Halloween 2012!

 Halloween 2012.  Dorothy and the Wicked Witch.  Waldo, Wenda, and obviously.... the biggest, scariest, meanest Hulk you've ever seen.  It was a fun one.  Finn is at such a fun and ADORABLE age and LOVED every bit of the celebrations.  He walked the whole neighborhood last night, never complained, and never wanted to get in the stroller.  His little buns have got to be burning today.  

He insisted on carrying his bucket (by it's side almost) the whole time and left a trail of candy every time we weren't looking.  He's full of moments I wish I could freeze right now.  I'm always just so grateful I have Ross so that one other person can be as obsessed with him as me so I can talk about all of the cute things he does all day long if I want. 

I'm having a moment with my family.  I just feel so blessed.  These kids are rock stars.  And even though we still have a few 90 degree days ahead of us, the holidays are here and it feels oh so gooooooood.

Why Can't I blog in real time like everyone else??... it's so much more fun that way.

But here I am, starting with Sunday-- when we carved pumpkins before dinner at Brooke's. The fact that we were in the garage and not DRIPPING with sweat in the photos is a good sign--- Fall is here! Even in the desert.

No Ordinary Family

Hope yours was fun--- this was the longest halloween weekend ever!... SO fun--- but after three different trick-or-treat "experiences"... I'm very ready to dump some candy and move on. Phew!

Halloween

So Ross' sister Brooke and her family came out to spend Halloween with us, which was SO fun. It made the whole weekend feel like a party. We started with carving pumpkins... (or at least A pumpkin - thanks to tradition-keeper-Ross) and then did chili and cornbread before launching the mayhem that was huge-group-trick-or-treating-in-a-neighborhood-with-no-streetlights-or sidewalks. We were joined by the Smiths, Lamms, Terry's, and both Homecs, we hit our stride, made a loop, got tons of loot, and ended with dessert at our house. Somehow the stars aligned and all of the kids were so occupied by their candy and the trampoline in the dark, that we actually got MINUTES on end of grown up time. It's the little things, you know?

Funny how I think I'd written off Halloween at like 14. But then I had kids and it was reborn. There's just something pretty special about seeing the joy on their faces with every drop in their candy bucket. They have this way you know? They make everything a little harder, but a lot sweeter. Overall, I'm thinking it's a good deal.

Oh and because I think I want to be done with Halloween blogging... (well unless I get the pictures back from kodi's camera and there are any good ones of my girls in costume since I couldn't manage to snap a photo before the sun went down and I have no pop-up flash)... here are the ones from preschool on the day of the carnival.

Mila dressed up as Belle just to wear something easy, but if you haven't been able to figure it out, both of my girls were peacocks, also know as colorful birds. It was the only thing Sophia would tell me she wanted to be every time I asked (a colorful bird that is)... so I went with it. We tried to mimic the PB one-- but secretly, I thought mine would be way cuter. I forgot that I'm not really crafty and that the felt feathers I made would have to be secured to the tutu. When the fabric glue didn't work, I resorted to staples... which... resulted in random feathers decorating the streets. Oh well. At least I got a really great photo first so all my hard work wasn't for nothing. Oh wait....

lame.

happy halloween

Live Oak Pumpkin Patch

Tis the season for pumpkin patching! I love it. It marks the beginning of it all.

But it looks like I forgot to send Mila the memo. Look at that furrow.

Just a random worker. Check him out. I think he wants you to.

Did I mention how grateful I am that they both got Ross' blue eyes?? And this is a random, cute baby. Is that legal? To put them on my blog when they didn't know I was taking the picture?

We went with Brooke, Tyson, and Sawyer... hope you don't mind the bottom shot, Brooke! Sophia had to squat and pee in the pumpkins... so Sawyer figured it was potty time and came over to join..... I had to get a shot.

hhhhhhhhhhh (that's a sigh...) until next year.

A Halloween Party for the chillens...

It's Here!

Cool mornings and nights, decent days, the backyard is even back on our radar. I made SOUP lastnight... granted I was sweaty after I ate it. But it was worth it.

"I feel like I'm falling for fall..... " (noggin anyone?)