Fall Events and Celebrations

Yesterday I told you about the sports and activities the kids were/are involved this fall.  Besides all of that fun, we kept busy with get-togethers and celebrations.  Ready?

Hunting ~

We always get together with Hubby's family and pheasant hunt (like years past, I made caramel rice krispie bars) over a long weekend.  This year was no exception.  The weather was beautiful, almost too hot one of the days and we had a great time.

Smiley's Birthday ~

Smiley turned 6 on the 21st of October.  I should really dedicate a post entirely to her since I missed doing that on her actual birthday.  But, for now let me just say that this little girl is a joy to call my daughter.  As I wrote on my Facebook page on her birthday: 

I cried when she turned 1, because that first year had gone so fast and now I am a little in shock as my baby turns 6! Slow down time, you are moving way too fast! Happy 6th birthday baby girl ~ you are talkative, amazing, creative, talkative, kind, caring and talkative (did I say that already?)

Smiley is into all things Frozen and that was the theme for her 6th birthday.  The night of her actual birthday, she had requested homemade pizza and jello ~ easy enough!  I also whipped up some cupcakes for dessert.  

The day of her party with friends came and with pinterest as a guide, I threw together this cute Frozen themed cake.  She invited 5 friends over and we spent 3 hours making crafts,  playing games, opening presents and of course eating cake and ice-cream.  I think she had a great party!

Hubby's and My 15th Anniversary ~

15 years of pure wedded bliss.......
Ok, so I might just be exaggerating a little here ;)  
Really though, marriage can be work ~ lots of give and take, compromise, selflessness, patience, love, forgiveness, respect and time.  If you want something to work well and flourish, you have to nurture it.  We've done just that in our marriage.  Yes, there are times either of us are frustrated with the other for things said, done or not done, but we talk it out.  We are a team ~ two person strong!

So, 15 years and life keeps getting better and better. Through all our ups and downs, laughter and tears, and everything in between we have had each other for all of it.  And I look forward to our future ~ together!

Halloween ~ 
Of course we had to carve a few pumpkins ~ one for each kiddo.  They were in charge of cleaning out their pumpkins, creating the design and helping to carve it (Smiley didn't carve hers ~ safety first!)

On Halloween night, Hubby and I dressed up like a couple of our favorite football players from our favorite team ~ The Pittsburgh Steelers

I dressed up as Troy Polamalu, Hubby dressed up like Brett Keisel aka "Da Beard".  Check out this picture of the two of them together.  I think we are a spitting image of the pair ~ well, maybe not, but we had fun! .  Oh and I totally should have been smiling in this picture! Troy ALWAYS smiles ~ I was too busy trying to act tough! 

The kids dressed up as well.  Smiley last minute (actually the day before halloween)  decided to be a pirate ~ she had been planning on dressing up like Elsa from the movie Frozen.  She even had a choice between two dresses the coronation gown or the ice castle gown, but decide a pirate was the way to go.

Action pulled out the green morph suit and afro wig he wore last year.  He just couldn't decide what he wanted to be and remembered all of the comments and reactions he received last year so he went with it again.

Sassy and a group of 6 friends decided to dress up as minions.  They painted the G symbol on their t-shirts, had white stocking hats spray painted yellow, a friend of hers made the goggles out of pvc pipe and with some jeans and black suspenders, they were set to go.  

The kids trick or treated at a couple of houses in our neighborhood before we went to meet up with friends. 

Unfortunately the night was called a bit early ~ 9:30 because Sassy wasn't feeling well and asked to go home.  The kids were able to attain a lot of candy and had fun with their friends!

Well, that pretty much wraps up the events and celebrations portion of fall thus far ~ next week, I'll show you some of the fun fall pics I took on another one of our annual "field trips" as well as more details on Smiley's Frozen birthday party.

Have a great weekend!

Halloween

Did you all have a good Halloween?

I know my kids had a blast.  Once we ate our traditional Halloween dinner, they had fun dressing up, showing off their costumes and of course wandering the neighborhood seeking out the house that handed out the best treats :)  Someone was actually handing out hand warmers.

(picture source)

  How practical!  Those will definitely come in handy this winter!

Anyway, the kids came up with their own ideas for costumes this year and I just let their creativity flow.

Here are the characters that ended up leaving our house on Halloween:

The Trading Continues.....

Halloween was 5 days ago, but the debating, bartering and trading continues in our house......

I remember doing this with my brother.  Do your kids get their trade on?

Happy Halloween

Halloween, the night when people become someone or something else.  When candy is handed out among neighbors and children are on the loose grinning with excitement and maybe a little sugar high. And neighborhoods are illuminated with the glow of jack o'lanterns.

For our jack o'lanterns, we begin at the pumpkin patch.  However, choosing the perfect pumpkins is last on the list of things to do.  There are so many activities to be had that the kids typically start in the corn pit.  Thats right, a big pit full of corn.  Who knew corn could be so fun!

Next stop, the corn maze.  There are always clues you need to find along the way.
This year we were on a mission to find a total of 9.

They also jumped on a huge inflatable "pillow", rode a train ride, climbed on a rope spider web, raced pedal cars and did some potato flinging. Then, they picked out the perfect pumpkins, which, in all the excitement I failed to take pictures of.

The next day, it was gutting and carving time.  The kids mostly gut their own pumpkins.  There was a little assistance needed with Action and Smiley.  And, I must note, this is the first year Action did not gag while gutting :)  Then, the kids draw out their desired designs on paper, transfer it to their pumpkin and hubby and I do the actual carving (Sassy did do some of her own this year).  For Smiley's pumpkin, she knew she wanted it to be a princess.  We first drew a tiara, then I drew out different options for eyes, nose and mouth and let her pick which ones she wanted.  Lucky for me she chose the easiest ones to cut out!

~ Voila ~

Masterpieces Completed

Happy Halloween!

We made it

Ahh.... Halloween is over.

We made it.

Hubby and I made it through a couple of adult parties

We made it to the corn maze (where Smiley thought we were hunting for pheasants) 

where besides the maze itself there is:

A Corn Pit

Pedal Car Racing

Pumpkin shaped bounce house

Cut outs

Potato Slinging

And also where we nabbed the perfect pumpkins.

To carve 

(Action has never liked the feel of "pumpkin guts", Smiley wasn't so sure at first, but by the end,
I couldn't get her out of the "guts" bowl!)

And enjoy

We made it through a spooky dinner consisting of:

Menu:

We made it through a night of

Princesses, gypsies, and "scary guys"

And enjoyed a little self induced sugar coma.

Did you all make it?