Happy Halloween!

This year we stayed at home

for Halloween

and again,

taking full advantage of my cousin being in town,

were joined by my

cousins and their families too!

We enjoyed homemade pizza and

finalized costume details before heading out the door!

Is it just me or does Superman look tipsy?

Gabriel's reaction to the whole trick or treating thing

was really funny.

He wasn't scared,

but definitely cautious and maybe even

amused...?

Anyway,

he, like most children,

got over "it" quick.

Free candy is a great incentive for anything!

After all the Halloween Hoop-la,

we were exhausted!

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving and

Christmas are next!

We can't complain though,

these are memories that will last forever!

H A P P Y  C A N D Y - E A T I N G !

p.s.

I thought I would note that Owen was

thoroughly disgusted with the bowls set out

with a little sign asking everyone to, "Please take one."

He wanted so badly to knock on each door

and announce, "Trick or Treat!"

Without that,

what was the point?

Candy!

Particularly chocolate!

That's always the point, Owen!

Our Ward Halloween Party

I loved the down-home feel of our

Ward Halloween Party!

It was very casual

with classic games

and timeless chili and dogs!

Superman!

 Iris,

the wicked witch playing,

"Whack the Deacon"!

Little Red Riding Hood!

Ava,

true to her pajama-zombie self

followed by a knife-wielding Robin Hood!

Let the sugar rush begin!

Pumpkin Patch: Round II

Since my cousin was in town from Louisiana

we hit the patch again!

Good thing too or we would have missed

the newborn piggies!

Let the patch madness begin...

My beautiful cousin, Devan,

and her two sons.

My other beautiful cousin, Nicole,

and her sweet son!

We had the best time ever

and utterly pumpkined out!

What a great night,

and so, so much fun

catching up with family!

A Halloween Dinner Party

Halloween has slowly become one of my

absolute favorite holidays,

and I owe that 1000% to the kids.

This is a holiday just for them,

and it's truly a magical time of the year

for families to be together!

For family home evening,

we invited my family over to share in some

of our favorite traditions.

Iris entertaining us, "Thriller"-style!

The feast!

"The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!"

And caramel apples!

Sadly,

those "nuts" on the apples are actually

chunks of sugar in my

haphazardly made caramel!

I thought I could wing the recipe by heart!

Oh, well.

They still tasted great! 

And everyone thought I added nuts!

{smile}

Getting Out The Halloween Bins...

I'm a big fan of getting the decorations up early,

and taking them down promptly!

I just know that if we wait it will never get done,

so we might as well just throw ourselves into it.

This year we had the pleasure of having my nephews over

for the tradition,

but before we broke out the Halloween bins,

...we played...

...gangsta'd...

...bathed...

...danced to Princess Rapunzel music...

(Over, and over, and over again... :)

...ate yummy burgers...

...and an even yummier Halloween treat...

{Thanks, Iris!}

...and then we got the starty parted!

See for yourself...

My favorite part?

Seeing how deathly afraid Jacob was of the theme song, Thriller!

Of course being the wicked aunt and uncle that we are,

we cranked it up!

H A P P Y  H A L L O W E E N  D E C O R A T I N G!

{And torturing your nephews...}

Bwa-ha-ha!

Googly Eyes, Homemade Donuts, & Creatures of the Night!

When Samuel drags in a bin from the garage,

it usually means one of two things:

We're going camping,

or it's time to decorate for a holiday!

Either way,

the kids are thrilled!

But in this case,

Samuel pulled out the Halloween bin-

and we all dug in to spook-i-fy the house!

I always puts on Halloween music,

and "Thriller" always awakens the zombies!

This year we had some old and new traditions.

For instance,

 we always carve pumpkins

roast pumpkin seeds,

and read spooky stories.

This year though,

Samuel made me a monogrammed pumpkin (I love the "E"!),

the kids ate flourescent green

Hostess Snow Balls for breakfast,

and Iris brought home her class Duck

to share in the festivities!

The not-to-be-missed event-of-the-year

(according to my kids...):

T H E  W A R D  H A L L O W E E N  P A R T Y !

 I was a little bummed that we attending without Samuel

(this semester he had class on Friday nights),

but let's face it,

I am never without company!

Tonight I, a motorcycle momma,

was escorted by my tough-guy side-kick, Gabriel,

a talented artiste (Isabella),

a blood-thirsty vampire (Ava),

Mulan (Iris),

and a rather timid pirate (Owen)!

We had a super-fun Halloween Party with the

Ramos, Lopez, & King families!

We feasted on Super-Nachos,

fresh fruit, caramel corn, & the like!

Taylor dominated Spooky Musical Chairs,

and the kids had a blast tricky-treating down

Spook Alley (a.k.a. our hallway!).

The Elmer family hosts an annual Halloween Party as well,

and part of that menu always features donuts!

Since Halloween fell on a Sunday this year,

instead of purchasing donuts,

I made them!

It was super-fun,

but very fast-paced,

and of course,

crazy-delicious-un-healthy!

Aunt Leah hosted this year,

and per prego tradition,

she was our pumpkin!

...

All in all,

when the holiday was finally over,

we were definately treated out!

It's time for some real food,

so with open arms we welcome...

T H A N K S G I V I V I N G !