Fall miscellany

SEPTEMBER

Winnie, Andrea and Bekah on the Ferris Wheel at Tautphaus Park Funland. The younger girls each earned a free ride, so we bought a few more tickets and spent an hour there in September. 

Seth, Miri and Ana played miniature golf at Funland instead of going on rides. 

Seth drawing a chalk outline around Winnie in the shop. 

Winnie with her Play-Doh monkey creation on the front porch. 

 Miriam's feet with the rainbow she made.

Winnie cartwheeling/dancing to the Idaho Falls symphony as they play at Freeman Park.

Ana holding a seemingly begrudging Flea in Grandma Susan's family room. 

Miriam cuddling with Coco at the Jolleys' house. We go to the Jolleys' to practice/learn ASL on Sunday afternoons.

Winnie made her own to do list: Peach, room, be cool, be awesome. Check, check, check and check!

OCTOBER

Winnie and Miri's music notes in the hall outside the music room at Fairview. Despite being in different classes, they made sure their notes ended up right next to each other. 

Andrea and Winnie selfie. 

Winnie declaring, "He's whispering in my ear" while watching General Conference in the family room. 

Miri, Winnie, Andrea selfie at the JK Studios Glow Up Tour in Rexburg. 

Miri, Winnie and Ana at the Tautphaus Park Zoo. Ana had won a free pass to the zoo at the teen summer reading auction, so we needed to use it while the zoo was still open. Seth and Bekah went hunting that day. 

Ana petting the chicken that decided to take up residence on our front porch at night. It was so extremely cold in October that we all felt bad for it and gave it a "blanket." Eventually we found a new home for the chicken. 

Grandpa Scott wearing an apron prior to one of our Sunday evening dinners at our house. I had to sneak the photo; I thought he looked cute. 

Winnie washing the back door/window.

NOVEMBER 

Winnie wearing her Judy Hops hoodie and holding Judy Hops.

Miri and Andrea at Possibly Picasso with our ceramic octopus bank and owl bowl. We went on a mommy-daughter date. 

The kids and Seth eating sundaes and concretes at Freddy's. Seth had won a gift card to Freddy's as part of a work costume contest on Halloween. 

One of Ana's student council election posters. She made it past the primaries, but didn't get elected. 

Ana and her mini cupcakes at Night of Excellence. 

Rebekah eating refreshments by her table showing off her music arranging/playing at Night of Excellence. 

Ana, Miri and Winnie at a varsity girls' basketball game at Bonneville. They had participated in a ballroom workshop a few Saturdays before, and then they performed at the halftime at this game. 

Seth wearing his awesome jammies while picking up Ana from a friend's house. 

Rebekah next to the Erwin and Marie Wirkus brick outside the Museum of Idaho. A donation had been made in their name for the museum's expansion. 

Seth and Bekah at the Museum of Idaho during a mommy-daddy-daughter date with Quetzalcoatlus in the background.   

Seth using the touchscreen at the museum to blow up the results of our quiz. 

Seth, Bekah and Ana playing Numenera at the kitchen table.  

Miriam with the embroidered pillow she made. She did the embroidery at Activity Days, and I helped her make it into a pillow. 

Seth playing Phase 10 at the mall on a date. 

Ana and Bekah learning to play Risk with me during Thanksgiving break. 

Peach watching Winnie play Jenga during Thanksgiving break.

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving week was full of opportunities to visit with family and eat. And eat. And eat. (I'm not complaining.)

First of all, we had a prep day followed by "pie night" at Grandma Scott's on Wednesday.

Bekah, Ana, Grandma (in the background), Winnie and Miri preparing food for Thursday. Bekah and Ana each made a cobbler; Winnie and Miri tore bread for stuffing.

Then we met around 1 p.m. on Thursday for the first feast.

The family (except Grandpa Scott the photographer) gathered around the table to eat. Uncle T's family, Aunt Jessica, Grandma and Grandpa and our family were all able to attend.

Followed by pie at Aunt Anne's house in Rexburg that evening.

The girls enjoying their pie.

The next day we went to Grandma Susan's to decorate the tree and enjoy another day of feasting.

Miriam helping with Grandpa's tree. It later fell over and had to be rescued. 

The Wilde/Grover cousins at the table ready to eat.

The holiday, as usual, was a great reminder of everything we have to be thankful for.

Halloween

We thought we'd do our traditional family pumpkin carving the afternoon of Halloween (I even picked up the older girls from school so we'd have more time), but our pumpkins that had been sitting on the front porch were frozen solid. The girls were sad, but we managed to have a good Halloween anyway.

