Halloween is finally OVER!

I must begin this post with the fact that I LOVE HALLOWEEN.  In the past, October 1st I had my bins of Decorations out & I was so excited to get everything set out & decorated.  I loved thinking about costumes, getting everything ready....all of it.  This year was different & with all of the Halloween events we participated in, I am exhausted & so happy for it to be over!

Tonight we went over to my brother Bobby's house so that we could trick or treat with Rachael & Daniel's cousins, Billy & Tommy.  We've gone with them the past few years & had a wonderful time.  The kids all ate dinner & got dressed in costumes.  We were out the door at 630pm as the sun was finally setting!  

The first picture is Daniel (TC Bear) waiting at the door for everyone else to get ready.  Poor guy was watching all the other kids walking around outside & he just wanted to get out there!  I was worried about him tiring quickly so thank God Bobby & Kelly had a wagon I could pull him in!

 I love this next picture, TC Bear, Penn State Cheerleader, Han Solo (Billy) & a Robot (Tommy)!!!  They were so excited to get going.

 This next picture is of a neighbor of my brother.  This man is 6'9" so he makes a perfect Frankenstein!  A few years back, he was standing & walked towards Rachael, dressed just like this.  She SCREAMED & ran away.  Literally every time we drive down my brother's street, she points out his house & talks about how scared she was of him.  Tonight, he was seated & Auntie Kelly took a picture with him, then Billy, then Tommy.  After a little convincing, Rachael sat next to him, but he put her on his leg.  I love this picture & she was very proud of herself for facing her fear.  She said he is so nice, nothing to be scared of!  

So Halloween is over....sigh.  Maybe next year will be more fun, but for now we can focus on my Mom's birthday next week & my parents actual 40th Anniversary!  Tommy's birthday is in a few weeks, my sister Becky & brother in-law NIck's first anniversary, Thanksgiving & then my 30th Birthday (scary!!!).  We have a busy & exciting November just ahead!  Tomorrow, back to school & our normal routine :)

Trick or Treating at Our Church & Spooky Jammies!

Today we went Trick or Treating at our church, St. John Neumann.  We had a wonderful time & the 10am start time was much better for us.  We were able to see some of Rachael's classmates & one of her teachers. 

I did not expect it to be so HUGE, but I guess the nice weather brought everyone out.  I had bought two big bags of Halloween mini Oreos & a bag of Halloween mini Pretzels....I also brought the huge bucket of candy we got last night ;)  Thank God I did, or Boppa would've run out of things to give out quickly!  He sat in the back of the van while we did the huge circle.   

As we went around the circle, some people said "Oh what a cute bear."  But when people would say "Oh Cute!  It's TC Bear!"  Daniel would put his hands on his tummy & say "I AM I Am!" and repeat it over & over.  He was so proud when they knew who he was.  It was really cute, and yes, he has certainly gotten the hang of this trick or treating thing!

Halloween Cuties!!!

This is only half of the cars there...
it was MUCH bigger than the other church!

Trying to get a cute shot of them in Jammies,
but Darby kept kissing Daniel!!!

Pink & Orange Spider Jammies

We are getting very excited to Trick or Treat tomorrow with Uncle Bobby, Auntie Kelly, and cousins Billy & Tommy.  We'll be going out in their neighborhood while Grandma & Boppa hand out the candy at their house.  We will have to get home early though since it's a school night.
We hope you all have a Happy & Safe Halloween!

Trick or Treating at Grandma & Boppa's Church!

Today we had a wonderful day.  We had some books on hold at the library, so we went to pick those up & a few others.  We had some time, so Daniel played with an abacus & Rachael sat in a HUGE beanbag chair & looked at books about dolphins.  Her future plans are to be a Paleontologist & a Dolphin Trainer during the day, & a Cheerleader at night.  Big Dreams!


Tonight we went to Grandma Rose Ann & Boppa Reuben's Church in Burnsville for some Trick or Treating! They had a lot of fun, although the 7pm start was a definite challenge for Daniel...he was TIRED!

