The fun started on Friday morning...we invited all of our friends to the house for "Pumpkin Carving with Colin". Everyone brought their own pumpkins and we had a book of templates and a couple of carving sets to choose from. I set up a big blanket in the backyard to sit on, which was not enough room! Next year, I will attempt to spread out a bit better! :-) I made cupcakes with orange frosting, little goodie bags for all the boys, and a very spooky "Snake" for lunch, which was basically snake shaped pizza. The only hiccup was that the snake did not make near enough food! I think I will keep the snake tradition, but make at least 3 next time! The kids all seemed to love it and I was so glad that everyone had fun. Colin thinks that his friends coming over is just about the greatest thing ever, so he was beside himself for the fun to begin. Eren brought Halloween Bingo for the kids to play and they thought that was the coolest. It was especially funny when Eren told them that they couldn't eat the candy corn place holders until after the game. It was like watching a group of puppies being told to wait for their treats! Once the game was over, they all dove right in. I still can't believe it, but we even managed to get ALL the kids to line up by the fence with their pumpkins for a photo-op. What a perfect day! I am pretty proud of our "owl" pumpkin, although in all honesty, the template was a cat. HA! I carved another one later in the afternoon with ghosts and they looked great on the porch all lit up. Here are some of the cute pictures:
My pepperoni pizza snake! He turned out a little on the fat side. ;-)
Colin, Jack and little man Jett sitting at the picnic table.
Some of the pumpkin carving action. Some of the boys loved it...some were inside the house tearing up the playroom. ;-) Hannah floated back and forth between the backyard and the house making sure they didn't set anything on fire. LOL!
I love Jack's serious look of concentration while playing bingo. :-)
Halloween Bingo was a big hit! I really need more chairs...and more tables...and a bigger house. ;-)
Colin, Jake, Ryan, Pierce, Hayden, Jack, Brooke, Greyson and Hannah!
Colin and his owl/cat work of art! ;-)
I quickly picked up the house after the playdate and got ready for the arrival of my wonderful mother, who drove from Tyler to spend the night. She came to keep Colin so that we could go to Heather and Eric's annual "Adults Only" Halloween party. We missed it last year due to babysitting issues, and after hearing stories about it all year, I was VERY excited to attend! I dressed as "Charlie" from Top Gun...except brunette and scantily clad. HA! I forced my husband to wear his real Navy bomber jacket and be my Maverick. He looked super hot, even though he was rather embarrassed. ;-) I was rocking a skirt that was far too short, fishnets and high heeled black boots (which had to be literally dusted off from the back recesses of my closet). It felt surprisingly invigorating to be slightly naughty and grown-up and it was cool to feel like a young couple out for a good party!
The party was literally EVERYTHING that I hoped it would be. We had one of the best times EVER. Heather and Eric are amazing hosts and all the food and decorations were awesome! Eric is known for his specialty drinks that he serves at every event and this occasion did not disappoint! Most of his concoctions were served in neon plastic shot tubes, which was hysterical! We were partying like rock stars! :-) The costumes were absolutely outrageous and my face hurt from laughing all night! I had almost totally lost my voice by the time we got home...it was a great night! I have about 100 pictures of the shenanigans, but was sworn not to post them online. The guys were all too much! Here are a couple of shots of the girls...approved for Internet use. I cannot say enough how very much I love these people!!!
The party was literally EVERYTHING that I hoped it would be. We had one of the best times EVER. Heather and Eric are amazing hosts and all the food and decorations were awesome! Eric is known for his specialty drinks that he serves at every event and this occasion did not disappoint! Most of his concoctions were served in neon plastic shot tubes, which was hysterical! We were partying like rock stars! :-) The costumes were absolutely outrageous and my face hurt from laughing all night! I had almost totally lost my voice by the time we got home...it was a great night! I have about 100 pictures of the shenanigans, but was sworn not to post them online. The guys were all too much! Here are a couple of shots of the girls...approved for Internet use. I cannot say enough how very much I love these people!!!Top row, Hannah (the ninja), Eren (Disco Girl), Kayrene (trailer park mom and most hilarious ever). Second row, me, Kimberly (a beautiful pumpkin with her actual preggers belly painted...her husband was "Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater!), Lindsey (the basketball, her husband was a Harlem Globetrotter), Shelly (as basically herself...LOL!) and Heather (the pirate!)
