Fall Fun!

Brad had a little helper while raking up the leaves the other day. As you can see, Cadence was a big help. Finn and Aria were taking naps, so they didn't get to join in. Brad filled 14 black trash bags of leaves and there are still more falling. Such fun to jump into a crunchy pile of leaves!

Relaxing in the crisp Fall air and sunshine.

We started the week off by going to a Fall festival at our friend's church (my women's group church).

Cadence loved bouncing, bouncing, bouncing in the bouncy castle. By the end of the night, Finn was hooked as well. It was hard to get clear pictures of them because they were constantly moving, so sorry for the blurriness.

Finn, however, started the evening off by participating in the cake walk. He walked around in a circle for the majority of the evening without any idea what he was doing. He just liked following everyone around and stepping on the numbers. He didn't win a cake, though. Actually, he may have won, but we didn't pay attention to the numbers he was standing on.

Brad enjoyed talking to some friends and eating chili, before he had to dash off to lead the evening service at church.

The kids and I hung around for a little more bouncing and then headed home for bedtime!

Recipe Highlight:

Ginger-Spice Muffins

Ingredients 2 spray(s) cooking spray 1 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp table salt 1/2 cup(s) packed brown sugar, dark brown-variety 1 3/4 cup(s) cooked cubed butternut squash, pureed (yields 1 cup puree) 3 Tbsp canola oil 1/3 cup(s) plain fat-free yogurt 3 Tbsp molasses 1 large egg(s) Instructions Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 12 muffin holes with cooking spray or use cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine sugar, squash puree, oil, yogurt, molasses and egg. With an electric mixer on medium speed, mix for 1 to 2 minutes (or mix by hand). Make a well (a scooped out indention) in center of dry ingredients; pour in liquid mixture and gently fold to just combine (batter will be lumpy). Evenly pour batter into prepared muffin pan about two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Yields 1 muffin per serving.