Fun Fall Activities

Every Wednesday the big kids and I are doing what we call a "fun fall activity." Not sure how we ended up sticking with that name, but it works. These activities are highly anticipated by kids and Mommy alike. They've been very simple, which is the main reason they've been so successful, I think. And it's really nice to spend time together with no interruptions or jobs to get done. Here's what we've done so far. 

We made these cute little owls out of crackers, cream cheese, raisins and nuts. They were a lot of fun to assemble, and Addison loved them. Bryn, not so much.

The second week we made popcorn balls with fun little mix-ins. We had m&ms, candy corns, and crunched up Butterfingers inside. I was nervous about this one because of the potential for burns and boredom with all the stove-top time, but we all loved it. The kids laughed their heads off at the popcorn exploding in the big pot on the stove. And they were fascinated while they watched the gooey, sticky sweet stuff boil ferociously. They were in charge of putting in the candy and they were very thorough. And these puppies were GOOD.

Lest you think these are all food-related, we did make tissue ghosts and skeletons put together with brads to decorate their room with. I forgot to take pics, though.

This one didn't happen on a Wednesday, but it was such a great time. We've got a sweet older couple in our ward who are always so kind to us and let us pick from their apple trees every year. This year we jetted over right before a huge rainstorm. It was windy and gray and there was even lightning, but it was the only time we could go, and so the kids and I were in serious business mode. We filled up two boxes before you could blink an eye. Color-coded, even. I didn't really have time to lift the kids up and help them a ton because we had to hurry before the storm hit, but under Addison's direction, they were very successful. He was especially helpful with Leah, making sure she could find some good ones on the ground.

 Leah was in heaven. Really, we all were. Picking fruit as a family is just fun.

This was yesterday's activity. We used Keebler fudge stripe cookies, orange-dyed frosting, and Hershey kisses to make witch hat cookies. I think this has been Addison and Bryn's favorite. They really liked being totally in control from start to finish. Choosing the cookie, unwrapping the chocolate, and squeezing the frosting on all by themselves. And they turned out really cute, I think.