Family Photo Sesh

Ahhh, good ol' family photos...

 I LOVE having them so much, but really loathe getting ready for them (finding/coordinating outfits - and keeping them clean, doing hair- and keeping it nice, getting to the location without a meltdown (the kids not me...or maybe me and the kids, haha, let's be honest). It's crazy how without fail the kids are in a great mood the morning of the photos and then turn on their whiny, wiggly, naughty button, ha! Eden was seriously so good that morning...being so patient while we all got ready and then as soon as it was time to go, she started getting whiny and frantic (Spotify was being spotty). When we got there she became a limp noodle and kept collapsing to the ground, looking away from the camera, and sliding her new black shoes in the rocks and dust. I got the feeling that this was going to be a long photo session and was going to take more energy than I could muster. Fortunately, after setting up a "strike out" system for Cornbelly's (her favorite fall activity to do with Reed) she finally started cooperating and perking back up. Jude developed a new screeching sound of frustration just before the photos (not even kidding), but fortunately he was really good for the photos...of course it's never quite easy to tell a baby not to squint, to stop drooling on his bow tie or to stop staring at the ground and look up, haha. He was a sweetheart though and even held off a while on his eating schedule for us to finish.

My limp noodle :P 

I'm so thankful for our patient friends, Annaliese and Christopher, who have no kids yet, but put up with ours anyway and helped to snap some shots so I didn't have to rely on a self-timer and tripod -I really do need to invest in a remote though! I was able to get some shots of them too, and boy was it easy to take photos of two adults, after juggling the kids in ours, haha!

I was so glad we were even able to squeeze family photos in. I have really been wanting them, now that we added Jude boy to the fam (and I REALLY want to make it up north for my cousin to take some with her legit photographer skills-- check her out here if you're in the SLC area cause she rocks) , but all we could really fit in was a drive down the road during a small time frame on a Saturday (we couldn't even squeeze a half hour drive up the canyon). I feel busy right now, with a new baby and a husband who is usually gone (mad props to any single parents, whew! I don't know how you do it, but you're amazing!) - I am trying to find the joy in the journey, but I kinda can't wait for him to be done with school (in July), on top of everything else he's got going on. I mean, I'm busy, but my schedule doesn't hold a candle to what that guy is doing -- he's amazing! Any who, I am so glad we were able to freeze a few moments in time during this crazy period, so that we can have memories and keepsakes of our family at this time.

We were going to capture the gorgeous fall leaves, that are soon to be gone, but were struggling to find the right lighting during the only time that worked for us and then came across this white brick wall -- I am a sucker for downtown areas and cools walls-- I absolutely love the little vent in the wall, that is in some of the photos. Anyway, it was a whirlwind and I am in love with the shots we were able to pull out of the craziness. I know these are mostly enjoyable for me and my fam (who wants to look at a bazillion gagillion family photos of someone else's fam?), but here comes the biggest family photo dump ever, cause I can't choose!

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Pumpkin Patching!

I always miss my mom, but I had been missing her particularly a lot recently... So naturally it was such a sweet surprise to get a phone call from her letting me know that she and Lyle would be stopping by! They were headed here to pick up a dog to bring back with them to Colorado. They had a few hours to spend with us on Saturday and boy did we pack 'em good.

Eden...oh, Eden. She was SO excited on Friday night that she kept getting out of bed...or we thought she was getting out of bed. When she got up for the umpteenth time, I brought her back to her room to tuck her in, only to find her bed fully made. I asked where she'd been sleeping, to which she responded with a point to her bean bag chair. When I asked her why, she said that she wanted to make sure that her bed was nice and made when grandma and grandpa arrived in the morning. Silly goose! I informed her that they wouldn't arrive until 11 and that there would be plenty of time for me to help her make her bed look great before their came. I also told her that I didn't want a grumpy girl when the came because of a lack of sleep. So I talked her into sleeping in her bed. 

The next morning, she was up bright and early and kept looking out the window and asking, "Is it close to 11 yet?!?". When they finally got there she squealed with delight and ran to get the door, making sure I stayed upstairs so she could get it all by herself. 

Grandparents always come with surprises right!? 

They read the books that they brought with the kids while Reed and I made BLTs for lunch. After lunch, my mom really wanted to go to a pumpkin patch, but particularly one where you go out in the field to pick your own. Done! The Red Barn it was! We enjoyed lots of fun fall activities, including picking the perfect pumpkins (one for Eden and one for Jude), and then headed back inside of the Red Barn to get some ice cream (Eden ALWAYS gets ice cream when grandma and grandpa Schrock come and she does not forget it!). We also bought some peaches, apples, pears, and dried cherries...and oh, wow they are all amazing. I was going to dehydrate the apples, but they are the most crisp and juiciest apples, so that's not happening!

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Then we went back home and visited/cleaned up just a bit before going to Magleby's for dinner. We are so glad my mom and Lyle love Magleby's as much as we do...it has also become a tradition to go there together each time they come. We usually call ahead for reservations and get this table right by the front window looking out into downtown Springville. This night, there was a pianist right next to us playing on the grand piano while we relaxed, ate, and caught up on life. It was so wonderful and went all too quickly. 

After dinner we said our goodbyes and they were on their way, but what a wonderful packed day we had, had with them! I'm so glad we got the spend time together!