Seth took the younger two girls trick-or-treating on a couple of the streets in our neighborhood. Ana invited a few friends over to go to the church trunk-or-treat, then go door-to-door down her grandparents' road. Bekah had Idaho Falls Youth Symphony rehearsal. I managed the door and operated as the family chauffeur.

 Seth won third place in his office costume contest as Yoda. I dressed up as a scarecrow to run Winnie's second grade class party and hand out candy at home. Rebekah was Rosie the Riveter for school. Ana was a mermaid. Miriam was a light-up stick Newsie (below you can see how the lights worked). Winnie (along with a million other little girls) was a unicorn.

Miriam in the dark garage so you can see her lights.

Samantha, Ana, Lili and Addy with their candy haul.

Family concert

We love the Idaho Falls Symphony's family concerts, so while Rebekah competed with other marching bands in Pocatello on Saturday, October 19, the rest of us went to the Colonial Theater to participate in the instrument petting zoo and watch the symphony play the "Carnival of the Animals."

 Miriam the raccoon trying out the trombone while Ana watches. This was the first instrument they all wanted to try since it's what Bekah plays.

Winnie the unicorn learning how to hold the trumpet.

 Ana the tiger blowing on the clarinet while the symphony member fingers notes.

Miriam blowing into a flute.

 Winnie trying out the tiny violin.

 Ana on the cello.

Ana in her seat ready for the performance to begin.

Seth, Miriam and Winnie waiting.

Bekah goes marching (and plays in a concert)

Rebekah has been thrilled to participate in the marching band this year even though it meant leaving for school by 6:45 for her zero-hour class. We had a particularly cold October, and one morning her trombone slide froze in first position. Even though she commented on how cold it was sometimes, she never complained.

The band participated in three competitions (one at Highland, one at Madison, one at ISU) and played at four football games. (They would have played at a couple more, but it was too rainy for the reed instruments.)

Playing with the pep band before halftime.

Marching at halftime during a home game. It was very cold that night. 

Kneeling in formation. 

Our trombonist. 

Seth and Winnie eating popcorn, reading on the Kindle and watching the football game.

Miriam hunkered down on the bleachers. Seth took the younger girls home after the halftime performance.

They ended the season with a potluck dinner, slide show and awards. Rebekah received an award for being the "outstanding freshman."

Bekah was holding a bowl of ice cream when the director called everyone to attention, so she held her bowl in the ready position.

Bekah also had her fall concert. She played bassbone with the jazz band and trombone and French horn with the concert band. The band director announced which kids had made all-state band, with Rebekah being one of them. She will go to Nampa for rehearsals and the performance at the end of January/beginning of February.

 All of I could see of her during the jazz band's performance.

The only time I saw her with the trombone was before concert band started playing. 

But hallelujah! When she plays the French horn, she moves to the side where her mom can take pictures!

Winnie is 7!

This sweet, spunky gal turned 7 right after the beginning of October. She opened a present on her birthday (a unicorn fingerling), then we had a joint Cooper-Winnie family party with the Grovers on Saturday between sessions of General Conference, and a family party with the Scotts on Sunday after all the sessions were finished.

At the Grover party, she received a carton of Hatchimals from Aunt Rachel's family and an LOL Doll from Grandma Susan and Grandpa Dennis.

At the Scott party, she received a unicorn dress from us, a fun towel and 3D sticker kit from Grandma and Grandpa Scott, and a Disney necklace-making kit from Aunt McKall's family.

Seven-year-old Winnie with her unicorn cake. Ana made and decorated both the cake and cupcakes.

 Ana taking pictures of the cake with Seth's phone so she can send them to her cooking teacher.

The perler bead unicorn Ana made for Winnie. This girl loves unicorns, by the way. 

The unicorn dress Winnie received from us. 

Ana and Bekah helping Seth get the pinata rope over a branch of the Russian olive tree.

Everyone showing Easton the pinata, which was just a fruit snacks box with the words "fruit snacks" crossed out and "pinata" added. 

Winnie with her pinata prize. 

 Rebekah holding Easton as we work on breaking the pinata.

Miriam holding the chicken that decided to take up residence in our yard. It slept on the front porch every night until we found a new home for it.

Ana lighting candles on the cake. I had forgotten to buy more candles, so we scrounged up a "6" and one lone candle. Six plus one equals seven, right? 

Eating her cupcake.