This past weekend was spent tucked away in the beautiful fall-blanketed St. Johns with the Lindsey's and Raban's! Baby Beau and I took a shuttle up to Show Low on Monday to spend a few extra days, and Devin met up with us on Friday:) It was so nice to escape the heat (although cooling off, we still have 80-degree+ temperatures down here!) and be in a place where fall is very much, traditional. As I stepped off the shuttle and waited for dad to pick us up, the crisp air smelled of wood burning stoves; the leaves were bright and festive (yellows, reds, oranges, etc.)--all so warm and inviting...and truly representative of the season!
We spent lazy days hanging out with the family; cooking large family meals, baking pumpkin cookies, eating at El Camino, attending volleyball games and wrestling matches, and of COURSE, engaging in Hallmark movie marathons--titles like, "Autumn Kiss" and "Harvest Moon"--us girls are hopeless romantics and although predictable and possible cheesy, we can't resist these feel-good movies:) As a side note, each evening ended with a special tradition--a bowl of cereal before bed!
As the weekend approached, Baby Beau and I became anxious to see Devin. He is always so good to let us go and have fun while he works and holds down the fort at home; but we missed him and Baby needed a break from ME. She is SO much fun, a tease, smiley, happy, flirty, etc. But for some reason, she can be so defiant--fighting me when I change her diapers, get her dressed, do her hair, etc...it gets ugly!! We anxiously waited, staring out the window for his arrival; and she exploded with excitement at the sight of him:)
The weekend also brought with it colder weather; I realized how much of a wimp I am...but I must say it is fun to cuddle in blankets and scarves! Devin and I went to the St. Johns vs. Round Valley game and mom stayed at home with Baby...it was so fun! We ate my very favorite game treat--nachos with jalapenos! We sipped on hot chocolate, and bundled up together. The game was sad; they lost! But we had a wonderful evening out together:)
Saturday we woke up early and started preparing for the Halloween Feast; mom's traditional eyeball soup, scones and honey butter! Uncle Tim is not a huge fan of homemade chicken noodle soup (eyeball soup) so mom also made a DELICIOUS mole chili...SO GOOD!! While the soups simmered, we carved pumpkins and got ready for "trunk or treat":) Devin got the coolest, BIGGEST pumpkin...and decided to create/carve a Halloween masterpiece; needless to say, his pumpkin offended grandma and grandpa...
The weekend was great; I wished Devin could have been there longer with us, but we look forward to a longer break around Thanksgiving! I feel so fortunate to live so close (even though a small drive) to my family--I sure love them and love spending time with them. It always takes a few days to get back to normal life after a fun trip--today Dev and I have been floppy and lazy, watching movies together and eating cereal:) Days like this are fun though, and I don't mind a nice empty day to take it easy!