FALL-tastic!

After a few weeks of cold, rainy, dreary days we’ve now entered one of my favorite seasons:  Fall in Texas.  The nights are cool enough to open up the windows and not run the AC, and the days are sunny and perfect for playing outside without a jacket!  What a blessing to live where we do.

It’s a FALL-tastic day to go for a walk at the park! Twice a week Juliet and I head out with other mommies and little ones and walk a few miles.  She loves to be outside riding in the stroller.  And I love that I get a good workout while getting to spend time with sweet ladies!

It’s a FALL-tastic time to carve pumpkins. We’ve never done this with the kids before (we’ve painted them in the past.)  In fact, I think the last time I’d actually carved a pumpkin was back in the dorm at SBU!  This was sooo much fun.

Aidan, believe it or not, was the one that didn’t like the icky-ness of the guts.  The girls, especially Rae, LOVED getting out the goo.

We saved our pumpkin seeds and roasted them the next day.  They were Yummy!

The next night, the kids took turns designing Mr. Jack.

And Daddy carved him up.

And here’s the finished product!

It’s a FALL-tastic time for a class party! Aidan and his classmates got to trick-or-treat around the school and then eat a little feast.

It’s a FALL-tastic time to invite the neighbors of CityView to our first ever Fall Festival! We had a terrific turnout!  We had games, trunk-or-treat, bounce houses and popcorn and hot drinks.  Here we are enjoying the hayride around the property.

Rae was a bride for the occasion, wearing Mommy’s veil from o-so-long-ago.  The halo?  She always has that!  I was Judge Judy, and Juliet was our little bug!  (This is the same costume that Rae and AB also wore.  But Juliet is the only one who would keep the hood on!)

A muddy Luke Skywalker

And it’s a FALL-tastic time to get to tell our own neighbors about our church by once again having a bounce-house (or slide in this case) in our front lawn on Halloween night.

Raegan and I made her Jack-o-lantern costume and stuffed her full of balloons.  Unfortunately, we had a costume incident, so by the time we’d trick-or-treated half-way around the block all her balloons had leaked out!  (photo evidence is below!!)

Cowgirl!

The M&M was also a home-made costume!

Taking some time to slide while there aren’t any big kids around!

Rick’s makes AMAZING hot chocolate (he learned how from a Starbucks barista).  Several of the neighbors remembered the hot chocolate from last year and specifically asked for it!

We trick-or-treated with the Bassett girls — or should I say, a little cupcake and princess?  (Thanks Ang for the pictures!)

And although AnnaBeth’s candy was stolen by a teenage boy, my other kids stepped up and shared theirs.  Believe me, even now we still have plenty!

The verdict is in:  We Love FALL!