was in costume and the sun was out, I took pictures today.  Here's a little preview.

She decided months ago what her costume would be, but she never asked for an angel.  She told me she wanted to dress up as Nadia.  Even as she put it on this afternoon she asked me if I thought they matched.  I think it was a perfect match.

Blazing Pumpkins Event

Saturday night was the Blazing Pumpkins event, a fundraiser for Swiftsure Ranch.  On the way, we had to stop by the gun range so Emily could show me her shooting skills with her new pistol (no hearing protection required with a suppressor).  I have to admit, she's a pretty good shot.

Then it was off to the ranch.  The first stop was to carve a pumpkin, the best part being that they are already hollowed out and ready to be made into a jack o' lantern!

Next, it was time to eat dinner with a s'more for dessert.

 By then she was brave enough to ride the mechanical bull, but we waited in a very long slow moving line.  She rode the whole time, but only smiled when the ride was over.

 Then she attempted to lift a heavy sledge hammer, but needed a bit of help from Dad on that one!

The highlight of the evening, which I didn't photograph, was the 200 carved pumpkins lit up on the riding trail.  We also had some raffle tickets, but didn't win a thing!  It was a great evening with lots of friends and acquaintances raising money for a great cause.  We really do love Swiftsure Ranch!

Tubb's Pumpkin Patch

It seems like everyday there is a chance of snow in the not so distant future, but luckily all that we've had so far are chiily and rainy fall days.  It was time to embrace the change in seasons, so we started off with a trip to ski shop to get Emily's lease for the season.  One of the best things about being an early bird is that you get the new rental gear!

Then it was time to head south to Twin Falls to visit Tubb's Pumpkin Patch.  Just like our trip last year, it was a cloudy day with periods of rain, but overall we had a great time.  Aaron and Emily took plenty of turns on the slides.

Then it was time to go into the straw maze.  

Next it was over to the corn cannon and pumpkin slingshot.

Emily spent some time feeding the animals in the petting zoo.

And last, but not least, it was time to gather a wheelbarrow full of pumpkins!

Fall

Trailing of the Sheep Parade

There's a reason we don't go to this parade every year.  You wait a very long time (over an hour) while watching Polish Highlanders, Basque Dancers, and Peruvian Sheepherders showcase their heritage before 2,000 sheep dash by in less than a minute.  The groups are great, but because of the bagpipes, drums, or bells with each group,  they put a lot of space between them!  But it was a beautiful day, friends invited us along, and we really didn't have anything else on the to do list.

Friday afternoon was Brooke's birthday party at Hop Porter Park.  The kids were happy playing, but Brooke's mom also had some fun games, like races, and crafts, like painting and mask making.  We've had a lot of rainy days lately, but luckily it was a gorgeous fall afternoon.

Saturday was the beginning of the festivities for the Trailing of the Sheep weekend.  After a morning trip to the library, we met up with Brooke and her mom at the Folklife Fair, where the vendors were offering wool themed wares.  Emily participated in making felted soap (and we had a great time petting a friendly great dane!).

From the fair, we headed to Quigley Canyon to watch the sheepdog trials.

We sat next to a very knowledgeable lady who explained the trial to the kids because everything I know about sheepdog trials came from the movie Babe!  The dog had ten minutes to move 5 sheep through three sets of gates, shed them (meaning split them into a group of two and a group of three), and get them into a pen.  Rumor has it this doesn't happen very often, and we weren't able to see a team succeed, but the girls had a great time!

Apple Picking

Yes, there is a honey crisp apple tree in my backyard that for the first time ever has produced apples.  But, I still thought it would be a great time to go apple picking with friends today in Buhl.

First of all, we were lost  had trouble finding the place called Kelley Canyon Orchard, and even though their voicemail and website said they were open, when we finally found them, it wasn't.  So, we had to resort to a plan b, and by this time we had 4 impatient girls that were hungry and tired of being in the car.  We finally came across an orchard that was open and grabbed 4 apple picking buckets, only to discover that there were two spiders in the buckets that were now in my car (insert loud screams).  Luckily, once we were into the orchard the girls had a great time and quickly filled up the now spider free buckets.

However, once we were back in the car, we then realized that we had a yellow jacket this time (insert more screaming).  A crisis was avoided, no one was stung before the bug was smashed, and we happily paid 30 cents a pound for some yummy apples!