Halloween 2013

Oh, what fun is Halloween! This was our first year celebrating the scary holiday in our new home but we were pros at hitting up the GCC neighborhood and parading around at Sinking Springs trunk or treat.  Hunter was dressed up as a very handsome knight and Lucas was a very scary (or very cute) little black spider.  Our old neighbors the Mathesius's and now our new neighbors in GCC hosted a pre trick or treating Halloween party where we all hung out and had pizza and treats before waking the neighbors with a herd of screaming children all begging for candy.  Well, it wasn't exactly like that.  The kids were very well behaved and used some great manners when asking for candy.  I was very proud of them all.  Even the bigger kids were helping the smaller ones.  After all, it takes a village.

This post is specifically for Matt and Kelly.  These are two of the cutest and sweetest kiddos I know.  They are the best of friends.  Larkin looks great in her costume, but I will be very glad to see JoJo the clown costume on sale at wee-cycle this year!!

Friends and classmates hanging out at Sinking Springs trunk or treat.   If I had to peg a favorite holiday for Lucas it would have to be Halloween.  Tricks, treats and costume fun are exactly his idea of a good time.

My car for trunk or treat.  I think this is year number 6 for me.  I never win, but I put in a good effort for the kids.  There is always next year….it will be our last at Sinking Springs preschool. I am getting a little misty just thinking about that.  My how the time flies.

Our BFF's dressed as you know who for the holiday fun.  They score major parental points for donning such festive attire!!

And they are all ready to go!  Hunter looks like a giant!

The rest of the gang and our best attempts at a photo before the made release!

Our sweet little bat taking a break from all the walking.  I bet he stopped after every house to take inventory on his candy.

Cutest knight I've ever seen.

SCORE!!

And last, but certainly not least, was the Sullins Halloween party.  It was a family affair including games, arts and crafts, storytelling and sweets.  Hunter did start the day in part of his costume, but if you know Hunter he doesn't ever like to do things that are out of box…like wearing your Halloween costume to school.  I mean, who really likes doing that anyway?

As the boys continue to grow the holidays are getting increasingly more fun.  I hold on to each and every moment for I feel like in a blink of an eye they will be gone.  I love these two little boys more than I ever thought I could love anything in my entire life.  We are one blessed family.

Beach to Battleship 70.3

 It took me a minute to remember where in the world the boys would be swimming at night in the fall around here and then I recalled our trip to Wilmington, NC for our Beach to Battleship 70.3 Ironman.  This trip was both rewarding and a nightmare all at the same time.  The kids and my parents were able to join David and I for one of our crazy racing adventures, but with record low temps for the region and managing 3 kiddos for the grandparents for a race that last at least 5 hours was a little challenging.  It was great to have them all there to see us finish and fun to have them involved in the festivities surrounding the race for the weekend but we might have learned a lesson here.  All racing needs to be done sans kiddos until they can all fend for themselves!!!

 Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of David and I on race day.  So sad and i am not going to let that happen again!  I thought mom took a picture of us at the finish but I'm not sure where it is!  Oh well, like I said earlier Wilmington had record low temps for the day and when we jumped in the water that morning it was a chilly 36 degrees.  The water temperature was around 72 so when we jumped in it almost felt like a bath.  We swam in a channel off the Inter-Coastal Waterway and the swim course is known for being super fast as you swim with the incoming tide.  Not this year, it was a flat tide.  No swift current for us, but we did have a little and we will take any advantage we can get.  The bike course was flat, long, windy and cold.  Not much more to say about that.

We took a visit to the historic battleship anchored in the port city.  It was fabulous and there was so much to see and the read about.  The boys were only interested in these three things and in this order:  where did they use the bathroom, where are all the guns and where do they store extra bullets?  One day when they are older we will have to take them back.  I confess, I love American history, I want to go back and read up on all the interesting stuff we waltz right past while look for the loo.

Even record low temps couldn't keep my boys off the beach.