HALLOWEEN 2019

Halloween 2019 is in the books, and it was a good one!  Here is what I cooked up with the kids costume wise - we dressed as Disney's Descendants from the hit made for TV movies that we devoured this summer.



If you aren't familiar with these characters, then you must not have any 7-12 year olds living in your home.  Since my kiddos have plenty of attitude, this was a good fit, and who doesn't like rocking a wig?  As it turns out, my big girls do not like wearing wigs, so these were for the photo only.  In fact, after the picture, Lily immediately wanted to be what she described as her "true self", Waffle Fry.

On Sunday, we headed to our church's Family Fest that is a favorite tradition every year.  The weather was AMAZING, and we had a great time doing trunk or treat and playing games and getting in helicopters.  Just usual stuff. 🤣

I honestly didn't consider that little girls might think I was actually Belle, but it turns out, even though I am MUCH older than that princess, little girls still wanted to say hi and get their picture with me.  It was like my own princess dreams come true.

John is such a good sport, because he had totally forgotten that he even had a costume, and I can tell you that we were a spectacle.  I am perfectly comfortable as a spectacle, and he is not exactly of the same frame of mind.

We had Waffle Fry:

Mal:

Uma:

and Carlos:

John and I were Beauty and the Beast, which means that John loves me a lot.

We hosted some of our D-group at our house on actual Halloween.  We had our normal CFA plus everyone brought spooky sides.

(Spooky Punch - a standby favorite)


Our sweet group is getting older, and picture time is getting easier.

We went trick-or-treating in the freezing cold, which turned out to be a blast for all the kiddos - they especially loved trading candy when it was over.



So thankful to spend time with some of my favorite people.



Here's a walk down the Halloween memory lane!

{2018} {2017} {2016} {2015} {2014} {2013} {2012} {2011}

GIRLS' BATHROOM FLUFF

When we moved into our home 9.5 years ago, this was our downstairs bathroom that was really only used by guests.  I moved the stuff from the guest bathroom in our old house straight into this bathroom and basically didn't touch it again until a few months ago.  I'm not calling this a remodel, because none of the fixtures/countertops are different.  But, when we moved the girls downstairs earlier this year, it occurred to me that bathroom could use some fluffing, so here it is!



Here are the before pictures.  It was the same color as the entire home was painted when we moved in, and I used all dark brown and red decor.  It definitely needed an update.

I painted the entire room, including the ceiling, the same white shade as the girls' room.  (It's Polar Bear by Behr)  This room gets exactly zero natural light, so it needed to be brighter, and that made a huge difference.

I used these animal prints from Makewells as the jumping off point for colors, and I love how fresh and playful they are.  I went to Target for the basics like the shower curtain, towels and mats, and I got the wreaths and geometric heart from Hobby Lobby.

Anytime I walk past it now, I love how fresh and bright it is - makes a huge difference.  And the girls feel at home there, which is what truly matters.

And, it is another project off the list, which feels really good.

MAIN STREET STUDIOS MINI SESSION

My brother-in-law (of Main Street Studios) came to Little Rock a few weeks back for mini sessions, in which we were delighted to take part.  Every time, he captures the best of us as a family.  This means it often goes a little sideways and off the rails, and even so, he gets great shots.



I most especially love the individual shots of our kiddos this time around.  I treasure these images because they are such great representations of each child.

Here is 10 year old Lily -

And then 8 year old Bella.

6 year old Violet -

And lastly, 6 year old William!

We also snuck in a couple shot!



Finally, we have the "walking-casually-through-a-well-lit-field-while-we-laugh-together-and-wear-coordinated-clothing" shot.  I really love it, because even though this is not how we skip through life, we are genuinely laughing here.  I'm so thankful for Luke and all of the photos he has captured of our crew through the years - literally starting with our engagement photos!



For all our of Main Street Studio sessions - click here!

STATE FAIR: HIGHS & LOWS

I LOVE festivals/fairs/amusement parks/parties/carnivals/fiestas etc.  Something about the bright colors and the music and the fun draws me in every time.  So when the fair comes to town, I always feel the pull, but we can only make it work about every other year.  This is what Bella wanted for her birthday, so we carved out the time - here are the Highs & Lows!

High:  We had the most perfect fall weather this weekend, and it was truly a lovely afternoon.

High:  The petting zoo is right at the front, and it is always a hit! 🐐🐑🐄🦙

Low:  The fair is crazy expensive. 💰 We set a budget before we went and let each kiddo have a ziplock bag of money with a certain amount to spend.  This meant that they each got to choose how to spend that money, whether it be rides or games or food for animals or snacks.  This also meant we got to keep up with baggies full of cash, and competing desires of four kids.  It mostly worked, and I mostly bit my tongue when a child wanted to pay $5 a SECOND time to throw ONE dart to get a slightly larger stuffed animal.  Carnies might actually be thieves.

(Waiting on siblings is hard)

High:  Seeing each kid love the activities they did choose.  Because we made them only pick a few things, they really ended up loving what they did.  I love seeing my children enjoy things!

Low:  Some kids got a little fixated on certain things.  William played the duck game once, and the rest of the time we were at the fair, he begged to go back to play again. 🙄  Picking a rubber ducky up is so thrilling, especially when you receive a Bubble Sword.

High:  We actually got to watch a reptile show and the sea lion show.  The kids were enthralled, and it made for a nice break in the middle of everything.  Seeing an alligator turtle that was over 125 years old was a highlight, and sea lions are so dang cute. 🥰

Low:  There was an offer for kids to take pictures with a snake.  I have NEVER liked snakes.  It took every bit of self-control for me to not act as nervous as I felt while seeing a snake wrapped around Lily's shoulders.  Violet changed her mind, which I was grateful for.  Lily made sure to tell me she wants this picture in her photo album. 😳

High:  I find the fair to be visually compelling, and I love taking pictures there.

Low:  Children seem to be always thirsty, and then they seem to always need to use the bathroom.  But not when you want them to use the bathroom - whenever the liquid hits their bladder.  We did so many unscheduled bathroom stops at inconvenient times, and it was hard to not grow increasingly irritated.

High:  Fair food.  We didn't really do much of the fair food, but funnel cake just never disappoints.

High:  Sweet family memories.  Here's the deal - we came home rather exhausted from the whole experience.  But, it was worth it.  We want to stay connected as a family and having time like this is a huge part of that for us.

I'm thankful for this time and also thankful that the fair only comes once a year.  That would be another high. 😏