It's October and I have to give you an image. It's 8 AM and you see a woman with a baby in tow...wearing a nice black dress coat pushing a cart full of splatter targets and clay pigeons and infant cold medicine. Yep--that was me. Top priorities on my list. You see, David has bought the boys a 'Rascal' 22 gun. It's basically a 22 but smaller for kids to be able to use. He has taken out the kids a couple times and they have shot pop cans filled with their own pee....charming I know. They have a blast though and I love that David and the boys are bonding over such fun memories. However, last night Eli told me that he is becoming a pretty good shot and 'Mom--I only missed a squirrel by six inches!". Now I love to be delighted with my kids accomplishments--that's why they are excited to tell me things--cause I love to be happy with them! HE looked confused when my face fell a bit and I with what I am sure looked like an injured small smile I said, "Why would you shoot a squirrel?" Now I know men and boys have been entertained for years by running around shooting birds and squirrels....but it doesn't mean I like it or approved it. After a discussion (which is a small word compared to the reality of the discussion) as to why I don't like the idea of hunting animals we aren't going to use or eat, the boys seemed to understand. I didn't want to spoil their fun though and have enjoyed shooting targets myself. I remembered a fun time when my friends and I went with some boys to clay pigeon shoot (they are clay discs you throw in the air and try to shoot---and they shatter on impact). I had a lot of fun and was so thrilled when I shot and shattered a clay pigeon! So after that discussion and realizing I better have a great alternative for my boys...I found that I could buy 90 clay pigeons for just $10 at walmart. I also went online for more fun target ideas that don't spill innocent blood and here is what I found: water balloons as targets, filling empty plastic bottle with food colored water as targets, crackers (feed the birds!) strung up as targets, squash (feed our chickens!) etc. I can't wait to show my boys the cool fun targets they will get to shoot and I love that they will have a lot of fun---without wasting life. :)
So the boys have a wonderful Grandmother---well two really, but the one that lives in La Grande has this absolute creative wonderful mind when it come to holidays. She loves to make the magic in creative fun ways so the other day, in the mailbox we found a letter from 'The Witch'. The witch invited us to a wonderful Halloween dinner featuring Mummy Bones (BBQ Ribs), Squashed Troll (Squash), Cheesy bat tongs( cheesy pasta), Ghost Hats (biscuits), Witches teeth (corn),and Graveyard Garden (salad). It was so fun! She wore a witches hat and an owl necklace and she had made little creative signs which she had put into each of the dishes and her rule was that we had to refer to the dishes as the names she had given them. The boys were of course delighted and exclaimed how it was "the best Halloween Dinner ever!" Then Grandma brought out dessert. Chocolate Spider Cake! She used chocolate truffles for the spider body and cut black licorice to make the legs and red licorice for the eyes. 
So it has been getting cooler and we have had several days with a fire to warm up the house. Normally we stack the wood all in the front closet so it's out of the way. I saw we, but it is really David and the boys. Normally the big boys (Preston and Eli) do it, but one day David set a smaller piece down and Dallin got to it and grunted with the effort, but picked it up and solemnly carried it to the closet. We laughed at his cute little face so solemn with the weight of his duty being filled and then when he would set it down he would swing his arms and brush his hands together. We sheered for him and since then he has become a regular little helper. I know it has been a while since I have been on this blog. But the summer was so busy and full. I have a lot of pics and so perhaps some cold wintry day when I am longing for summer, I will post our summer pics and stories!
