Frugal Fall Furlough

Happy Fall! We've been enjoying the cooler weather and watching the leaves change. Last weekend, we decided to take advantage of a few frugal opportunities to enjoy fall close to home!

On Friday, Tony took the day off, and the whole family went to Miller Farms, a pick-your-own produce place, north of Denver. We met my friend Rebecca, who wanted to do some picking, too. We paid $10 each to pick 60 lbs of produce each -- I don't even need to tell you what a deal that is, right? I was a little worried about trying to pick 180 lbs of produce while watching the girls (who would be missing their nap), but everything worked out fantastically! It helped that there were three adults to watch the two kids. We picked corn, tomatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon, all kinds of squash, pumpkins, peppers, onions, beets, carrots, and potatoes. Now I have to store it before it goes bad!

Getting ready for the hayride!

Hadley and Leila "helping" pick potatoes

Rebecca and I at the end. See, we survived!

We stayed a couple of nights with Rebecca and Wes, who generously opened their home to us, and have plenty of room for our family. Plus, Rebecca is a fantastic cook! On Saturday, we headed up to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was one of their "fee free days", so we got free admission. Wow, the fall colors were amazing! We had a picnic lunch, hiked around a lake, and drove through a couple of scenic areas that we hadn't seen before.

Where's Tony, Hadley, and Leila?

Of course, all great things have to come to an end, right? The twins refuse to take naps in the car. They napped for 45 minutes (they usually nap for 3 - 4 hours at home). Our drive back to Denver was a mess of whining and tears ... from both the toddlers and the mommy. :) We had to cancel our dinner plans, but eating-in turned out to be great, too. (P.S. Any suggestions on car seat naps are welcome!) As an added bonus, Rebecca gets free movie tickets from her job, so the boys went out one night, and the girls went out the next night!

On Sunday, we relaxed during the morning, letting the girls get a good morning nap. Then, on our way out of town, we stopped at the Denver Botanic Gardens ... which, of course, was having a free admission day! We would have stayed for a couple of hours, I think, but one of our stroller tires went flat and started to come off, so we left after only about an hour.

Doesn't Leila look ornery in this picture?

Overall, a wonderful weekend, spent seeing wonderful places with my wonderful family, and spending time with wonderful friends. You can't beat that.

This Stinks.

A glimpse into our last 12 hours...

10:00 pm -- I let Roxie outside for one last potty
10:01 pm -- Roxie promptly gets sprayed by a skunk
10:03 pm -- Tony and I race around the house, closing windows (too late) and searching for the "Miracle Skunk Odor Remover" that we've used once before
10:05 pm -- I drench Roxie in said "Miracle Skunk Odor Remover" and kennel her for the night
10:55 pm -- I finally fall asleep, with a sheet over my face because our house smells terrible

5:00 am -- Tony gets up, confirms that the "Miracle Skunk Odor Remover" has not worked, opens all the windows, and heads to work
7:30 am -- The girls and I get up; I put Roxie in the backyard, where she barks at the door until I'm ready to give her a bath
8:00 am -- Roxie's peroxide/baking soda/dish soap bath is ready; I leave the girls eating breakfast in their high chairs while I hurry Roxie to the tub
8:05 am -- Girls scream in their high chairs until I'm done with Roxie's bath. They seem to get humor out of screaming at each other, so it partially works
8:20 am -- I drain the bath water; Roxie throws up
8:21 am -- Roxie goes back outside, where she barks at the door because she's cold and wet
8:22 am -- Rescue girls from their high chairs
8:23 am -- Clean up Roxie's vomit while the twins try to climb into the bathtub to touch it
8:30 am -- Put the girls in their cribs while I grab a quick shower to wash the skunk off myself
8:45 am -- Change stinky diapers (my nose can't handle much more!)
8:50 am -- Feel sorry for Roxie and let her in ... quickly regret it
9:30 am -- Ahhhh .... first nap. Time to wash skunk-infused clothing.

If it weren't for these little stinkers (pun intended), sometimes I'd wonder why I'm doing it ...(Leila top/ Hadley bottom)

Leidybug's Scooter

She's *this* close to walking!

Tiny Football Fanatics

We're celebrating the start of football season!
Go Chiefs!

(Hadley ... Leila ... Hadley/Leila ... Hadley/Leila)

Fort VanHorn

When I can't see them, but I can hear them, I know where to look: Fort VanHorn!

The girls have discovered a hiding place in the kitchen, under the bar, behind the recycling bin and next to the cabinet. Their favorite part is the side of the cabinet -- because it can't be seen, it doesn't have a wood finish, just a metal wall. It's so fun to bang on! They also like to peek at each other through the gap between the recycling bin and the cabinet. Enjoy the video!

A Sucker Born Every Minute

Last week, the ladybugs (a nickname given by Daddy) had a fun first: their first suckers! Our neighbor got great humor out of sharing his Tootsie Pops with the girls ... because he didn't have to clean them up!

(Hadley / Leila)

As you can imagine, they LOVED the suckers. They carried them around until the suckers were covered in dirt and the girls were covered in red stickiness. At that point, I threw the suckers away.

Or did I?

Yesterday, the girls were being unusually quiet while playing together. When I went to check on them ... yep, those suckers had been dug out of the trash can and were being enjoyed again -- dirt, dog hair, and all! I guess I'm the sucker in this story! :)