Halloween 2014!!

Halloween 2014 is in the books and it was a huge success! The girls have been so excited and talking about Halloween forever and so when the day was finally here, they were ready to go!

My Mom found this bumble bee costume this summer for Ella and thought she might like to dress up in it for playtime but Ella loved it and instantly she said she wanted to be a bumble bee princess for Halloween. Since that was in August, I thought she might change her mind and she wavered a little bit when all her friends started saying they were going to be Elsa, but in the end, she stuck to her original plan. And I am so glad because there were approximately 57,231 Elsa's on Halloween (approximately of course!) and hardly any bumble bees so she was easy to spot!

And little sister followed n big sister's footsteps and was a Virginia Tech cheerleader. (Ella dressed up  as the one when she was 2 also!). She never really cared until we got them ready and she declared she wanted to be a bumble bee also but too late and the lure of chocolate was enough to make her happy!

 It was a perfect fall night, a little chill in the air but nothing too cold. It just felt like the perfect fall night and these two were ready to go!

 My little cheerleader wanted nothing to do with her pom poms, ditched those right away and was all about the candy bag!

 Ella was an expert this year, running from house to house collecting tons of candy!

 In our neighborhood each year, we have a parade with all the kiddos and the local fire truck comes and leads the parade. The big kids love it and the little ones (aka Maddie) are a little frightened by it.

 We went around with some of our best buddies from the neighborhood, the Dobsons. Their daughter, Ellie was Snow White and the 2 E's had a great time together!

 Sweet friends

 After the parade and pizza party, we were off! Little sister was definitely not as fast so she probably went to about 1/3 of the houses that Ella went to but came home with about as much candy as Ella. Every house she went up to, the people thought she was so cute and gave her tons of candy! And she felt the need to open each piece immediately and eat it. And she only chose chocolate, that's the only candy she will eat!

 There she goes, such a big girl this year!

 And I have to brag on my husband for a minute, the girls requested an Olaf pumpkin and he is great at carving and didn't want to disappoint them so he did this one. It was from a pattern but it was very tough and took forever but turned out great!

 And my little ghost one, I went easy this year. Carving with two little ones running around isn't easy so I went simple.

 Overall, the day and night were an absolute blast! Girls were on a sugar high all night but that is what Halloween is all about right?!!

2 Little Pumpkins

A couple weeks ago, we took a family field trip to a local pumpkin patch. It was a beautiful fall morning, crisp air and perfectly blue sky. Our two little pumpkins were excited to run around and pick out pumpkins but the real highlight was the hayride.

 This was actually a new pumpkin patch then we have been to in the past and loved this one. The hayride played Halloween music and had a scavenger hunt for the kids, it was adorable.

Getting a picture of the four of us looking and all smiling is impossible, at least all of 4 are looking at the camera

 After the hayride, we went into the pumpkin fields to check out all the pumpkins.

 Maddie was definitely on the hunt for the perfect one...

 Sorry little one, this one is bigger than you.

 She finally found one perfect for her. I love that I got this picture of her. The one thing everyone comments about her is her expressions. They are so big and hilarious and have Mike and I laughing so hard each day. Her teachers and even the preschool director tell me daily how they just love all her expressions and faces. When she found this pumpkin and picked it up, she was so happy and proud of herself!

Sweet sisters! Too bad that pumpkin next to Ella is gross, won't be framing this one

 Time to head back with Daddy and check out the play area

 This pumpkin patch had a really fun play area for the kids. Ella loved these jumpy balls

 and Maddie Grace loved this tricycle

 It was such a fun morning and now we can't wait to carve our pumpkins and get ready for Halloween!

Halloween and More

Some things are just more fun when you have kids and I think the biggest thing is holidays. Ella is at the perfect age to not only understand everything about holidays but really get into them. We talked about Halloween for weeks, pointing out all the jack o lanterns on our walks, talking about the costumes and of course the candy! She told everyone for weeks that she was going to be a strawberry fairy! Really, it had to be a princess or fairy for this girl!

 Maddie of course went along for the ride wearing the costume that Ella wore when she was 2.5 months old. Good thing Maddie is such a little peanut (or should I say pumpkin!) and can fit into all of Ella's old outfits! And we got good use out of our costumes this year, wearing them to 2 parties and then of course on Halloween.

 The day of Halloween, Mike came home early from work and we were excited to participate  in our new neighborhoods Halloween parade and pizza party before heading out to trick and treat.

Ella and Wyatt with Will in the background. (Our new best buddies in the new neighborhood, Ella and Wyatt were in the same preschool class last year.)

 There are TONS of kids in the new neighborhood. Ella and Maddie are a little bit on the younger side but a local fire truck came to lead the parade down the street with all the parents bringing up the rear.

 Then the madness began! We were one of the first houses on the trick or treating route so we had to hurry home from the pizza party before the mad rush of kids came. We had heard stores about how many kids would be coming so we stocked up on candy.

 This little strawberry fairy got into the act also, stocking up on lots of yummy candy. Mike and I were laughing that night because after eating a lot of candy, she was acting wild! This girl LOVES her sweets!

