Halloween Weekend Wrap Up

Well, I'm not sure about y'all, but I'm thankful that October is over. And Halloween too. Gosh, I feel bad about this but this was not my most favorite Halloween ever. Our girls were fighting, no one was listening.... I had a sinus infection, and we celebrated the very basics of Halloween. There was nothing pinterest-worthy about our holiday. 

Last week we had dress up days at work and the girls had them at school & gymnastics. It was definitely a busy week. 

On Wednesday, our theme was super hero day, and I dressed as super mom. 

Because our month was busy, and we went camping rather than going to a pumpkin patch, Adalyn and I went to Costco last Wednesday, and picked out 3 gigantic pumpkins for the girls to carve. They were running so low she had to get in the box in order to get them out. 

The girls had crazy hair day, and I only managed to get a picture of Adalyn's faux-hawk. She completed the look with lots of bows and clippies. 

Megan had character day at gymnastics, and she went as Peter Rabbit. 

And on Friday, the girls had book character day. Megan went as Pippi Longstocking; we used a wire hanger for her pigtail braids. 

Their book parade was first thing in the morning, so after I dropped them off, I parked and waited for the parade to start. And, I totally lucked out because Megan and Adalyn's classes were one of the first few classes, and I was able to leave within 5 minutes! 

Adalyn dressed as Harry Potter. 

Friday night, the girls had a sleepover. I tried to get them to watch a Halloween movie, but they much preferred playing! Saturday morning we got doughuts and then they went back to their friend's house for the day for a Halloween party. 

Sunday morning we were up for church, had lunch, and curled up to watch Hocus Pocus. I ended taking a nap because I did not feel well (thank you sinus infection). Once the girls woke me up, it was time to carve pumpkins. 

And friends, this was not the Instagram worthy event at all. Two of my kids were fighting, screaming, and kicking over which pumpkin they would carve. I sent the two of them to their rooms, and only carved pumpkins with one kid. Eventually, they agreed upon which pumpkins they would carve. But then I still had to send another kiddo to her room when she decided to argue. Sigh. It was no fun. 

DJ was able to come home after work. We had dinner, and then we got ready for trick or treating. Thankfully, all of the fighting subsided and we were able to head out for a fun night of trick or treating! 

Adalyn was a police officer and she asked me to be her robber. 

DJ went as my partner in crime. 

Two robbers & the police. 

We have the best neighbors and all went trick or treating together. 

Lots of houses and lots of candy. 

We learned a long time ago to take an extra bag to empty out treat buckets halfway through; it was my perfect robber accessory. And, I'm so glad we brought one, because we came home with 16 lbs of candy!

Happy Halloween! 

 

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday friends! Half of this post was suppose to be published last Friday and the week got crazy busy, so you're basically getting a 2 for 1 today! Ha!

I'm linking up with Andrea & Erika and sharing some Friday Favorites today! 

In September, we decided to switch Gretchen over to a gluten free diet. We are working slowly on switching the rest of us as we find products that we can replace, and products we love, but it's been a process. I came across this g-free pumpkin muffin recipe and they were so good! I've been following the account on IG, and have so many recipes saved that I want to try! We all loved these pumpkin muffins, and yes, I added chocolate chips too. 

My favorite nail place, released several new sets over the last few weeks! I love a more muted, dark nail over bright colors and reds, so this set totally spoke to me. I am seriously loving the ease of these re-usable, glue on nails. and the fact that I can buy one set and cut/file them down, and then wear them again and again, has my heart going pitter patter 

And this past week, the "Oh Deer!" collection was released, and again, the colors are more muted and neutral, and just to show you a close up of the bottom set...

How stinking adorable are these reindeer nails?! I am literally obsessed. You can click here to order the nail dashes for $13-$15.00. 

Dare I say that it is finally cooling off here in Austin? We finally have highs in the 70s, and maybe I can pull out the sweaters! I've been browsing through and finding some favorites, and I love this one, and how it's off the shoulder and light weight. It'll be the perfect transition in to cooler months, and it comes in a variety of colors. 

I am also obsessed with the back on this one. It's a bit heavier, but gosh, I am a sucker for some details. 

This week was Red Ribbon Week at school, so on Monday, I sent two mis-matched girls to school. 

And I was Llama Llama Red Pajama at work. 

Tuesday was hat day and I didn't get a picture, and Wednesday was Robot/Gears day, and I'm fairly certain that no one dressed up on that day because how many people have a robot costume lying around?

Megan's gymnastics is also getting in on the fun and Tuesdays' theme was "food" so we quickly turned her in to a bubble gum machine with an old shirt, and some colored poms we had lying around.

I'm not sure about y'all, but dress up days are getting harder and harder as my girls get older and we start to de-clutter the costumes and dress up! 

This weekend, is going to be a full one! We have a sleepover planned. I have a Young Living event, Texas plays Baylor, and it's Halloween!

I hope you and your kids have the best weekend and so much fun!

 

Camping Trips > Pumpkin Patch

Last weekend, DJ had a bye weekend, which meant no game, and 3 days off work. In all of our 15+ years of working in college football, he has never had an entire bye weekend off. He typically gets a day. We debated on staying in town and finding something local to do, and I would have somehow convinced him that we needed to go to the pumpkin patch at some point, but instead, we opted to head out of town and do some camping. We had to work around the girls' schedule, because Megan usually has gymnastics on Friday nights until 8:30, and Gretchen has play practice at school until 7. Gretchen walked in the door on Thursday, and I asked her if she was sure that she would have play practice on Friday, and she said they actually didn't because the band was using the cafeteria. Bingo. We did some looking around, and ended up finding an open spot in Galveston, and booked it. 

