Boo to You

Halloween definitely snuck up me this year. Jillian originally wanted to be Elsa, you know like every other little girl in the world, but because of her cast (and not knowing if it would off in time) we settled on Anna. Aaron wanted to be "an Army guy." Daddy supplied the artillery that I may hide.

Scott and I also dressed up, too. Scott went the easy route and put on his umpire gear. I dressed up as Holly Golightly and nobody got it. Sigh...

A lot of the houses in our neighborhood seemed to be anti-Halloween this year. We walked the entire neighborhood and I'm pretty sure only a quarter of the neighborhood handed out candy. The kiddos had a great time though and I'm secretly happy we didn't end up with a ton of candy. I mean, a girl can only eat so many Butterfingers.

I hope you had a great Halloween and loaded up on your favorite candy!

Trick or...Are We Done Yet?!

Ah, Halloween...it is not my favorite holiday, but I do enjoy dressing up my kids and eating 75% of their candy (it's called the candy tax people).

Last night we were apparently the first trick-or-treaters out in the neighborhood. We do not have a set time, just that known rule that when dinner is over and it's dusk-like, you start trick-or-treating.

Jill wanted to wear her kitty mask with her Ariel costume and Aaron was rocking his fireman outfit.

Our first stop was our wonderful neighbors who dumped more candy into their buckets than was necessary. Jillian not so politely turned down the candy thought because "I don't like chocolate." By the third time she said this we had a heart-to-heart conversation at the end of a driveway about manners.

Anyway...

My kiddos were total grouches this year. I don't know why. Aaron was over it by the fourth house and Jillian was all "I don't like chocolate" and I was all like "You don't turn down a Butterfinger!"

By the seventh or eighth house I was carrying a red wig and a fireman helmet. We were going to power through this if it killed me.

We did the small loop in our neighborhood and then worked our way home. It was the longest 40 minutes of my life, but reaped some amazing rewards.

I don't know if it was the fact that they were in school all day or what, but they just were not feeling Halloween this year. Better luck next year, I guess? I sure hope so...how else am I supposed to get all of those Butterfingers?

Oh, and on a side note, my husband posted a photo of my "cowgirl butt" on Facebook that not only sparked a conversation but ended up being a topic of discussion during the drill he ran this morning. It's like the Orlando Heart Walk all over again.

Thanksgiving Thursday

For those of you that don't know what Thanksgiving Thursday is, it is the one time during the week where you stop and basically count your blessings. Even if you've had one of those weeks, I promise you can find at least one thing to be thankful for, no matter how big or small.

This week I am thankful for:

• Scott handling both doctors appointments for the "diseases" that we had while I Lysoled every inch of our house.

• Aaron who is such a trooper.

• Jillian who has smiled the entire time her eye has been swollen.

• Family that is really supportive.

• Halloween and all of the people that hand out Butterfingers, Kit Kats and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I love you. 

• Texts with Leann throughout the day. 

• The cooler weather, it's wonderful for running.

• A running buddy that makes me laugh to the point that I have to stop running.

• Having the ability to make someones day.

• Butterfingers. I know I already mentioned them, but they're really delicious.

What are you thankful for this week?

Halloween 2012

Better late than never on this post, right? We debated going trick or treating on Wednesday, the kiddos hadn't been feeling all that well and it was cold. We decided to just walk to the end of the block and head home, that way they could participate and I could get more Butterfingers. It's all about priorities people.

It should be noted that this was the first year I planned for it to be hotter than the fiery pits of hell and that backfired in true Murphy's Law fashion. Thankfully, Jill still fits into her tights from last year and both kids could fit long sleeve shirts underneath their costumes.

I would like to take this time to thank my neighborhood for handing out the good candy, like Butterfingers, Kit Kats and Reese's. Also, everyone handed out candy in bulk because nobody really wanted to hang out in the cold. I appreciate that and I'm sure our dentists will as well.

I hope everyone had a great and safe Halloween!

Way Back When-esday: Halloween 2011

Dateline: Halloween 2011

Age: 3.5

With Halloween next week, I thought it would be cute to revisit last Halloween. How cute are my pirate and Snow White? 

Play along with Cheryl at Twinfatuation!

But you have to...

Last night we went trick or treating with our friend Jenn and her son. We had so much fun and I am so thankful Captain America was there to keep us safe on our journey!


Today my parents got into town and the kiddos were beyond excited to see them. We happened to get to their hotel the same time they did, so my parents got the biggest, loudest welcome of everyone on the bus.

After lunch we went to Magic Kingdom to hang out for a little bit. Before we got there Aaron was telling Dzia Dzio that we had to ride the tram and monorail before we could go to the park and Dzia Dzio said "No, we're not going to take them." to which Aaron replied, "No Dzia Dzio, you have to. You have to."

We didn't spend a lot of time there, but we were able to ride the train, meet some characters and watch the parade.
We cannot wait to spend the rest of the week with my parents! Hope you all are having a fabulous week as well!

Trunk or Treat!

Yesterday was Trunk or Treat at our church. This year is the first year that we've ever done it, and it was really cute. They had activities for the kiddos inside, and of course all of the decorated cars (and candy) outside.


It took the kiddos a little while to warm up to what was going on, but then they made their way around to all of the cars before settling in our friends car. Jill may or may not have helped herself to their candy while she was sitting in their hatch.

The kiddos are really looking forward to tonight and I'm really hoping the rain stops so we can still go trick or treating. Happy Halloween everyone!

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

Thursday we took the kiddos to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. This is something we have done with them every year, and I love the tradition. This was really the first year we did any trick or treating while we were there, so we already have a nice stash of candy for ourselves...I mean the kids already have some candy.

