Fall Fun

I thought I would post another update on our fall activities for those of you who don't have Facebook. If you do have Facebook, then you probably have seen these pictures already.

Jeni and Crystal fell in love with Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point last year and decided to introduce Jessica and I to its wonders this year. It really was fun. We jumped on a giant air pillow, raced in small tractors, slid down giant slides, explored the inside of a dinosaur, played in a building full of dried corn, and explored the corn maze. Well, we really didn't do the maze justice. We had no idea where we were going and after 20 minutes we ended coming back out of the entrance. However, we had fun. These are my two favorite pictures of the evening.

Then, of course, Witches Night Out at Gardner Village has become a tradition. Each year we add little bits and pieces to our costumes. This year we got sparkly spider bracelets, which, unfortunately, you can't see in this picture.

Also, we were very excited that Jessica could join us for the first time this year. It just isn't as fun if it isn't the four of us. This picture doesn't do them justice, but she had fabulous eyes for the evening.

Crystal talked me into having pink hair. Unfortunately, it turned out orange. Oh well, I guess it goes with the goofy hat.

Crystal went for an elegant look this year and added a classy polka-dot scarf.

I think Jeni's favorite part of Halloween might be having the opportunity to streak her hair with bold colors without seeming rebellious. Isn't she a trendy witch?

Now Jeni and Crystal just need to make it through the official school Halloween party and we can call this fall a success!

Halloween Crafts

Lauri and Lisel inspired me, so I thought I would share our Halloween crafts. A couple of weeks ago, Crystal, Jeni, and I went to our ward Super Saturday activity to make these really cute crafts. The cats were so cute that we couldn't resist. That is right. We now have three black cats to add to our Halloween decor. The wooden pumpkins also turned out really well and have the added benefit of being able to stay out for a couple of months.

When we got home, Crystal was still in a crafting mood and and went straight to work on these cute fabric pumpkins. We have a very festive living room now. Everything looks really cute, but I am not sure where we are going to store them when it is time to put them away!

The Men in Our Lives

In September, we hit a couple more concerts. We went to see Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, and Brad Paisley. Both events were spectacular! We had lots of fun and did a lots of singing, clapping, and laughing. Most of you have probably already seen more of our pictures on Facebook, so I am going to keep this short and just say that we had FUN.

Sorenson Family Reunion

This post is two months overdue, but we have to include something about the Sorenson Family Reunion because it was one of the highlights of our summer. After the Barnes reunion, Jeni and I lounged at a hotel for a few days while Mom and Dad looked at houses. Jessica joined us Wednesday night and on Thursday we headed up to Swan Valley, Idaho, for the much anticipated Sorenson Reunion. Norman and Brenda did a great job finding a beautiful location and planning fun activities for us.

On Thursday, Jessica and Jeni went with several of our cousins on a "little" hike. Everyone had a great time. I am especially impressed that Zack kept up on any hike for which Jessica and Jeni picked the trail. As usual, they went a little farther and it took a little longer than they had planned.



Crystal, Matthew, and Ali joined us on Friday evening. As you can see, there were lots of fun things going on. Smores, babies to hold, little kids to entertain us, nail painting, crafting, more babies to hold and little kids to entertain us.

Of course, one of our favorite activities is the family sing along, which was held each night. It was fun to have so many guitar players!

On Saturday, we all (and I mean all) piled into the truck and took a drive into Jackson and then through Teton National Park. Since our parents met while working in Jackson, they took us on a trip down memory lane. We went to see the house that we lived in. Well, at least Dad, Mom, Jessica, and Sarah lived there for a while. Jackson has changed a lot since we were last there and we barely recognized No Name street. Then, Dad took us on a tour of all of the Bar-T-5 camp sites in the Tetons. It really was a beautiful trip . . . cold, but beautiful.

We had a great time and are looking forward to our next Sorenson Family get together.