Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

My favorite spot in our area in the fall is up Millcreek Canyon. I love going up there for a picnic. So, last week when Scott got home from work I had us all packed up with food and all and we took off up the canyon. It was beautiful with so many fall colors. We drove up the canyon and then found a nice spot for our picnic of crab salad sandwiches, chips and peaches.

 Of course, some pictures of the kiddos.

All was good and happy . . .

until the chickens came! Look right behind Brielle at the ground and you will see our unlikely visitors. We came upon a rooster and a hen that followed us to our table. Weird, huh? To us it was unusual, to the kids it was downright terrifying! They were okay as long as they were safely up on top of the table benches, but if they were down on the ground and the chickens even started coming in their general direction there was running, screaming and shrieking in fear of those monster chickens that were for sure coming to attack them.

Scott had to chase them away. I lured them with a trail of crackers up to a different picnic spot. Anything to get them away! They kept coming back to torture us.

The brave protectors of the children.

The kids were thrilled when we finally released them to run and hide in the car while we packed up to get outta there!

Mr. Z Turns Three!

Zachary's third birthday was Saturday. And boy, what a celebration he had! This kid was so, so, so excited to have a birthday. It has been an obsession talking about and planning for his birthday. He really couldn't wait.

It started with a dinner the Sunday before at Grandma Rama and Papa Fred's house with almost all of the Buchanan Clan. We brought Spiderman cupcakes for dessert and for the first round of singing him "Happy Birthday".

 The big birthday day finally arrived. Zachary walked down the stairs to find balloons and streamers and a room full of presents. He made out like a bandit in gifts! Let me explain why I went completely overboard in showering this kid with new toys:

1. Zachary comes down to the playroom to play while I run on the treadmill in the mornings. Last week, I was running and watching him play. He first went to the dress up box and pulled out a princess dress to put on. I told him he should find something else to play with. He got a Barbie and went to the Barbie house to play. Then he pulled out the pink princess castle to play princess. I felt awful for him. (Side note: When he played Barbies, he set them up in the house, got out his Nerf gun and shot them down.)

2. Thursday was the consignment sale that I always go to. All the toys were really nice and so, super inexpensive. He got the football toy chest ($4), a big matchbox race track and a full bag of cars ($7), spiderman costume ($3), superman costume ($4), transformers costume ($4), Avengers backpack ($2), bag full of super heroes ($5) and scooter ($10). Oh, lucky day!

 HULK SMASH!!! His favorite.

 

Lucky for the girls, they got some consignment sale costumes too ($1.50). Spidergirl and Batgirl.

This boy got spoiled even more when Scott let him have the birthday bowl filled with Reese's Puffs for breakfast.

 Zachary invited his two best buddies, Sam and Josh, over for a birthday play date that morning. We told them to wear their super hero costumes too, so we added Captain America and another Spiderman to the party.

 They blew bubbles.

 Made Spiderman candy necklaces.

 Then the "bad guys" came out! The balloons had scary guy faces drawn on them and the super heroes had to shoot them down with silly string.

Truth be told, this was a fun idea from Rachel, but these boys wanted nothing to do with that silly string. They didn't want it on them or near them. They didn't want to touch it. So funny.

 On to eating lunch.

 And more playing.

 I love this. Look at Sam going at Zachary with the Hulk Smash gloves. Boys. Awesome.

 Finally, we sang "Happy Birthday" and Spiderman cupcakes were served.

The Birthday celebrating continued later that evening with Zach's very own Birthday Carnival. Well, at least that is what we told him. Our friends put on a carnival as a fundraiser for the adoption of a new baby. We, of course, went. I mean, they were putting on the birthday party for us. Thanks to them. Zach had a great time at his carnival.

 Uncle Brian was there doing popcorn and cotton candy.

The clown made Zachy the coolest balloon birthday hat.

 Cousins.

 The rest of the night was spent playing cars and not even minding the big ole' obstruction in the way of the road nor that she was eating all the cars off of the road. Our own Godzilla.

 

I know, I know, you think the birthday is done and over. Ava even kept yelling to Zachary the next day, "It's not your birthday anymore!!!" when he wanted his way. And then you invite your family over for Sunday dinner and decide to make a cake and sing with them too.

Zachary remembered Ava's birthday cake covered in malt balls and wanted his birthday cake to be covered in GUMBALLS!!! He was thrilled by the very idea! He kept going back and forth between gumballs and meatballs though. I think we're all glad we settled on gumballs.

He got to decorate the masterpiece.

 Allred cousins - Ava, Aiden, Zachary, Annie, Brielle.

 Scott even had the bright idea to serve us our cake and ice cream in nacho trays. So, you could store your gum in the little cup, you see? Some respected storing the gum and then chewing it after Some (Landon) just ate and swallowed the gum as they went. Delicious.

The end. We had one very happy three year old boy through all the celebrating. We've set the bar pretty high for ourselves for next year I think.

Autumn Time

It's autumn time, it's autumn time, the leaves are falling down. I always hear that song in my head this time of year. The leaves on the mountains are changing colors and it is getting cooler. It's beautiful. Love the fall. We decided to go do some leaf peeping this weekend. 

On Friday, my friend Jeni and her kids met me and the kids to drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon and take a walk around Silver Lake. It was the perfect time. The leaves were bright yellow with some red and orange sprinkled in. It was just gorgeous and oh so fun to be with Jeni again (friend from while in Boston).

Mr. Z working his charm on little Elyse. 

They made it out to the big rock in the middle!

Rock climbing. Ethan and Brielle at the top and quite proud of it.

On Sunday morning, Scott and I were still laying in bed with Kate, Zachary and Ava climbing all over us. I said, "What if we go on a Sunday drive today through the Alpine Loop and go to church somewhere along the way." He said yes. So we got dressed, packed a lunch and left for a drive through the fall leaves to meet up with Alan and Laura at their ward in Provo at the end. Perfect.

It was beautiful! We drove through the colorful mountains listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (and Zachary whining for juice or gum or candy or anything) and stopping along the way for a few pictures.

Our picnic spot in the Timpanogas Campground.

Yellow aspens.