Happy Halloween!!

We had a great Halloween with our Spidermen and stranded New Yorkers.

Our family picture:
 

We tried to get a picture of our yankee refugees, and this was the craziness we got:
 

Trying to be patient:
 

Deb picked up these hats to wear in NYC for Halloween, but we got some good use out of them here:
 

Firing up the fire pit:
 

Trick or Treat!
  

Relaxing with milk by the fire after a long night of trick or treating:
 

Storm Watch

Two of our friends who were in town from NYC for the weekend had their flights cancelled Sunday, so they were stranded with us.  We made s'mores and watched Sandy roll over their city:
 

Halloween Party

Grant helped get my costume ready:

 

 
 

We attended our friends' awesome annual Halloween party this year with a Grant-selected "Spiderman" theme.  He originally wanted us all to be the same, but we were able to negotiate "Venom" for Daddy and a spider web for me. 

 

And we even brought a spider dip:

 

Our group has done some growing the last few years:

 

 

In fact, we've gotten so big that the party moved outside and added a bounce house:

 

 

Grant loved taking care of his girl Charlie and making sure she got up the slide:

 

 

Pumpkin Morning

We had a fun, fall family morning complete with pumpkin carving, spider web dancing, pumpkin seeds, and a first for us (thanks to Young House Love): pumpkin mod podging.
 

 

When the pumpkin goo came out, the shirts went off...
 

 

 

 

 

 

Who knew Daddy was such an artist?!
 

 

 

Sidelights Solved

Since we moved into this house, I've never figured out what to do with our sidelights, so we've left them alone, until now, thanks to this Artful Parent blog post.  Leaves + contact paper = the perfect inexpensive solution for privacy and light.  I'm hoping the leaves will last through Thanksgiving, and then we can redo it with something Christmas-y.
 

 

 

Return to the Gourd

Hayes and I enjoyed our trip to Green Level Gourd Farm so much that we wanted Grant & Daddy to experience the magic for themselves, so we went back with them.  Grant loved it and has been asking to return, so perhaps we have a third trip in our future...

 

 

 

 

 

Grant's first pony ride:

This homemade hockey-skeeball game was a favorite of the boys...maybe Santa will have to figure out how to make one for them...

  

 

 

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Friday was Daddy's big birthday.  He had to work, but he got out a little early for a food truck dinner at Fullsteam.  Since that usually wears the kids out, we decided to do cake and presents before dinner.  Now that we are a peanut-free house, Grant and I tried out a new recipe and made a snickerdoodle cake with cinnamon buttercream icing:
 

Singing "Happy Birthday":
 

Grant helped with the candles:

Pre-dinner presents & cake: