This is Halloween, this is Halloween...

Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! That was the song Karoline would sing all through the month of October. Her hands up by her face, trying to be scary, but looking too cute! We had so much fun this year with Karoline that much older to really appreciate the holiday. The twins started the countdown in September so it was a good thing we had plenty of activities to keep them busy until the big day...

Cornbelly's:

 Gardner Village:

Picking Pumpkins:
I love our traditional trip to Peterson Farms to pick our pumpkins. It's a fabulous little farm just down the street from us and the kids know it well. They have animals to pet, wagon rides, and plenty of haystacks for the kids to climb. Our search for the perfect pumpkins was easy (and unseasonably warm!) and we sure got some beauties this year...
My little pumpkin with her pick:

 On the tractor she goes (with a steering wheel bigger than she is!)...

 Roman chucking the hay from the top of the haystack-this kid is always going!

 A few days later, we carved or pumpkins with my family. The kids really got into it this year and weren't so afraid of the pumpkin guts...

A cat for Capri, a monster for Roman, and a plain pumpkin (with a towel over it to make it look like a ghost-thank you my creative daughter!) for Karoline!

Friends Halloween Party:
Our friends decided we needed to have a Halloween Party. Our kids love being together, really can't get enough of each other, and neither can us adults! So why not plan a fun party complete with comforting soups, crispy salads, rolls and breadsticks. We ate and ate, played and played, talked and talked. Once we got dinner cleared up, the kids went to town decorating cookies. Sprinkles, candy corn, pumpkins, and loads of frosting-it was everywhere, but the kids loved creating their masterpieces. Capri didn't even want to eat hers, she just wanted to make it as beautiful as possible...and full of candy! I was so busy playing Hostess (I had 6 families to my house including 15 kids ages 7 and under!) that I didn't get any great pictures, but here are a few I took with my phone...
Capri and her two besties, Kallie Guymon and Erika Bond. FYI, the kids were supposed to come in costume, but Capri was done wearing her cat costume (too many Halloween festivities!) so she put this thing on...turning tomboy??

Roman didn't even try to dress up! Here he is with Sam Ross and Bolton Dickman-love these boys!

Karoline wearing her own ensemble found in the dress-ups. Love it. She was as happy as can be playing with her "cousins," or so she calls them, Zoey Phillips and Sara Ross.

Running Scared 5k:

Cheri and Cody's racing company put on a Halloween running race fit for the whole family. Tucker, Jon and I ran the 5k and had a great time. We helped with chip stripping and medals after we finished and it was fun being apart of the event. Richard and Elizabeth helped out even more with Richard running the time machine and Elizabeth acting as the event photographer. She got this pic of us three runners right before the race...

And here we are right after we finished!

Halloween at Ballet:

Karoline got to wear her costume to ballet a few days before the big day. There really isn't anything cuter than a bunch of 2 year-olds dancing in their costumes. Nothing! It was hard to capture a shot where she wasn't moving around, so this was the best I got!

She was having so much fun!

School Parade:
When I think back to my elementary years, the Halloween parties and parades were at the top of my favorites list. Thank goodness they are still around for my kids to enjoy!
Here is Capri rounding the corner so excited to show off her costume!

Roman was in full character already, totally pulling out the ninja moves as he paraded around!

And here are the three amigos. I can't believe I am so lucky to have the cutest kids on the block!

Halloween Night:
Every year I have my family and Tuckers parents over for dinner and trick-or-treating. We fill up on yummy soup or chili and rolls before heading out for all the sugar. It could not be better for my kids than to have such a fan group following them around collecting candy!
Ready to go!

Karoline was a hoot this year! She didn't hold back when going in for the candy, but she always said thank you or Happy Halloween out loud for all to hear. She loved seeing all of our friends along the way too. That's the great thing about our neighborhood-everyone sees everyone throughout the night and it becomes quite the social event!
Capri's favorite part of the night is passing out candy once we get home. She sits at the front door or on the porch, we wrap her up in blankets once it gets cold, and she passes out candy to the trick-or-treaters. She was especially cute this year and telling the kids how much she loved their costumes. Love her!

Whew! And that wraps up our fabulous Halloween month of parties, traditions, and other festivities-our best year yet!