We checked the girls out of school on Friday afternoon, and a few hours later, stopped at Bucees. Because it isn't a road trip without it. Our camping group always has pictures of travelers at Bucees, so we had to take a picture too. 

And the girls always have their picture with the beaver any time we stop. We love Bucee's, and if you've never experienced it, I suggest you do. I could spend a few hours and a few hundred dollars there, it's that good. Plus, their bathrooms are immaculate and we never have to wait in a line. 

We made it to the bay, and Adalyn was taking it all in. 

Neither of us have been to Galveston before, so this was a great time to check it out and decide if we want to eventually go back and stay longer. 

Hello, beach. 

Not a great picture, because it was dark, but this is a happy place for us. Anytime, we can tune out from the world and escape, is a good time. We stayed at Jamaica Beach and there were so many pools and activities for the girls. As soon as we arrived, they changed in to swimsuits and headed to the splash pad and a pool. I think there were 4 pools total on the property. We cooked brats, the girls played, and we enjoyed a quiet evening. 

Saturday morning, we had breakfast, the girls put on their swimsuits, and as soon as the splash pad opened, they were off to play. 

The camp ground even had a putt putt course, and while we said we would play a round, we never got the chance. 

After checking out the putt putt course, and the tortoises that live there, we walked across the street to the beach. We were really afraid of what the weather would turn out like. When we booked, there was a 40% chance of rain, so we decided we would hang at the beach if the rain held off, or find an indoor activity if it rained. Thankfully, we had clear skies and we played at the beach until 2-ish. 

The sand is hard and compact, so we were able to drive the truck and just park it. The girls decided to dig two holes and tunnel them to meet. Eventually, DJ and I finished the task. 

The high was around 85, and the water was cool when you first went in, but once you were in, it was fine. 

DJ and all of the girls playing in the waves.... confession. I am not an ocean person. I love to sit on the ocean and hear the waves crash and breathe in the sea air, but I do not love going in the ocean. The Galveston water was dark and you could not see to the bottom so I had no idea what could have been swimming around. Thankfully, there were no jellyfish which is what I'm most terrified of, and I eventually went in too.

Digging holes and building sand castles. 

And ice cream. When an ice cream truck drove by there was no way we could say no. 

More sand castle building. 

We brought the paddleboard along, but it was not easy to actually use the paddle and compete with the waves. If you turned sideways, you were going to fall off. DJ and I were not fans. But the girls were all about it. 

A family picture before heading back to the camper for lunch. 

The girls played more in the splash pad. DJ and I changed clothes, and we all had sandwiches for lunch. The rain was holding off, but it was getting cooler, and I sat outside with a blanket and a book while DJ sat outside and watched football. 

We eventually got the girls inside and changed, and grilled burgers for dinner. 

The rain finally came in that night around dinner time, so we all showered and cozied up to watch football. I layed in the bed and read my book, the girls played on their tablets some, and around 10, we called it a night. At one point, it was 7:30, and I told DJ that I could go ahead and go to bed! 

Sunday morning we got up, ate breakfast, packed up, and headed home. 

While we didn't do anything local or eat out at any restaurants, we all agreed it was just what we needed. Some time away and time to unplug, and just be together. Sometimes, vacations aren't all about the things you cram in and see and do. Sometimes, the best part is just escaping and being together. 

 

Life Lately

Well, September was basically a bust for our family. Adalyn got sick and had to miss 10 days of school which meant that I had to take time off work.  I was super prepared to get "all the things" done, but I tend to forget that sick babies just want a ton of cuddles, and when sisters aren't home to play, that means, I get to entertain. 

We played a ton of Skipbo. So, much skipbo. 

After I sent her back to school, I had a few more days home, and made another loaf of Sourdough bread. Gosh, now that are family is switching to gluten free, I'm going to have to start the process over again from the beginning. 

Cuddles while sisters are at school. 

And after she went back to school, she would come home to more cuddles. This girl is the biggest cuddler. 

We dropped big sis off at church, and then headed to pick up Megan from gymnastics.... but first, we stopped at the park to see the ducks. 

I love this picture I snapped of her. 

Gretchen had Fall church camp, so it was just the little girls cheering on Texas as we took on Texas Tech. 

We bought pom poms and the girls had tons of fun with them. 

And my favorite part is always after the game when we get to hug daddy on the field. 

We also got to see Bevo! 

Right after the game, we headed to Megan's gymnastics meet. 

And DJ was able to finish up at work and meet us there! We are so thankful he was able to watch her compete! 

Last week, Gretchen and I went to the movies with DJ's aunt. She's recently moved to Austin and we are so thankful to have more extended family nearby! We went to see Dear Evan Hanson, and it was so good!

This past weekend, we traveled to San Antonio for another competition, while DJ traveled to Fort Worth for a game. Megan placed 3rd in floor, 5th in Beam, 7th on Bars, and 9th on Vault, and placed 7th all around! We were so proud of her! 

While we were cheering Megan on, we also cheered on our horns to a victory over TCU!

It was a pretty great weekend!