Thanksgiving...or is it Christmas?

Well it may appear that we are jumping straight from Halloween to Christmas, but I promise you these pictures we actually taken on Thanksgiving!  We went to KC the day after Thanksgiving this year to celebrate with my family.  We went to Union Station to see the model train display and take in some of the seasonal decoration.  I didn't realize that meant it would be all decked out for Christmas already (or I probably would have dressed my family up for Christmas pictures!).  Anyway, it was a fun little outing and after Union Station we walked over to Crown Center for some lunch and a little light shopping.  So much to do and see in KC, I just hope we get it all in before my PARENTS MOVE BACK.

Halloween

Well, we have finally made it to Halloween night.  Same cute boys, same cute costumes.  This time with a few more added friends.  We stuck around the neighborhood, had chili at the neighbor's house and got way too much candy.  I can't lie, when we were walking the kids around it really was like a scene from a movie.  A million kids running back and forth in the street, parents trailing behind.  It was great.  Both boys are at a great age for Hallowen, old enough to understand the concept and run from house to house but not old enough to ditch us!  I know our years are numbered for this type of stuff and I am cherishing every moment.

Saint's Day

Apparently in a Catholic School you celebrate Saints Day.  I suppose one day I will get used to all of these "traditions" but this year I was ill prepared and was out shopping the day before.  Thankfully Nolan had picked Saint Benedict, Patron Saint of the Homeless (he's a keeper that Nolan).  A nobel Saint I am sure and that also meant that he wore nothing fancy...at all.  The ultimate outfit that I went with was an adult Monk costume that I cut to fit.  Fancy I know, don't be jealous.  I think the best part was his Nikes sticking out of the bottom of the costume.  The program was short and sweet.  The kids did a parade of the Saints and then they each had to introduce themselves.  It was pretty cute.

   

The Great Pumpkin Carving of 2015

What would Halloween be without some magnificent pumpkins on the front porch to show off Chad's the boy's amazing skills.  If by amazing skills I meant the ability to pick out their own templates this year, they ROCKED it.  Nolan picked a dragon (use your imagination because I forgot to take a picture) and Bennett picked a Power Ranger Pirate Mask (you still might need to use your imagination even though there is a picture).  Bennett thought it was pretty amazing though, he even laid down in front of it to admire it for a bit.  The boys still think the pumpkin guts are totally disgusting and it took a while for either of them to dive in.  Eventually they helped a little though so I was pretty proud.  I even dug in a little this year, a first for me I think, but not with the scooping of the guts.  I waited until it was time to do the carving and I put the little dots in the pumpkin for chad to then carve around.  Teamwork in this house I tell you what!

Trunk or Treat

This is the annual Trunk or Treat at Nolan's school.  We had AMAZING weather and the boys had an absolute blast (the adults might have had some fun too).  It's really fun to see Nolan interacting with his friends these days.  They are all boy and want pretty much nothing to do with the girls, but the girls seem to be pretty goggly eyed over the boys.  We were standing at our trunk getting it ready and a group of little girls came by and said "hiiiiiiiiii Nolan", in the flirtiest way a 6 year old can and it was adorable.  Nolan of course ignored them.   And so it begins.

This year I again let the boys pick whatever they wanted to be for Halloween (it's getting a little easier as the years go by, but it still pains me a little).  Nolan picked Messi (he's a soccer player...I didn't know either) and Bennett picked the Gold Power Ranger.  Both adorable if I do say so myself!

Pumpkin Patch X's Two

Since I am a LITTLE behind on my blogposts I thought I would go ahead and combine our two different trips to the Pumpkin Patch this year.  I also only took a couple of pictures at the first Pumpkin Patch (trying that whole don't be so annoying with the camera thing), so it only makes sense to combine the two trips!  We checked out two different patches this year, one with the just our family and one with Bennett's class.  Nolan happened to be off school the day of Bennett's field trip so he got to tag along as well.  I do love me a good trip to the Pumpkin Patch and both of these places had different things to offer so it was a win for everyone.  The funny thing is though we didn't buy pumpkins at either location.  I'm a sucker for a good Pumpkin Patch but it turns out I am not a sucker for their pumpkin prices!  Don't fret though, we got some pumpkins and carved them up just in time for Halloween night.

Magnolia Madness

Our subdivision social committee decided that we were going to take some of our annual dues to do a little winery trip.  Genius yes?  I mean who needs their roads plowed when there is wine that needs to be consumed?  Priorities people, priorities.  Anyway, the day we went turned out to be rather chilly but we bundled up and had a grand ole time.  I believe most of the men proceeded to drink their wine like it was a can of beer so many of them (ahem Chad) ended up on the couch and missed the after party.  Not this girl though, I was in it for the long haul.  I believe there is even a video of Steve and I doing the Whip and Nae Nae to prove it (that shall remain in a vault forever and ever).   Here's hoping we can make this an annual event, just remember to bring a shovel if you ever come to our house in the snow!