Halloween 2016

This year is the first year our kids were able to get into trick-or-treating.
At ages two and three, they were STOKED about being able to dress up in special costumes (even if they weren't store bought) and getting as much candy as they could.

Girls after my own heart.

Now I've got some pictures to share but I just want it to be known that it is getting SO old that we still cannot share faces yet.
Their faces are the best part!
Little goofy smiles, apple cheeks, and shiney, smiling eyes.....
Just letting you know, you're missing out.
But soon.....very soon.....things will be changing.....

But back to it.

Thumb in mouth from the get-go

All three kids dressed up as care bears.

We went to a friend's baby shower a month ago which was care bear themed.

The girls LOVED it and have been into the cartoon ever since. 

I knew it would be so easy to whip up costumes from things they already had plus a couple inexpensive bits from a second hand shop.

The finishing touch was painting on heart shaped noses on their own noses. 

Sweetums usually led off with "Look at my nose!" at each house. 

Right after dinner, we started off walking around our neighborhood while it was still light out. 

Then we drove around to a couple friends' homes and ended with stopping by my mom's work to see her. 

By then, even though it was only a little after eight o'clock, our little baby bears were beginning to sugar crash from their steady stream of suckers and mm's. 

Pumpkin had wiped out before we even got to see my mom. 

It was time to wrap it up and head home.

Once everyone was tucked in, I took the opportunity to safety check the kids' booty and also maybe skim off my own commission (especially when it was in the form of a KitKat bar mmmmmm).

I loved seeing all my friends' kids on Instagram in their great costumes.

So fun.

I'm not going to get into what a Christian can or cannot do when it comes to Halloween. 

As Christians we are 100% free in Christ.

But not all things are God honoring or even beneficial to ourselves. 

Therefore, I believe what a family does in relation to Halloween is between the family and God. 

I read an article recently that helped me think about it anew.

Click here to read it.

And that's all I have to say about that. 

Costume Party

Yup. We went to a costume party.

We are part of a group of friends that love to dress up. 

Other then last year (click here) Adam has a record of dressing like mortal combat characters.
You're brother probably played played it in the 90's.
To list a few other guys costumes, there was: a knight, an 80's golfer, Mayhem, a large teddy bear, a creepy monk, a logger.....

I went as a pirate (with a real life sword!).
I was in good company with two other girly pirates.
There were two gray anatomy girls, a baby bump pumpkin, a cat, and rosie the riveter.

Halloweeeeeeen!

Happy Halloween to you!

Honestly, we don't do much to celebrate halloween around here.

But my instagram feed has been stuffed with pictures of our friends' children dressed up for trick or treating. and I love seeing them!

Good costumes right!?

I also  had some trick or treaters comes visit me at work last night. 

My nieces Ellie (aka ariel) and Addie (aka a plushy pumpkin) 

came and begged for treats from me. 

So fun!

 Adam and I have a costume party to go to at the end of the weekend.
For the moment, I've decided to be a pirate...... mainly because I already have everything for that.
Adam has no idea what he'll go as.
Any suggestions?

Costume Ideas

Adam and I are part of a young adults group at our church.
Every year we like to have a costume party and I love trying to come up with a new idea.

Last year.....

I went in sugar skull make up while my dear, sweet, 

level-headed husband went as Freddie Mercury from Queen.

His pants were so tight they ripped by the end of the night. 

Who knows what he'll pull off this year but here are some ideas for me....

Freida Kahlo...?

A boa-clad raven?

A bat using an umbrella for wings?

A too big for her house Alice?

Burglar, simple and pretty straight forward?

Pan Am flight attendant?

Or my favorite, Effie Trinket from the Hunger Games?

It's hard decision but I think I'm definitely leaning towards Effie.
May the odds be ever in her favor.

Happy Halloween, y'all

Hope you're having a happy Halloween. We have youth group tonight and I think we're having a fun night with food, flag football, and of course a bon fire (my hair is starting to permanently smell of camp fire). Should be super duper fun..... I think I might put together a simple costume. We'll see.

Hope you get lotsa candy!

Costumes favs

I saved some of my favorite costume ideas for this year. For some reason they all happen to be kids costumes, go figure. I think I could pull off being a gnome though....

The Kip one (with the Lafawnda sign) is towards the top of my list  of favorites..... soooooooooo funny

"Back porch talks" and the true meaning of Halloween

The night/day before Halloween was a sunday youth night so Adam just had a bon fire and we bought s'more stuff and hot chocolate.

We played vollyball, football, roasted marshmallows, jumped through fire, and talked about the origin of Halloween and what our response should be as Christians, as disciples.

The teens had a lot to say.

When we have long,deep talks like this we call them "backporch talks". 

And by the way, parents, your kids love you and they want a meaningful, appropriate relationship with you.  As in, they want you to be the parent and they want to be the kid. Either way they love you. And they're praying for you. Because they know you need Christ just like they do.

nom noms

Hey you ;)

Hi Amber and Josh

Vollyball? I think yes.

Jed's new truck. Pretty stinkin' pretty

Some of the girls (Morgan, Stephanie, Amber, Lexi, and Justus)

Josh jumping through/over a very large bon fire

This neighborhood cat is always hanging around. She's so fluffy and friendly :D

I think some of the teens have named is Sergovich....? ha

Adam's dad (Chris) talking with some of the girls. They were actually talking to him. They all have difficult relationships with their parents and they just gravitated to Chris. So awesome.

They need to form relationships with adults from the church.

They need more than just Adam and Kensie.

So close!

Right now I'm wasting time, waiting for my huzby to come home. Didn't get to see him yesterday :(

 It does happen pretty often though that he'll get home on a church night after I've fallen asleep. I can't tell you how many times he has come in, made some noise, and I've jumped out of my skin. Seriously. The nights I go to bed alone, I go to bed with my guard way up so when I hear him I just get terrified. Sometimes screaming happens. Like it did last night. oy. I feel really bad for Adam when that happens because I scare him back. Its also embarrassing. Sorry Adam.

So today I was looking at student worker job postings on the ISU website. As I have mantioned before I am not terribly happy with my job. Anyhow, I was looking and I saw a posting for a gallery assistant. OOOOOHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so excited. And the person doing the hiring is my painting teacher (who is really cool. She adopted her kids through foster. Not the only cool thing about her but I loved hearing that). So I emailed and asked her some questions I had about the position. The response I got was sucky. She said she was sorry, but that the postion had been filled. She did say that she would have loved to have me in that position though. Maybe something will come up again later. Now at least she knows I'm interested. :)

I was looking around on the internet the other night for some inspiration for a Halloween costume. I love these ideas

Sarah Palin

Velma

Comin Strip Lady (This is my fav)