halloween happened

we did celebrate halloween. i just hadn't gotten around to downloading the photos. i've been too busy fighting an itch.

i know it's late but you know what they say.

this year i got all crazy and decided to make my own sugar cookies for the kids to frost. usually, i buy the pretty ones from the store. the ones already made and frosted. usually, i'm smarter than i was this year. i decided i dislike making sugar cookies for some number of reasons. i dislike using a sifter. i dislike powder sugar. i dislike my like for the taste of the cookie dough. i dislike the recipe i used. i dislike seeing how much butter was required.

the only thing that saved me from gaining five pounds worth of halloween cookies was the way they looked after the kids finished frosting them. brooklyn was very meticulous but didn't use nearly enough frosting and cayden's were way too detailed. he used way too much decorative gel. of course i didn't tell them this ... i was just secretly really happy they are inexperienced frosting spreaders.

only mine were pretty and i shared them with the neighbor who let me borrow her cookie cutters and we doorbell ditched jon and natalie with a few too. the kids thought this was the greatest part of the evening; ringing a doorbell and running away. i wasn't thinking clearly when i suggested the idea.

after the cookies we carved pumpkins which should have been saved for a night of it's own. holy cow, what a mess! they turned out great. we take great pride in our pumpkin carving abilities. i just look forward to the time when the kids dare to gut their own pumpkins and when they can work well enough with a knife on their own. jake and i enjoy carving pumpkins but only one a year. i had to gut his while he was carving gav's and carve brooklyn's while he helped cayd and then we had our own to do and they have to outshine the rest. it was exhausting!



the night before halloween we took the kids to the carnival at grandma linda's school. they love it. we love it too ... we get to leave them there!


the only reason i post this less than flattering photo of me is to show off my new jacket that i love and got for a steal at nordstrom rack. remember i wanted a black jacket? now i need to find some black skinny jeans. i'm not digging the blue denim.


on halloween we did as we always do. i made wassail and tried out melissa's recipe for pumpkin bars (yum btw). jake doesn't like pumpkin so i spent way too long making peanut butter cookies that were still "not as good as my moms." linda, i need your recipe so i can make my husband the kind of peanut butter cookies he deserves.

my mom brought her famous chili and after enjoying a bowl, we took the kids trick or treating with jon and nat. it was my first time taking my kids trick or treating, i usually stay behind and hand out candy (thanks mom) and i'm so glad i went. watching gavin experience and appreciate trick or treating for the first time was great. next year he'll have a little cousin to go with him. i haven't told you this, it's not my news to share but eventually (come april), natalie will make herself a mommy and jon a daddy and we're really excited about this. maybe their baby will take the edge off of my itch? i hope so.

the kids went as jabba fet (cayd), who i always want to call "java fet" because it is a way cooler name, barbie the cheerleader and a spider. first gavin was a chicken but it was too small. then the hall family sent us their buzz costume but it was way too big (can i keep it for next year samira?) so we settled on an old spider costume we had from cayden. he was cute. of course.





the last photo is great. brooklyn handing out candy in her jammies and natalie's boots. nerd.