your faces here

daylight savings time ending in the fall always sort of marks the end of family picture season. it just gets dark so darn early that it's hard to coordinate everyone home at the same time in the afternoon. but until then, good light time is still around 5:00. that's doable, right?

so for my last 5 available spots, how about a deal? I think most people on my blog are already relatives or best friends anyway (hi guys) so here is the...

BEST FRIEND/RELATIVE SPECIAL
$90 for about 40 minutes and 10-12 family pictures

(nope you don't really have to be a relative or best friend. anyone reading is welcome.)

these spots are just for family photos so bring everybody. all in town too.

thursday 27, tuesday 1, wednesday 2, thursday 3, saturday 5

alliehoopes@gmail.com

how to do fall on a quarter tank of gas

my little family found ourselves in provo earlier this month. husband suggested a beautiful drive home through sundance, up over the mountain, to a little hiking geyser spot and down a dirt road to the back door to park city. so glad he did!

how to do fall in a day

pick a day off of wyoming school so you can experience your utah activities without all of utah there with you (though I'm sure you're lovely). perfect weather is a bonus.

activity 1: apple picking
we went to farnsworth farms. caught the end of apple picking but not quite yet cider milling. still it was a last minute addition to the plan and a favorite. we all pretended we were farmers. max's friend said once that he found a "humongous" one so max spent the day telling us in a big scary voice that all his apples were "mungus!"

be happy that the little boys were content with their apple bags since the big kids took the picture perfect baskets to complete their farm girl/boy look.







playground was part of the apple picking experience. lily tried hard to get me and my 10-month-pregnant friend to participate in monkey-barring with her. she didn't really succeed but it was ok.





activity 2: gardner village (way close to the apple farm)

surprisingly and luckily also uncrowded. we picked a good day. witches, candy store & toy store. all good things. I kept hearing lily and brody say to each other (look at their boobs!) yep, our kids say boobs. but really, look at them!

activity 3: black island farms (a big drive north but gave the chance for a nice little rest in the car)

also, hi lily in the mixed up apple picture.

I need a slide like these ones in my backyard. look at that bottom left slide picture of lily. THAT's how fun they were. only it seemed like we found all of utah there. that's ok.

mmm this place was fun. more like lagoon-farm than quaint little farm girl farm but still fun. we got on the hay ride at nearly bedtime and somehow didn't realize that it stopped and let us off in the middle of the pumpkin patch to get one! oh boy lily was so excited. good job, moms.

the picture I didn't get but wish I had would look like this: nichole back to retrieve the stroller (carrying 2 big pumpkins in addition to her baby pumpkin belly)+ me hauling 2 mungus pumpkins persuading 4 little cold kids to stay close to me through the dark parking lot so we didn't get run over+looking and looking for the car. ahhhhh fun day.

didjano?

today I was working on fixing a font downloading problem and noticed in the stats that there are still a bunch of people coming to my blog every day. how bored must they be? I post like once a month! ok so in order to not be so boring I'm trying to think of a bigger variety of topics I can share. not just parties and pictures (though guess what I just did another party and took more pictures). here goes.

did you know I have 4 sisters and I'm the oldest?
(did you know that's me on the right? it goes 2nd 5th 4th 1st: middle sister caitlin's in the wedding dress)

and did you know that the oldest 3 sisters are all married and we're all married to wyoming boys?
(don't get out much I guess)

and that I changed my last name when I got married 10 years ago from Pilch to Hoopes. and that Hoopes in itself (pronounced if in some places in WY with the same oo sound as books) is not a bad last name but allieoooops is a little sad. but the other sisters became either Klinker or Marosok so I don't think any of us wins.
(youngest 2 sisters: go find like a Mr. Miller or Mr. Brown or something to date)

did you know we all occasionally still go on family vacations together? and at the last one we scared ourselves silly pretending that a couple husbands running around outside the cabin in cloaks were ringwraiths?


he doesn't look so scary now, does he?

did you know taylor's the tallest? (below)
(I think I'm still 2nd)

but whoever she was talking to must be the funniest?
(let's just all agree it's jessamyn)

and hanna's the only one still at home? high school freshman (just got braces and I never had them)

and did you know that one of my best friends is a 14 year old and another one of them probably is a 15 year old (probably cousin) and the other night at 1 we dressed up in nacho libre masks and they begged me to make quesadillas.

and did you know my husband claims he didn't pose like this trying to be all blue steel, but come on.

also I'm the only one with kids. oh but look how cute they are. I win.