Halloween Trick or Treating!

This Halloween was a new experience for us as a family. This was the first year that Ben has wanted to wear a costume for Halloween. If you have followed Ben's story with us for awhile, you know that Ben has had a phobia of costumes; in the past he hasn't liked anyone to wear them and he has never wanted to wear a costume either. BUT this year, I asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween---and he said a "dinosaur"!! I was excited about the potential that he would wear a costume, so we looked online and found a costume that would be perfect for him. Wearing a costume is a very big step for Ben, and Randy and I were so proud of him. So, here are our sweet boys dressed and ready to go Trick or Treating!

Ben, as a Dinosaur
Logan, as Buzz Lightyear We packed them into the wagon and started walking down the street for some treats!

At our first house...Ben was a little shy to say "Trick or Treat" very loud, but as we went along he started feeling more comfortable.

This is the best side-shot of Ben; can you see the dinosaur tail behind him and the dinosaur feet on top of his shoes? :-)

We went to Ben's "buddy" Colonel Green across the street...

...and he surprised Ben with his own costume: a baseball hat with a wig underneath! He looked like someone out of Wayne's World movie, and Ben just wasn't too sure about his "buddy" in a costume. He told me as we were walking away that "Colonel was so weird dressed up as a rockstar!"

Cutest Buzz Lightyear you've ever seen!

Of course we stopped at Mimi and Gran's for some yummy treats too!

And at the end of our trick or treating, the kids dumped out their pumpkin baskets and started counting their loot. Look at the excitement on their faces!

We hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween!

Logan's 2nd Birthday Party

We celebrated Logan's birthday yesterday, October 30th, with a pumpkin painting birthday party at home. The weather was gorgeous and absolutely perfect for an outdoor birthday party.

This was the first year that I made the birthday cake/cupcakes for my kids. (I'm almost embarressed to admit that, but I have always opted for professionally decorated cakes because I didn't think I could make the cake taste as good, or look as cute.) But!, I am proud to say that Logan's cupcakes turned out really cute! Maybe I will try this for Ben's birthday in December too... ;-) Logan's cute cupcakes! (I found the cute cupcake toppers on Etsy; they were personalized for him; and very reasonably priced! I am a new-found Etsy lover!)

Logan's party was over lunch; so we set up a nacho bar! Everyone seemed to love the idea and there weren't many left-overs!

The pumpkin painting tables...

A cute bat balloon...

The pumpkin painting was a hit! The kids really had fun decorating their pumpkins to take home.

The littlest of the party, Logan and his friend Piper, getting some assistance from their Daddies with their painting.

Logan, working really hard at making a "masterpiece".

Ben was very proud of his painted pumpkin!

The kids had lots of playtime...on the trampoline...

...and on the swings.

The Moake boys their pretty mama, Tiffany.

Ben and Logan, searching for fossils...

Me, with Carly Reed. Carly is the daughter of my very good friend Jaime. She was decked out in her Halloween outfit with matching bow---adorable!

We all sang "Happy Birthday" to Logan and he loved blowing out his candle!

After eating cake and ice cream, we all went back outside so Logan could open his presents. He didn't need much help opening them this year! He knew what to do!

We appreciate everyone coming out and helping us celebrate Logan's 2nd birthday! It is always so nice to have good friends and family join around us for special celebrations. Randy and I can hardly believe our "baby" is 2 years old! I never truly understood or appreciated the old saying that "time flies when you're having fun", until I had children. And now sometimes, I wish time would just slow down a little bit, because our babies are growing up so fast...

It's Official!

Well, it's official! I am a Northeast ISD employee! I sat through employee orientation today---wow, was that boring; haven't had to sit through an orientation for nearly 6 years! And boy, do they waste a LOT of paper for that orientation! I report to work on Monday, November 1st---Logan's 2nd birthday. I'll let you know how it goes. :-)

Smores in a Jar

I found this simple, cute, and cheap Halloween gift idea for the boys preschool teachers and decided I couldn't pass up the opportunity! In total, each jar cost less than $4.00 to make and they turned out really cute! If you'd would like to know just how easy these "Smores in a Jar" are to make---let me know! I'd love to pass on the recipe. :-)

Sunday Funday

The boys are really into hunting for dinosaurs in the backyard. They will perch themselves in trees, their playhouse and run around to find the perfect hunting spot. In this particular photo, I think they were hunting a pack of Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Fishing with Daddy

Recently when I was in Colorado, Randy took the kids to the coast for a weekend of fun and fishing. Both of the boys are really enjoying fishing and get very excited about going to Port O'Connor!

Here is Logan: he's got his fishing hat on, snacks in both arms(Pringles)---he's ready to fish!
Ben and his Daddy with one of his catches of the day.

Upon returning home, Mimi had lunch ready and the boys enjoyed a picnic lunch on the porch.

A cheesy picture of the boys, just hanging out on the porch.

Pumpkin Patch Kids

A couple of weekends ago, the Hoods and the Crippens traveled out to Medina, Texas to visit the Love Creek Orchards Pumpkin Patch. It was a very fun place for all the kids, with a lot of activities. There was a hay maze....can you see Ben? :-)

Bean bag toss games...

Cut-out picture opportunities...

Horseback riding... (Yes, Ben's horse decided to stop and take a whiz! He thought that was sooo funny!)

Logan was a natural, and really enjoyed his ride.

My cute cowboy.

We took a hayride around the orchard...

Fed and pet some animals at the petting zoo...

And then we stuffed all of our (very big) children into one barrel on the tractor train ride---we were all kind of shocked they all fit together!

...and they loved the ride!

We hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween!