Last week the girls and I took a trip to Vegas to see their dad. Luckily the St. George Marathon was that weekend, so we had other family members making the trip. I decided it would be a great time to head down and visit. I don't know why, but making that six hour trip alone with the girls makes me really nervous. My in-laws were nice enough to follow behind us just in case we needed anything. The girls did great in the car, which was such a relief (since we will be making that trip quite often when we move.) The trip worked out even better when Micah's brother and his wife had their first baby the night before. It couldn't have been better timing. So, of course we made a pit stop in St. George to ooh and aah over cute baby Brooklyn. We were so excited to meet the newest member of our family. We then headed off to Vegas where we met up with Micah and see our new home. It was the first time the girls were going to see it, so I was a little bit nervous to their reaction. Luckily it was a hit. The first words out of Avery's mouth were "Abbie did you see those front doors." From then on out I could hear the excitement in their voices as they ran through the house checking out every room and closet. They had already picked out their own rooms from the pictures on the internet, but to actually see them in person was a lot of fun. Over the past week many friends and family have asked them what they liked best, and they repeatedly answer that the coolest part is the laundry chute. We then went out for dinner with Micah's family celebrate his birthday. It was a perfect evening.
I had to take this picture of Avery entertaining herself. She bought these glasses in the dollar bin at Target, and wouldn't take them off the whole trip. She is too funny.
On Friday morning Micah's family headed to St. George to prepare for the marathon, and we stayed in Vegas to spend a few fun days together. We found this great spot in Henderson where we were able to watch a movie outdoors, ride a carousel, and listened to a live band which the girls loved. All of the kids were just running around in an area by the band just dancing and having fun, and Aliza was hilarious. Boy can that girl groove. Micah and I were just chuckling at her moves throughout the night, but little did I know she was quite the crowd pleaser. When it was time to go I went to pick her up and several people approached me wanting to know how old she was. They kept stopping me just wanting to let me know how entertaining she was. I wish I would have recorded it.
We found a great spot called "Springs Reserve" which was so fantastic. We spent almost the whole day there on Saturday, and didn't see even half of it. Luckily we bought an annual pass, since it was the same price as paying for full admission, so we can come back often. They had all sorts of fun educational activities for the kids. We can't wait to go back and explore again.
This is Abbie's version of Hotel Nevada. They had a area where they could build their own city. The girls together built a small town out of these foam blocks.
At the reserve they had all types of "Nevada" creatures to look at and learn about. We were able to watch them feed the lizards, and we learned a lot about Nevada. We had a fantastic trip, and again can't wait until we can be there together. Micah's sister Myndi did fantastic on the marathon, and we were so grateful to spend fun times together.
Pumpkin patches are the best when you can pick the perfect carving pumpkin yourself. We have completely filled up grandma and grandpa's front porch. Can't wait to let the carving begin.
This is a pathetic picture of us on our way into Cornbelly's @ Thanksgiving Point. My lens was dirty, and then my battery went dead right after this picture. This is one of our favorite traditions. There is so much to do that we spent at least four hours jumping, riding, playing, and trying to make it through the corn maze (which we somehow ended up in the big corn maze from the kid corn maze and had to ask for help out. How embarrassing.) I think this is my favorite fall activity by far. We could have spent a lot more time there if it wasn't getting cold and dark. We will have to make a special trip up each year just to hit Cornbelly's.
The witches are always a must see @ Gardner Village each October. Each year we go it gets busier and busier though. We did find all of the witches on our scavenger hunt list so we could get a cookie.
Our tradition of making carmel apples is a lot of fun. These gooey treats are the best. 
Our costumes are ready to go, and the countdown is on for Halloween. We can't wait!!!
