Halloween 2011

Halloween was great and no major costume meltdowns.  We got Naomi's princess costume all put together/bought/searched for and she decided that her witch costume from last year wasn't as itchy as she had cried so many times about.  She put it on.. and there you go. 

Saturday : Ward trunk OR treat and chile cook off.

I made white bean chile.  True to Amie fashion...  Burnt it. 

 Still tasted just fine.  It didn't win .

 Frazzled from the end of the day rush, getting babysitting kids out the door, burning chili and Naomi's

 costume change... this was the only group picture we got.

I wanted to retake them this weekend in some pretty leaves in pretty light.

NOT happening.  But I can picture it in my mind.  It would be so cute.

 Gage is the Happiest little trick or Treater that ever did live.

He loved his costume and was so excited the whole time getting ready.

I got after him to put his hat back on. Joking of course.

And he put it back on HIMSELF.

Oh we laughed and laughed.

Next up.  "The PrinTHess cowboy witch."

I'm so glad Cache decided to be a fighter jet pilot.

I had no idea how I was going to make a Perry the platypus costume.

At the actual party:

Devin puts more effort/into ACTING the part than dressing the part. 

I really love this man on Halloween. It is where the stark differences in our personality come out.

I wouldn't even roll play if forced too and don't believe I can speak in any accent.  Devin will full on act. Just for fun.  At home he speaks in an accent more than he doesn't. Always different..

Which is why I was disappointed the Cars salesman idea didn't work out.

He was planning on selling stuff to people all night in a Texan accent. And would have.

He also likes to sneakily match me when we go places. It's annoying and endearing at the same time.

This year I had been planning for a while to be witch.  Sooo Devin kept saying he was going to be a 

"Man witch."  Or a "man which."  I wasn't sure. But he ended up making a good cross between them both.

During the evening Devin offered rides. He would get on his broom and encourage everyone to "Hop on!" 

 Most of all me.

I really love this man. He is my biggest blessing.

Sweet baby. Ate more chili and rolls than any of us.

This little purse she insisted on trick or treating with, and insisted it be zipped close between every trunk.

Devin was her "overflow." Or she would throw it on the ground. 

 She likes candy but freely gives it away.

Not like her brothers. Or parents. :)

Trick or treating, fit  right up Nay's alley.  

Collecting anything and everything and putting it in a purse.

Fun NIGHT!

{Monday }

Hallows EVE.

 

A "spoooky" Halloween dinner with all the cousins!

Me and my fellow witchy in law Sara.

We went trick or treating at a retirement home. 

(Nice and warm!)

All of Julie's kids recited scary poems.  Even little Krista!  So good.

We tried to hit up a few houses, but the kids were cold and scared of the decorations!

So we went to about 5 and went home. It was just right.
Twas a happy Halloween.

A few more Halloween portraits.

Above a li'l one I watch.  She is so gorgeous.

Below: Nay chose to wear princess shoes and refused ONE of her socks.

Gage would laugh and laugh every time we put his hat on. He is also mastering walking now! (Not pooping in this picture.) And mysteriously got dressed in the wrong overalls this night. 

Since I'm crying, I thought you guys might as well too.

A good happy cry! 

Life really can be beautiful.

No matter what comes.

Dylan and Sara gave us some Linder farm tickets.  Thank you much guyz!

 We got their a bit late and since we hadn't planned on going, we weren't really 

dressed for the occassion.  Time of year to keep an extra coat and blanket in the car!

 We went on a  hay ride to pick a punkin.

But we already had too many of our own little punkins taking up our arms to haul one out of the field

and such.  So we'll save that for next year, and settle for a grocery store pumpkin.

 The corn pit was the favorite activity.

Devin may buy me a new camera lens just to save my soul.

I got soooo mad at my little old camera at the pumpkin patch...

 It was way cuter than this blasted camera would capture.

OH me OH my I took a bagillion fuzzy pictures.

 We tried the corn maze.  

But Nay and I...

Well, we're just girls.  I no longer pretend otherwise.

We turned around after about 1 minute and let the boyz finish.

 We went and found a nice chair by the fire.

And wished someone would stand in line and buy us hot cider and apple fritters...

We were just too cold.

 Love the Fall!  (But terribly miss St. Louis gorgeous pumpkin patches...and leaves.)

Before I leave I have to record the funniest thing that happened that day.

Devin worked at a health fair all day and we went to visit him.

As I mentioned we ran into Dylan and Sara(Devin's bro and wife) at the fair... Getting flu shots.

Chatted and then left to find Devin and let them get back to that.  Their 3 boys looked a little nervous.

We got to the end of the big old gym looking for Devin when we hear this:

" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

(continuous screaming/yell getting closer and closer to us.)

Then Cache looks at me: "That's NOAH!"   Sure enough, Noah goes scccrreaming by, running as fast as he can in the OPPOSITE direction of the flu shot table.

And then of course came Sarah running by.  I felt bad but I laughed so hard hearing Noah's yelling for the next WHILE going up and down each isle.  Oh that was so funny.

Hope they thought it was too.

Anyway, love this time of year. We've been luring out kids out of bed in the morning with a warm bath
Mornings are chilly and dark now and for some reason they can't resist a tub full of water :)  And then we've putting them to bed with a cup of fresh warm apple cider. 

{H A P P Y F A L L !}

The hair cut and Broken camera

I had a couple sad things happen this week. 

First off, my camera lens broke.  Just broke.  A week ago, my big lens did get dropped by a certain little boy who was trying to take pictures of Ants.  But he had permission, and it was an accident. 

 I had a back up lens so stuck that one on and life was fine.

But the back up lens just stopped working and is visibly broken inside.

Now I am camera less until I can afford a new lens.

Whoa is me.  Hard life huh? :)
I am a bit embarrassed just how deeply sad this makes me. My camera
makes every day mundane tasks of diapers, dishes, same routine over and over come alive and seem magical to me.  But when I can't take a picture of it... 

I sorta feel like a lost my right hand.  And all the fingers on my left too.

And possibly a toe or two.  Maybe part of an eye..

.These pics are from my very old point and shoot camera.

So frustrating and blurry 95% of the time. If it even turns on.

Wine wine wine.

As sad is that is for me, I shed a lot more tears over this next event.

.

.

.

.

The dreaded sibling Hair cut.

Seriously almost passed out.
Bangs chopped and everything.

It was bound to happen.

Still I was unprepared and bawled on the spot.

Causing Naomi to burst into tears and run and hide.
She buried her head in a blanket and wouldn't come out till Devin got home and he was able to coax her out.  She just kept crying: "I don't have very much hair anymore!"
It was extremely dramatic around here.

He did this with just baby scissors!

My visiting teacher stopped by during the crying session.

She was heaven sent.  She promised me she had seen way worse.

And later that night returned with new bows and a cute flower head band. 

Which did help.

Oh yah Naomi found the purple dress/uniform again.

 My mom  told me not to kill Cache.  Or even yell at him. All I had said to him, in a whipser was 

"Go to your room. "

He must have felt the severity of his actions. Or the severity of the SHOCK inside of me...  He didn't come out for an hour. Then I sent him back.

My mom gave me the idea that he needed to do extra chores for money to pay for her new haircut.

This is working since Cache puts a lot of value on the contents of his piggy bank.

So we got her a hair cut.

And this is the end product.  She looks a lot younger.

 And since she always ripped her hair out 5 seconds after I fixed it before, she may even look

nicer.  And now you can always see her  pretty face.

OH what a week.