happy halloween

The Friday before Halloween was "Storybook Character Day," and Colby was definitely feeling the pirate vibes! 

I didn't get a picture of Brooke since she left for Daulton Dashers before the sun was up, but Colby was excited that Nay Nay could drive him to school. As he climbed into the car, he started shouting things like "Take me to school, and the seven seas!"  This kid is too much sometimes. 

His teacher sent this, so obviously he stayed in his character :)

I'm glad he had a chance to play with the pumpkin guts because we never even carved the pumpkins I bought this year.  Mom fail :(

I was resting when the kids got home from school, but I was sure excited to see my littles and hear all about their day. My sweet cheerleader was beaming as she showed me the 9 marks on her bracelet, representing the 9 laps she ran that morning.  The requirement is 7, so I guess she was feeling extra ambitious. 

On Saturday, our ward hosted their annual Trunk-or-Treat, and although I really wanted to go, I just wasn't feeling up to it.  I'm sure Kevin would have been fine staying home, but the kids LOVE going and we had invited friends to meet us there, so he was obligated. 

As they left, I asked Kevin to PLEASE take some pictures of the kids with their friends.  He delivered, as did some of my friends, so I didn't feel like I completely missed the fun. 

Brooke and her two best friends from school wanted to be cheerleaders together, but when the costumes we ordered started showing shipping delays, everyone decided to make a Plan B.  Brooke's ended up coming on time, Zalaya picked out a new one at the party store, and Claire decided to be an angel instead. They were a little disappointed with how that played out, but Brooke was just so happy to have her school friends there!

They came home with a TON of candy, so I joked that we didn't need to go trick-or-treating on Halloween.  As you can imagine, they groaned and insisted that we still needed to go trick-or-treating on the "Real Halloween". 

I love the pictures I took before we headed out on Sunday.  Cutest cheerleader and fiercest pirate on the block!

I love their enthusiasm for Halloween and dressing up :) 

I decided that since I had to miss the Trunk-or-Treat, I was definitely not going to miss this as well.  So I took my pain meds, put on my belly binder, threw on some comfy clothes, and was ready to go. We walked over to the Hawkins' house so we could continue the tradition of trick-or-treating together.  They have the best spider web in their yard, and the kids were being so funny together.  

This might be my new favorite Halloween pic...

Joanna was fun and festive as well...

The kids loved walking together, and although quite a few houses were dark, they still managed to come home with loads of candy. 

Colby got spooked at one house, but Brooke was quick to lead him away and keep her arm around his shoulders. The picture is blurry, but it was such a sweet moment.  Big sisters can be the best, when they want to be!

We ran into the Nesbitts and they stuck with our group for the rest of the evening.  Brooke and Zalaya...

Colby and Braxton...

Brooke, Zalaya, Bryson, Braxton, Zenley, and Colby...

I was pretty exhausted by the time we walked the neighborhood, so I was eager to get back home.  We checked their candy, then allowed them to have a little sugar before bed, haha!  But the next day wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, so I'd call that a success!