Halloween 2011

*Warning: This post is not very well thought out and is a major picture dump.  Sorry if you're expecting something more eloquent.

Halloween was so great this year!  We went trick-or-treating with a couple families from church and it was pretty much perfect!  Spencer kept Alayna with him at the house with the other dads and another baby.  The other moms and I took the bigger kids out.  Madeleine and Ian are both big enough to really get it and really enjoy it.  Plus we were with really great friends!  No complaints from us whatsoever!  Hallie brought an extra cow costume for me to wear.  Madeleine told me I shouldn't wear it.  "That will be so embarassing!"  I'm not sure if she thought it would embarass her or me, but I did wear it and I wasn't embarassed at all.  I'll have to ask if she was.  Ashley's the cute witch in the middle.  You maybe can't tell but she is wearing a witch hat. 

This was not for Halloween.  It was just an instance of Maddie putting Alayna in dress-up clothes.  I love her nice round tummy.

Carving pumpkins was so great this year too!  Again, Madeleine and Ian are big enough to help, and appreciate what we are doing.  And they took a break from fighting with each other while we did it.  The icing on the cake was part-way through when Madeleine went and got the scriptures to read to us during the carving.  Thinking ahead, I tell ya. 

Ian as Ben 10.  I'm pretty pround of his costume.  I bought the pants at Goodwill for about $5 then used fabric paint to put the stripe on a white shirt we already had.  And the omnitrix (or ultamatrix, who knows?) we already had too. 

Good likeness, right?

This picture is horrible, but Madeleine's costume is adorable.  She had decided a few months ago that she wanted to be a fairy and we were planning to use some stuff we had and add a few things to it, hopefully items found at the thrift store.  Well, I happened upon this dress with the wings at Goodwill for $5.  Amazing, right?!  The dress was about 6 inches longer and there were some tears in the tulle, but I was able to make it the right length above the rips in the fabric and put the ribbon back on and it turned out just perfect.

 

Alayna was Marie from the Aristocats.  I haven't even seen that movie, but we've had this costume from when Madeleine was a baby so this is what Alayna got to be.  She only wore it to the Trunk-or-Treat at church and since it was actually pretty chilly that night, I think she was glad to be in such a warm get up.  Her face in this picture cracks me up!

We made it to a couple Fall Festivals too.  One at Maddie's school (no pictures from that one) and this one at the church where Ian goes to Pre-K.  They really went all out!  There were several different bounce house type things.  On this one, you see how long you can stay on the surfboard while it moves around.  Ian told me I messed him up by telling him to look at me for a picture.  Oops!  Sorry!

They also had a pony ride.  Oh and by the way, everything was free.  

Alayna wasn't too sure about the pony ride.  She was quite upset at first, but once they got moving and she realized Spencer was staying with her she calmed down.  I'm not prepared to say that means she liked it, but she didn't cry the whole time.  Just a little at first.

I can't believe how fast the year is going by!  I feel like I'm being catapulted into the holidays.  Am I ready?  Probably not, but I better get there.