Pumpkin Carving

We just had our 7th annual McAllister-Peterson pumpkin carving night. The first year we moved to Spokane we met the Peterson's and we have been carving pumpkins with them every year since.  We have a set semi-annual get together since we also dye Easter eggs together every year as well.

Gutting the pumpkins is always fun. I was the "seed girl" and collected all the seeds. A coworker told me about a great recipe that he does to cook the seeds and I wanted to give it a try.
Grace had fun even though she didn't really get to help. She just kept saying, "pu-kin." She is talking more and more every day and it is so fun to hear her try and say new words.
Way to go Brent for helping the kids carve the pumpkins. Gavin's pumpkin turned out great!

A McAllister Magic Show

This weekend Gavin and Brent put on a magic show for the family. It worked out great because Gavin spent the Saturday afternoon session of conference listening and coloring to get ready for the magic show once conference was over. 

The magicians got all dressed up and Gavin handed us tickets for the show.
This is the pepper and water magic trick. I must admit, I was pretty impressed!
Gavin was also the announcer, letting us know the name of every trick.
And the ball magically disappeared! Gavin has the special magic hands!
What an awesome magic show. Thanks to Brent for being a great Dad and doing something so fun and creative with Gavin. And.... you look pretty handsome in the tux too!

These boots are made for walk'n

Yesterday we went to the Spokane County FAIR!! I decided to get Grace in her best cowgirl outfit. The boots are soooo cute but a bit to snug!  It took a lot of work to squeeze Grace's feet into them for one last wearing. I guess she has to learn sooner or later the price of beauty sometimes means pain (especially if we are talking about really cute shoes!)

Once I got the shoes on, it took her a bit to figure out how to walk in such a big boot. But once she got the hang of it Grace didn't want to take them off. 
A little cowgirl boot close up!
It has been really fun to have some time with just Grace while Gavin is in school. It won't be long and she will no longer be the baby. But that is okay with Grace. She is ready to be a big sister! She is already practicing her "mothering" on baby Knox.
Ready, set, let's go to the FAIR! Yee haw!

Go Green Lightning!!!

Gavin had his first soccer game today. Actually he had his first TWO soccer games today! Gavin isn't quite sure what to think about soccer yet. But I did see him crack a smile a few times during the game so at least he is having some fun.

The first play and Gavin obviously doesn't know what to do. Everyone is going after the ball and Gavin is still on the center line. I couldn't help but crack up!
The little pack of boys running after the ball.  (After we started yelling, "run Gavin run!")
Gavin found more enjoyment playing with the kids at the goalie flags then he actually did playing the game. Please note that the kids on the other team NEVER touched their goalie flag. 
The coach kept telling Gavin to get his hands out of the pockets and then she would walk away and the hands went right back inside!

The cheering section: Mom, Dad, Grace, DaNae, Ben, Ella, and Knox. A pretty good turnout for the 1st game of the season!
Cheerleader Grace doing some moves!
For some reason during the second game Grace kept taking off her shirt. I chased her down a couple of times to put it back on. But once she started posing, I just had to take a picture!

Gavin is a Sunrise Superstar!

Gavin started his first day of Kindergarten today. He was so excited to go to school! I think the worst part for him this morning was all the pictures that I wanted to take of him! 

I must admit, it is a little weird to take Gavin to the same school that I went to. What is even more weird is that the school looks exactly the same. Sunrise has not been remodeled since it opened in the early 1980's!!

The classic front porch picture. Gavin doesn't want to bother with the pictures, he just wants to get to school.
Gavin did crack a smile when he was showing me his backpack! 
The awesome thing about Gavin still in love with Handy Manny is that I didn't need to buy him another backpack. We just used the one from last year. Score!
Mrs. Beschta's Kindergarten room. Good luck in school this year Gavin!!

Family Picture

At the McAllister family reunion, Brent's brother Geoff did the family pictures. I wasn't sure if we wanted him to take a picture of our little family since the picture will be out-dated as soon as the baby is born in January. But Geoff took some shots of us at the cabin and they turned out great! I wish Geoff could just travel to Spokane and take another set of family pictures once our newest baby boy arrives!!

Mac Attack Reunion!!

We just came back from Utah where we had the McAllister family reunion. We gathered in a HUGE cabin in Heber.  We  had a great time being with family and letting the kids spend time with their cousins. Here are some highlights of the trip:

The green Mac Attack shirt. We was easy to spot our gang of 31 in these shirts and we were able to keep track of all 17 kids!
Visiting the Utah Olympic Park was pretty fun. Gavin loved climbing in the bobsled, where Grace  preferred lying on the luge sled. 
Doing crafts. Grace loved this foamy visor. She is such a ham!
Visiting temple square with the McAllister's from the East coast. 
Playing with Grandpa Mac. We don't have many pictures of Gavin from this trip because he was too busy playing with the older cousins. 
Seeing our college friends, the Wrights. 
Touring the Bean Science museum at BYU.  Grace got a pair of flamingo sunglasses that she adores.
On Sunday we were able to attend the blessing of Samuel. It was a very special experience to have Samuel blessed in their home surrounded by family.  It was a perfect ending to a great week. A special thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Mac for making it all happen!