 Last week, Ella's preschool had Donuts with Dads day at school. Mike was able to eat breakfast with us and then take Ella to school. Based on the stories, I think they both had a great time.

 I realized in looking back over my past couple of posts that Ella definitely dominates in the pictures so I think it is time that miss Maddie Grace gets her share of pictures as well.

 This little girl and her big smile and huge blue eyes capture our hearts everyday. She is the sweetest little thing and I hope she always stays this happy and content.

 As she gets older, they are interacting more and more. Trust me, Ella doesn't share all her toys but to see them with each other just melts my heart.

 We had to most beautiful weather this past week and weekend and it was perfect timing since Mike just put up this new swing in the backyard. Anytime the weather is nice, you can find out outside enjoying the new backyard.

 Maddie loves all the food she is trying each day. We haven't found anything she doesn't like yet. I made corn muffins the other day and she ate them up and created a huge mess in the process!

 It broke my heart a little but I finally took Ella to get her second haircut. Her hair was getting long and a little unruly so we went to get it trimmed up. She was so good, sat so quiet and loved getting it blown dry.

 And the final product. Don't worry, it is not too short, I would never be able to bring myself to cut it super short but it does look a lot better and more healthy now.

 We discovered a new park right near the house and Daddy and Ella went this weekend on their bike ride. They found a zip line which she thought was pretty awesome!

Can't believe Thanksgiving is in less than 2 weeks and then it will be December and Christmas. If Halloween taught me anything, it is Ella will be so excited for Santa and Christmas and I can't wait! But for right now, I am going to enjoy the rest of November and all that I am thankful for this year.

Trick or Treat!!

Ella is at the peak of her love for all things Halloween. She loves pointing out every pumpkin and ghost we pass on our walks and has been perfecting her "trick or treat" for weeks now. So, we couldn't wait for a fun weekend filled with all things Halloween.

This year, Ella went as Virginia Tech's #1 cheerleader. Our friend got her this tutu back in Blacksburg earlier this year and she would wear it everyday if I let her so I decided we should incorporate it into her costume so since we had the shirt, poms poms, hokie socks and even the VT bows my mother in made for her, we went with it. Saturday morning our neighborhood had a costume parade followed by a trunk or trick at the local church. Unfortunately, we forgot the camera and this was only picture we got of her before we left for the parade. In case you can't tell, she is cheering "Go Hokies!"
Later that night, after the kiddos went to bed that night, the adults carved their pumpkins. This has turned into a big thing with Mike and I and now our neighbors as well. Mike chose to go with a grime reaper themed pumpkin.

And I went a little lighter with something I thought Ella would enjoy, a kitty bat.

Sunday morning was a gorgeous morning and we headed to one of our favorite parks. After swinging and sliding, we went down to run around on the soccer fields. I am in love with all the fall colors and leaves changing on the trees lately. Fall in Charlotte is definitely beautiful.

And some twirling in the air.

But yesterday was the big day! Halloween had finally arrived. To get Ella down for her nap, I promised her after she went to sleep, we could go to the party and trick or treating. As soon as she woke up, she said "I went night night, now trick or treat." Yes little cheerleader, we can go.

(I think she is saying Hokies are #1 in the picture above)

Our neighborhood had a big party in the afternoon with lots of fun games for the kids, yummy Halloween treats and some pizza to fill their bellies before all the candy. Ella was excited to see all her buddies dressed up.

Ella's favorite activity of the party was definitely the decorate your own cookie. Ella and Wesley loved spooning out the frosting and licking it off. Checking to make sure the frosting tastes good and then...

going in for the whole thing! Boy, does this girl love her sweets!

Daddy came to join in the fun also after work.

Most of the kiddos all dressed in their cute costumes.

And then it was finally time for trick or treating! These two best buddies were so cute, holding hands walking up to each house.

At first, she was a little unsure of what to do or if she should eat the candy right away. But she quickly got the hang of it to hand out your pumpkin bucket and they will drop yummy candy inside.

And once they discovered they could go from house to house and not just one, they started having the time of their lives. Saying trick or treat and thank you and watching as more and more candy was filled in the bucket.

Checking out the goods to make sure she got the best candy!

She was definitely a pro at the end and loved when she was first and could knock on the door herself.

After we visited the neighbors, we came home to hand out candy and I think Ella had as much fun going to other houses as she did when other kids came to our house. She would get excited each time the doorbell rang and say "more kids!" We had a a lot of trick or treaters this year and finally turned off the lights a little before 9 and went to bed with a sugar high for all! This morning when I woke her up for preschool, the first words out of her mouth were "go trick or treating now?" I had to laugh out loud and try to explain to her that we would have to wait another year for more trick or treating but she was just as happy when she came downstairs to find her big bucket of candy still there, until I told her we don't eat candy for breakfast (unless you are Mommy and pregnant.)

It was such a fun time and gets me so excited for Christmas this year since she is starting to understand holidays more and now knows who Santa Claus is. Happy November!