Halloween 2015

We waited until the last minute to carve pumpkins this year! Joe and the kids cleaned, scraped and carved while I took pictures and worked on the chili and cornbread.

The kids picked some easy costumes for this year...

 The neighbors came over and brought some friends.

 Cooper had his group...

 Zoe had hers, which got quite a bit bigger...and we ended up with a full living room into the night.

Off they went, and Joe and I actually handed out candy together. We had lots of kids coming and going through the neighborhood and we had a great time at Todd's after party.  It was another fun Halloween here!

Pumpkin Patch

We were running out of time for our annual trip to the pumpkin patch! We had little bit of free time on Thursday night, so we ran out there to get some quick pictures (with Zoe doing homework on her laptop both ways!).

 There are a few traditions I'm not ready to give up yet! Thankfully, my kids indulge me. :)

 Zoe has grown quite a bit this year, Cooper not so much...

 Cooper wasn't as excited about this one!

 We had fun doing the corn maze in the dark!

It was a quick visit, but I'm glad we got the chance to squeeze it in!

Birthdays and decorating...

It felt like fall today, with a little rain and a beautiful rainbow! We celebrated Mimi's birthday and my birthday at lunch. The food was delicious, I was spoiled with gifts, and it was nice to just hang out for a bit.

 

 We we spent the evening decorating for Halloween...

 How is it October already?!

My actual birthday was a wonderful one! I took a few hours off in the morning to meet up with Jenny, Leslie, Larky, Kelly, and Marci at Mama Kat's (one of our favorite breakfast spots!). We wanted to catch up and reconnect since we haven't all been together since the course back in June, and give Larky some love and support. I'm bummed we didn't get a picture! I did manage to snap a shot of my coffee to go at my new favorite coffee shop though...

I went back to work and was spoiled with cards, gifts, songs from students, and lots of birthday wishes.  I also got heartfelt cards from Joe and the kids, and a few more gifts. I felt very blessed and loved today!

Success!

Mimi booked Cooper and Jax on a 12 hour deep sea trip today. They were very successful and had an awesome day!

 Gramps picked them up and they both brought home lots of fish to cook!

While Cooper was fishing, Zoe was working with my friend Christy on a film project she is doing for her Masters program at Chapman University. She's doing a documentary on the pressures of high school students, and juggling schedules when they do too much. Zoe fit the bill, so she interviewed her, me, and filmed her dancing at the studio.

It was a fun process and we can't wait to see the finished product!