Family Time- Fall Colors

After the kids and I got home from a stake primary activity this morning and after our friend picked up her little girl who we were watching, we were able to have some family time.
We really wanted to get out to see some fall colors, so we headed to our favorite fall colors spot, Big Springs.

This was not our best trip to Big Springs.  We hiked just a little bit before heading back to the van because somebody would not follow directions (it wasn't me, in case you were wondering).  Oh well.  We still got to see some of changes of the leaves.  I mentioned before how cool it was to see a variety of colors on the same tree.
This time I noticed the variety (green, yellow, orange, and red) on the same leaf.

We had to cut our hiking short but we still drove around for a while and it was much more fun in the van.  The kids kept asking Daddy to tell them stories about the heroine, Jackerina, who lives in the dark blue van in the yellow pine forest (that smells like vanilla).  The Telfords don't realize it, but she often saves them when they're out and about.  She saves them from the dead tree spirits which come out when the leaves change color and fall from the trees.  She has to take her tiny sword and poke them in the nose so they don't fall asleep.  She also saves them from the moose who is going around singing "Give Said the Little Stream," and from the Purple Turtle which is actually a real giant turtle trying to snap people up.  There was once when the Telfords actually saved Jackerina from "tunnel vision" by holding their breath and holding their hands up while going through a tunnel.  They didn't even know they had saved her, but she knew.
After so many of these stories, the kids started making up their own- even the 3-year old.  They were pretty good stories.  Love their creativity.  And my husband's.

And because September 20 is National Punch Day, after our family time we had tropical punch color flavored sugar water with our dinner.