Happy Halloween :)

 What a blessing it is to have friends in our lives like these! 4th Annual Trick-or-Treating Extravaganza at the Turners! Just check it out: 2009, 2010, 2011- and now this year! What a blast :)

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Pic turned out a little fuzzy, but still cute - our family :)

 

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Didn't get pics of all the families/friends there, but here are a few. . .

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The Kamerlanders - Ronya, Callie, Cailin, Kyle & Cole

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The Turners: Melissa, AJ, Alex & Miles

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The Gals! K & I, Ronya, Maaren & McCoy, Jessica & Micah, Sarah & Aubrey, Melissa & Miles

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 Logan & Kaylie!

 

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Sweet Baby Aubrey, Kaylie & I :)

 

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And just for fun. . .

Costume Parade!

At North Coast Church Preschool, the Tuesday and Wednesday of Halloween week they do a costume parade for any of the staff and/or parents that want to come checkout all the adorable little kids in their costumes. It was so fun to see M & K will all their little friends dressed up :) Matthew and Kaylie make an ADORABLE Peter Pan & Tinkerbell, if I do say so myself ;) Following the parade they went to their classrooms for a Halloween party - Matthew's included cookie decorating, pumpkin carving, corn & gourd texture painting, and massive goodie bags filled with fun - including Glitter Slime Monsters I made for the class - Here's where I got the inspiration:

Mine looked almost this awesome, but as 2am crawled around, I had to close up shop and hit the hay. Yikes. 

What a fun morning! Have I mentioned yet that I LOVE NCC PRESCHOOL?!! Because I do. Seriously. :)

Can't wait to take the kids Trick or Treating tomorrow night with all our friends - Happy Halloween!

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Sweet Baby Emma Rose!

 This past weekend we got to celebrate my sis-in-law Brittany and sweet baby Emma Rose, whom we get to meet in just a few months (due mid-december!) It was so much fun to prep for the shower with Sandy (my wonderful MIL), Cher, and some of my sis-in-laws (Brittany, Simone & Briana) decorating into the wee hours of the morning (ok, I ducked out at 11:30, but still) - and showering Brittany and baby Emma the next day was just a blast :) It's so fun being a part of making someone's shower special. I got to try out some sugar wafer butterflies I've been wanting to try - although I didn't get to taste one, they looked really pretty! Alright, enough chit-chat - here are a few pics to sum up the day - wish I'd gotten one of ALL the family that made it, would have made a great shot :)

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Me & 2 of my beautiful sis-in-laws: Brittany (and baby Emma) and Simone!

(please disregard my freakishly pink/purple hand - one of the hazards of coloring frosting :)

 

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The cupcake tower! So excited to use the butterflies :)

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Pops! Her colors are lavender and teal, such a fun color combination!

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3 of the 4 generations - my Mom, Kaylie & Gigi :)

 

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Gigi with her grandaughter (me!) and great grandaughter (kaylie!)

 

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Matthew & Auntie Brittany 

(He got to crash the end of the shower ;)

 

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Silly girl - it was either take a pic like this, or nothing at all. 

I chose yes :)

Leaf!

Meet the newest member of our family. . . . . LEAF!

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Thursday night after Growth Group, we headed to my parents house to pick up the kids. As we walked to the front door, there, right in the middle of the doorway, just waiting for us to arrive, was a toad! I mean, I hear frogs/toads every now and then, but I don't usually see them around - especially one this size. I was able to scoop him up and and contain him, then we took him, and the kids, home. When M & K woke up in the morning we surprised them with their first ever pet, and M named him Leaf. That first day we let them hold him and watch him hop around in an empty kiddie pool. Since then we set up his terrarium (M even painted the background picture for the terrarium) and we hunt daily for bugs to feed him. So far he's eaten some roly polys, a slug and a worm. We're on the lookout for crickets! What a fun first adventure into pet ownership for the kids :-p

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Best of Bates 2012

Bates Nut Farm, what a fun fall tradition :) This year we aimed to get there as they opened Saturday morning (we were 30min late, oh well, still found good parking ;) We met up with our Growth Group and had a blast picking out pumpkins, feeding the animals and riding ponies :) Just wish it was cold more often when we go, one year out of the past 5, but oh well - it's a tradition to be hot and sweaty :)

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Love this pic of the kiddos - reminds me that this is what having kids is like - they do their own thing, they're wild, crazy, sometimes cranky, but all and all they have fun :)

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Great pic of Josh and the kiddos :)

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Next pumpkin post will be carving. . .woohoo!