Halloween 2009

We invited our great Bishop and his family to share our traditional Halloween Dinner with us. The menu: mummy hot dogs, apple bites, pumpkin brains, cheesy fingers, pond scum jello with frog eggs, bone breadsticks, bat blood, and flaming skull cake.  Anyone hungry?  We heard that Halloween is a really big deal around our neighborhood so we decorated and got all ready for the crowd only to find out that the real traffic was a few blocks away where they had coffins with the dead rising out to give candy, and a real hearse with a monster who jumped out with a chain saw to scare trick or treaters away.  We walked down to see it all and were just amazed to see all the work that went into these set ups and the crowds of people walking all over the yards.  Needless to say our little paper plate skeleton didn't draw much of a crowd. Maybe we will just keep it that way.

Pumpkin Carving

And the winner

to the Kunz Family pumpkin carving contest

goes to Matt!

....lovely.

Pumpkin Patch

The biggest thing around Omaha in the fall is a visit to Vala's Pumpkin Patch. So of course we had to go...and it really was fun! What started out to be a small pumpkin patch planted by a novice farmer turned into a huge family run business centered around good old family fun. Where else can you watch real pigs race and play in a vat of dried corn kernels...ride old fashioned pedal bikes and eat pork chops on a stick?! Every year Vala's also creates a huge corn maze with a theme. We made sure to do that before it got dark for fear we would never make it out. Move over Disney World!

More Good-byes!

These are pictures of our second and third groups of returning missionaries.  It is getting harder and harder to say good-bye as we have spent more time with them. We come to love them so quickly and then they leave and it's like saying good-bye to family.  A few have come back to visit and many call us to check up on the mission and it is so fun to hear from them again.  I tell you though, it is very hard to call them by their first names..."Hey, Ben, Libby, Priscilla and Annette, how are things going for you back home?....we miss you!"

Daniel was in his first orchestra concert at Millard South High School in October.  It was wonderful!  He did very well and looked so sharp.  He took his own cello with him because it sounds so much better then the schools instruments.  His teacher is a real ball of fire which makes it very fun to watch her lead.  The kids really respond to her and you can tell that they all enjoy themselves as they play. Great Job, Dan!! 

Number Three

Yet another wonderful group of missionaries entered the Nebraska Omaha Mission this month. President Kunz and I can never get over the spiritual depth and preparation of these young people.  It's so fun to see them come off the plane, all smiles and excitement.  We just feel so blessed to be the ones privileged to meet them there!  They have dinner and training and the Trail Center Tour and then off they go.  This is the greatest calling in the world to be able to be a part of their lives for just a short time and see them grow and develop in the gospel.  How pleased the Lord must be with them!

Snow in October!

Once there was a snowman, snowman, snowman, once there was a snowman, tall, tall, tall, tall, tall...

Imagine our surprise to wake up to five inches of snow the day after a sunny, sweater day!  Dad and Dan went down to the little park by our home and built a seven foot snowman.  He lasted for many days after the rest of the snow melted and eventually became a little ball in a field of lovely green grass.