Happy Haunting

We love Halloween! (And yes, Savannah is in her swimsuit again) Many pictures to come . . . we have a trunk-or-treat at church tonight and then are headed to a family reunion/Halloween party in the Great Smoky Mountains of TN! Ye haw!! Hope you all have fun and get lots of treats:) Here are a few pics from the last couple of weeks. We had such sunny fall days but it has now turned COLD!



Rachel is so snuggly - I love it!


"Camping" in the basement!

Savannah cheering for Trev at soccer




Trev has really become football-obsessed - he now tracks games play-by-play online! Who knew you could do that!?

Thank heaven for sisters:)

My favorite fall dessert

This recipe came from a friend when we were living in Cache Valley, UT. It is one of the reasons I look forward to this season. We are always trying to come up with a better name for it . . . maybe "the essence of fall." :) I won't say how many times we've made it so far . . .

Apple Cake with Warm Sauce

Cream:

2 cups sugar

½ cup shortening

Add:

2 eggs, beaten lightly

Mix, then add:

2 cups flour

2 t. baking soda

1 t. cinnamon

½ t. salt

Mix, then add and mix:

4 cups apples, peeled & shredded (I use 2-3 granny smith, 1 fuji or gala, 1 golden delicious)

Lightly grease cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 min.

Sauce

In saucepan, bring to boil:

2 cups sugar

4 T. corn starch (stir into cold cream first)

1 cup light cream (half and half)

BOIL 2 MINUTES, THEN REMOVE FROM HEAT

Add 2 cubes butter, till melted

Add 3 t. vanilla

Serve cake with sauce and whip cream on top!

On the farm

Savannah went on a field trip this week, and since Dad had Columbus Day off (love working for the government!), she insisted he be her chaperone. This was a true test of his love since he is usually an allergic mess around farm animals. They had a great time. She was VERY excited about riding on the bus (Ashkii said it was so bumpy, he was nearly sick!), picking a pumpkin, going on a hayride, and seeing all the animals.

Magic moments

Rachel has started giggling and using her voice - it is so sweet. I forgot how fun each phase is, and how quickly they develop. Also, we've had some requests for video of Trevor, so I asked him what he wanted to do on video, and he replied, "Play football!!" He asked me today if he can play football instead of soccer next year - I'm scared.
Please excuse the messy house - my kids have been having fun pulling out bins of Halloween decor and costumes:)

Go Navy!

Navy just won their fourth game this season. We were lucky enough to get tickets to the game two weeks ago - on the second row in the end zone. I am not a big football fan, but it was really fun - I think good seats make a huge difference. It's also fun that three members of the coaching/medical staff, including the head coach, are members of our church. So the excitement for Navy is contagious around here!!!

!
The kids were really getting into it - except for Rachel,
who slept through the entire game!!