TC Bear & Penn State Cheerleader (maybe it's in her future!)
Thanks Uncle Bob & Aunt Lynn for the PSU Outfit!

Daniel didn't love this big pumpkin & ghost thing!

Daniel LOVES the Cat in the Hat...look at his face!!!

Daniel,finally getting the hang of this Trick or Treating

So Cute & MUCH WARMER than the Lady Bug!

This is all the candy they have so far,
I am going to be broke after paying them for all of this candy!!!!

 Daniel got immediately into his jammies when we got home & crawled right into bed.  It took him a while to understand the whole Trick or Treating thing, but I think he had fun!  Rachael got a small bag of microwave popcorn that she got to have as a treat before bed, so she was happy.  


Tomorrow morning, trick or treating at our church with Rachael's class!  Ugh, MORE CANDY!

KellyKare Halloween Party!

Today at school, Rachael had black & orange day!  I thought she looked adorable, but her teachers weren't too happy with the hair bow....kept getting in her way when she was writing!  Ooops.

After school, we rushed home to get into costumes to go to the KellyKare Halloween Party.

The kids had so much fun at the KellyKare Party!  Kelly had lots of games planned, including sack races, bobbing for apples, pin the nose on the pumpkin, and a ghost pinata.  Rachael took part in most of the games, won some great prizes & brought home MORE candy!  Daniel hung close to the snack table and watched the big kids play!

                                           TC Bear....The MN Twins Mascot

                                                  Tommy J (cousin)

                                     Throwing Darts at the Balloons for prizes

                                              Rachael Pinning the Nose on the Pumpkin

                                                   Auntie Kelly & TC BEAR

                                  These are KellyKare Kids, former & current

We had a very fun afternoon.  It was nice to come home to Chili in the crock pot, jammies on early & then It's the great pumpkin Charlie Brown!  Tomorrow night, trick or treating at Grandma Rose Ann & Boppa Reuben's church!

Costume Parade

Today was Rachael's Halloween Costume Parade & Halloween party.  She was a beautiful lady bug!  All the kids loved her tutu dress & said she looked cute, so she was happy!  The bottom picture is her whole class.  Her best friends are right near her, Grady the Skunk, Emma the Butterfly & Maddie is Strawberry Shortcake!

Rachael came home with a ton of candy!  I've made a deal with her though....she saves all the candy she gets from all of the Halloween Events we're attending.  After Halloween, we will weigh it all out & she will get money for how much she gets!  This is a perfect way to not only avoid cavities & too much sugar, but I also don't have to search through everything for peanuts!  She's excited about it too!

Carving Pumpkins

Daniel's Baby Pumpkin

We Colored His Pumpkin Face

Monday Night, Grandpa helped Rachael carve pumpkins!  She has been super excited to do this, but it is too gross for mommy! She had a wonderful time getting her hands dirty & pulling out all the seeds!  Grandpa did the faces, for her after she drew them on paper.  She is so excited for Halloween now!

Today at school she had her Halloween Costume Parade, which I took pictures & video of...will post them tonight!

Picture Day at School

Today was picture day at school for Rachael. She was so excited & we had everything laid out days in advance so we didn't have a fiascal like last year! Last year, Rachael had to wear one of Daniel's turtle necks under her dress, which was WAY too small, because we couldn't find hers on the morning of! Not this year, she was bathed, dress, tights & boots laid on early this morning.

Daniel has a bad cold & is crabby. He woke up 5 times last night & can get out of his room now. No good! He opens the door & walks in to my room, or walks around the house! I heard him & would rock him, put him back in bed & minutes later, he'd be up again. He had some fun this morning staying in his pajamas watching tv. 

This past weekend was a fun one. My Uncle Bob & Aunt Lynn came to town for the Penn State - Minnesota football game. We were also able to celebrate Grandma Rose Ann & Boppa Reuben's 40th Wedding Anniversary!