Hannah, Kimberly, Shelly and I...acting like we were 21 years old. :-)
I have so many more awesome shots, but I really need express written consent before I post them. ;-)
Hannah, Kimberly, Shelly and I...acting like we were 21 years old. :-)
I have so many more awesome shots, but I really need express written consent before I post them. ;-) On Saturday, we took my mom for a fantastic lunch on the patio at Joe T. Garcia's in Fort Worth and had the best time. I was SO tired from staying up until 1am (in my world that might as well be an all-nighter), but the food and company was so worth it. We took it easy that night and skipped the trunk-or-treat at church. There were estimated to be 1,000 people coming and I knew Colin wouldn't go for it. At long last, we woke up on Sunday to official Halloween! It was a beautiful sunny day with highs in the 80's and we met up with the Roberts family at the Fort Worth Alliance Air Show. This year we remembered head phones for Colin and he had a much better time! The only drawback to going is the incredibly long walk to and from the car...I feel like we walked as much as we watched! The F22 Raptor was un-bee-freaking-lieveable and as usual, The Blue Angels were too much! I LOVE the air show! Here are some of Jer's great shots:
You can SEE the pilots!! SO AWESOME!
They never cease to take my breath away. It makes me SO PROUD to be an American!
We got home just in time to cook a quick dinner and get ready for the big night of trick-or-treating! Last year, Colin refused to wear his costume, despite picking it out! This year he had already refused to wear it to his fall festival at school, so I was ready for him to pass. He totally surprised me, as usual, and began begging me to put on his fireman gear. It was no great shock that he choose to be a fireman, what with his whole world revolving around them. :-) He put the whole costume on and refused to eat his dinner. About 10 minutes after we started eating, he said, "Mommy, firemen get really hungry when they put out a big fire. I am ready to eat now!"...how cute he is!! We quickly set out our lit pumpkins and a big bucket of candy with a note for the kids to help themselves. We headed out with the rest of the neighborhood and I don't remember ever being prouder of where we live! This is a large community full of young families and almost every single porch light was on! The streets were literally teaming with adorable kids and families and the atmosphere was jovial and full of good cheer. I was super impressed with all the extravagant decorations that folks put out and Colin got more than a couple of spooky surprises when he knocked on the doors! All the neighbors pulled lawn chairs out to the sidewalk to hand out candy and chat and Colin was almost too tired to walk by the time we rounded the corner to our house. About halfway through, I had to carry his bag because it was "too heavy for little guys". ;-) At three of the houses, 5 and 6 dads pulled their chairs into one driveway and each had buckets of candy to hand out. I thought that was hysterical! Apparently the moms took the kids out and the dads made their own drive-thru candy stop. Colin thought it was awesome that he got to walk the line of dads for extra candy. It was a cool and breezy night and the sound of children laughing and the warm reception from our whole neighborhood will be a memory that I won't soon forget. These are the moments that remind me just how lucky we are and how much God has blessed our lives. What a wonderful memory for Colin...and for us!
You can SEE the pilots!! SO AWESOME!
They never cease to take my breath away. It makes me SO PROUD to be an American!
We got home just in time to cook a quick dinner and get ready for the big night of trick-or-treating! Last year, Colin refused to wear his costume, despite picking it out! This year he had already refused to wear it to his fall festival at school, so I was ready for him to pass. He totally surprised me, as usual, and began begging me to put on his fireman gear. It was no great shock that he choose to be a fireman, what with his whole world revolving around them. :-) He put the whole costume on and refused to eat his dinner. About 10 minutes after we started eating, he said, "Mommy, firemen get really hungry when they put out a big fire. I am ready to eat now!"...how cute he is!! We quickly set out our lit pumpkins and a big bucket of candy with a note for the kids to help themselves. We headed out with the rest of the neighborhood and I don't remember ever being prouder of where we live! This is a large community full of young families and almost every single porch light was on! The streets were literally teaming with adorable kids and families and the atmosphere was jovial and full of good cheer. I was super impressed with all the extravagant decorations that folks put out and Colin got more than a couple of spooky surprises when he knocked on the doors! All the neighbors pulled lawn chairs out to the sidewalk to hand out candy and chat and Colin was almost too tired to walk by the time we rounded the corner to our house. About halfway through, I had to carry his bag because it was "too heavy for little guys". ;-) At three of the houses, 5 and 6 dads pulled their chairs into one driveway and each had buckets of candy to hand out. I thought that was hysterical! Apparently the moms took the kids out and the dads made their own drive-thru candy stop. Colin thought it was awesome that he got to walk the line of dads for extra candy. It was a cool and breezy night and the sound of children laughing and the warm reception from our whole neighborhood will be a memory that I won't soon forget. These are the moments that remind me just how lucky we are and how much God has blessed our lives. What a wonderful memory for Colin...and for us!My little fireman, all ready to go! 
Posing with Daddy before we headed out!
Knocking on his first door! He was SO excited!!
I love this shot that Jer took just as we left...about 5 minutes after this shot, the street exploded with kids! This was the calm before the amazing storm! :-)
Colin and his loot! Now THAT is joy! :-)
Posing with Daddy before we headed out!
Knocking on his first door! He was SO excited!!
I love this shot that Jer took just as we left...about 5 minutes after this shot, the street exploded with kids! This was the calm before the amazing storm! :-)
Colin and his loot! Now THAT is joy! :-)