This year the kids are Snow White and a Pirate. Aaron only wore the hat for this photo, I wish he would have kept it on because seriously he was so adorable. Jill surprisingly kept the headband on the whole night.I know I'm a little biased, but seriously how cute are they?! We actually got to the party fairly early, which was a first. We were able to do a few rides before the party actually started and then we headed over to see our friend Jane. Jill was beside herself because Jane remembered that she was Alice last year. Someday I will have to explain to the kids that no it is not normal for the Disney characters to know your name or what you were for Halloween last year.

We had so much fun this year because the kids are even more into it than before. We let them pick all of the rides that we went on, which translates to every ride in Fantasyland. I'm already looking forward to going with them next year!

SITS Halloween Party Day 3!

Today's theme is a Halloween Parade. Everyone is linking up their Trick or Treat photos today, so here are mine:
We took them Trick or Treating last year, but I don't think they grasped the concept. This year was completely different and they loved it! Jill also may or may not have tried to go inside every single house. Maybe she thought there was better candy inside?

Also to my surprise as we were walking around with my friend Jenn in her neighborhood we knocked on the door of Joscelyn of Mami of Multiples! I know her through the local twins club but was surprised to be knocking on her door. To make the world even smaller, her son is friends with my friend Jenn's son. Cue the chorus of It's a Small World! It was a wonderful surprise to see her last night!

Be sure to stop by SITS today to see all the adorable costumes!

SITS Halloween Party Day 1!

I'm playing along with the SITS Girls this weekend and doing posts about all things Halloween. Today is all about your favorite Halloween memory.

When my parents came down for the kiddos birthday they brought a whole bunch of old photos that my grandparents had of me and this gem was in there:


That had to be from my second Halloween, so I'm probably 1 1/2ish? There was also this one:


I'm thinking this is my third Halloween so 2 1/2 ish? I also think the fact that I was dressed as a clown twice is why I have a fear of them. Just sayin'....

Moving along to the witch phase:


My MOM wanted me to post this. She apparently thinks this photo is hilarious. Can I just say I had no idea witches had orange faces? I thought they were green...

That's all I have from my photo collection, I mean I have the ones from college, but uh, yeah we'll skip those.

Now here are my favorite Halloween memories:


Aren't they adorable?! I love being able to relive Halloween through the kids!

Be sure to head over to SITS to play along in the Halloween party for your chance to win a Canon Rebel Ti2!

Way back When-esday: Ghosts of Halloweens Past

Dateline: Halloween 2008 & 2009

They really don't look happy in either photo do they? Their first Halloween I wanted Jill to be a banana and Aaron to be a monkey but I couldn't find a monkey outfit to fit him. So I settled for two bananas. Their second Halloween they were Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. I thought they looked adorable!

Be sure to play along with Cheryl at Twinfatuation!

Multiples and More Question of the Week

What is your policy on giving kids candy? What age do you think it is appropriate?
And.. be honest.. do you eat your kids Halloween candy?:)

I, personally, have not given my kids candy yet. I still think they are a little young, but that is just me. I just have the mentality that I want my kids to eat better than Scott and I did as kids, so I want to prolong the junk as long as possible. I'm not sure what age I think is appropriate for candy, I think it's your own personal choice and what you feel comfortable with.

And do I eat their candy??? You betcha! Those M&M's they got will be topping some ice cream tonight!!!

Play along at Multiples and More!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope everyone had a safe and fun night and got a ton of candy!

This afternoon our friend Jenn stopped by with the boys so we could see everyone in their costumes. Jenn even brought over ghost sugar cookies for us! Here's a photo of Logan, Aaron and Jill:

After Jenn stopped by we went up to see Mimi and PawPaw and then headed out to Celebration to meet up with the Adams and Lyons families (April's whole family was dressed as M&M's and Lani's kids were Maryann, the Skipper and Gilligan). Everyone was so cute! It was CRAZY over there! They had streets blocked off, police directing traffic, you name it! All the stores were handing out candy and a lot of the homes had elaborate decorations, it was really neat! Here are some photos from our night:


Hope your night was just as great!!!

Way back When-esday : First Halloween

Dateline: October 31, 2008
Age: almost 6 months

How cute are they?! Oh my gosh I cannot believe a)they are both in a photo together b)they are sitting still and c)they are actually smiling in a photo! I didn't really dress them up last year, we had banana costumes but they were just way too hot. I thought these were cuter, the shirt says "This is my Halloween costume". It even was glow in the dark, not that I checked. I cannot wait to post more photos from this Halloween! Stay tuned!

Play along with Cheryl at Twinfatuation!

Multiples and More Question of the Week

This week's question is:

What is your favorite thing about Halloween?

I'm going to stick with my original answer on this, it's the candy. Nothing preps you better for the gluttony that is the holiday season than Halloween. Halloween is like the appetizer course at a restaurant, it just gets you started. Thanksgiving, naturally, is the main course. After Thanksgiving you feel like you're going to explode and then BAM Christmas and all those delicious cookies and deserts. New Years is like the car ride home from the restaurant where you're cursing yourself for eating so much and that you'll never do it again. But back to the question....

I love the assortment of Halloween candy and the fact that you can buy a 5lb bag for next to nothing, I mean that's why we all have a Sam's Club/Costco/BJ's membership, right? Normally I have a Stitch candy jar filled with either Reese's Pieces or Halloween M&M's, but I didn't put it out this year, bummer.

I'm also a firm believer in the fistful of candy when you trick or treat, not the lame here's two-pieces-move-along-kid. I know when I was a kid those were the coolest houses, especially if they had Snickers, Butterfingers or any of the other really good candies. As a side note to people who give out the orange circus peanuts, keep 'em, kids don't want them, I promise.

So what's your favorite thing about Halloween? Head over to Multiples and More and let us know!