Happy Halloween!

I've got some rules when it comes to Halloween.  First rule is that every single year I remind my children what All Hallow's E'en is celebrating: the Eve of All Saint's Day.  And we DO celebrate All Saint's Day with (well, Mass, per Holy Day of Obligation) no school, festive food, and usually big parties with a bunch of kids dressed as Saints, but this year, just us, dressed as saints around the dinner table.  We also do Litanies of the Saints by song, singing "pray for us" as we sing the names of ever single saint we can possibly remember!  It takes a long time and is one of my favorite traditions ever!

Rule #2: no scary costumes, and only happy pumpkins.  The happy pumpkins was my Dad's rule, and that's probably just because he's such a sweet man and my Mom also was pretty staunchly opposed to anything yucky/dark/or scary.  I know that some people simply boycott this holiday (I used to skip the trick-or-treating because I hate the ugly stuff too) but I'm personally out to reclaim it as rightfully ours, as we wear fun costumes (if not Saints on trick-or-treating night) and go get candy before the big Feast Day.

I love fall, I love feeling neighborly, and I love kids being able to knock on anyone's door and being greeted with smiles and treats.  I think in our society where we are all isolated in our own little homes and have precious little community, this is a worthy activity.

Rule #3 (it's not a rule): I LOVE it when we can coordinate our costumes as a family!! We have gone as the "Racing Sausages" and as the "Fellowship of the Ring".  This year, we went as playing cards.  Specifically, we were a "Royal Flush", with Joker, and some Clubs thrown in for good measure (and there were too many of us to just go as one hand).

Yes, we were a LARGE group of cards (we had some cousins join in for the fun!) and yes, we received many comments on our costumes.

I thought it was a great success!

Looking forward to All Saint's Day tomorrow!!

Sweet...

I guess it's legit.

I mean, she's like my one of three blog readers, and definitely my biggest fan.

And I got a complaint: I didn't do a birthday post.

There's a reason for this.  It's a milestone birthday, and she's my oldest.  I KNOW other people don't really want to hear my thoughts on my perfect, beautiful, oldest daughter who just turned sixteen.

They don't want to know that I journaled all night before her birthday, but I didn't blog.  I was remembering the drama that surrounded the birth of my first baby: being overdue, getting mis-scheduled and sent home from the hospital on the morning of my non-induction.  Crying all that day.  Going back the next morning to deliver a 9 pound  1 ounce baby girl in about 2 1/2 hours.

Falling in love with my baby.

Over and again, every day.  Probably making the whole world groan, but...

I told you there was a reason I didn't post.  Now she's asked for one, so this is all I've got.

Mom gush.

Because, she's sassy (and silly)

she has the worlds cutest friends, and she's so cute with them!

 

She's a complete selfie queen (and I love finding them on my phone--but she's probably going to kill me for this):

 And sometimes, I find artistic still-life's of her breakfast instead:

(Hint: She's a pinterest queen too.)

 More selfies: this time with sisters

Because she's an awesome big sister.  And something of a slave to Eowyn (who she secretly loves to serve).

Those eyes!!

 I love this: she and Aragorn were having a camera war at the apple orchard, trying to get pictures of each other between the rows of apples:

You know she's my photographer.  We wouldn't have any family pictures without her.

And when she makes me crazy, it's only because we are way too much alike, so...she doesn't want to do the things that I ask her to do because I don't want to do them....  (heh heh, sorry babe).

She's my friend.  I love her.

What else can I say?

Sixteen?

Ugh.  My heart.

Growing up too fast.  WAyyyyyyy to fast for me.

I've got to go cry myself to sleep now.  I love you Arwen.

Happy belated Birthday, my sweet sweet sixteen (and yes, I can hear you groaning!)

Fast October Update

1)  Meet Harry!

Bilbo fell in love with this little guy and came home from the pet shop determined to earn money for him.  I wasn't inclined to follow through on the purchase, but my husband was up for it, so...

how I can I say no to a 9 year old boy who wants a turtle?!

(photo credit: Arwen)

 2) "Miracle of the Sun" cookies.  Of course I have to blog this, because I didn't make them (Bilbo and Galadriel did), but they turned out so cute!  The 13th was miserably dreary, so the fake sun made me very happy!

3) Sneak peek at my "purple wiseman" for a nativity co-op I joined!  I can't wait to see what the other wooden dolls will look like!  These get a coat of Mod Podge, they have faces, and I added a different sparkle to their turban (you can't really see it in this picture, but there is purple glitter on their robes).  I'll try to remember to get a picture when they're all finished!

4) Just because I want to document, Bilbo got chosen to be the Miter bearer for the Bishop's Mass at our parish's 100th Anniversary Mass.  So special!

5) We've got two birthdays this week, and the first one is today: my husband's!  He's sitting with my little girls at ballet right now, but cake is waiting for him when he gets home!

Arwen turns 16 this week!  I hope to have some fun pics to share soon!  

Have a good week!

15 Months

15 Months

6 teeth

23 pounds

Walking!

It's funny, no one can ever imagine life without one of their children.  Each child is so unique that they are simply irreplaceable.  Not one of my other eight children is "Sam".  His looks, his personality, his scrumptious little self!

Why "Hello"!  Yes, I love you!

I caught Sam on the couch with his brothers watching football last weekend.  Sam really doesn't sit and watch TV, but I thought it was darling while it lasted.

And then, Eowyn.

Ok, Eowyn break.  Because she's my baby too--baby girl!

7QT: Fast Friday

(Linking up here)

I know, these are "quick takes".  I'm emphasizing "quick" today.

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Pumpkin Farming

 It's that time of year again!  We returned to our family's traditional pumpkin farm.  It was a gorgeous sunny fall day and we beat the school kids to the picking this year, so Bilbo scored an enormous pumpkin!

This fun trip made me acknowledge that my hopes of growing our own pumpkins this year were a fail.  I mean, I never even bought seeds.  Then it was too late.  But, if I had grown them, we wouldn't have had this awesome field trip.  I would, however, have saved myself $6 on Bilbo's pumpkin (robbery!)  Next year!!!  

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fuzzy friend

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Favorite new play space: the waiting room at Speech Therapy (for Legolas)!

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 I got this picture of my FIVE sons watching football.  Eowyn photobombed the "my boys" picture.  She's kindof owning it in her pink dress.  Princess among the throng.

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I call this "happy and happier!"

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Science

(Ginormous mushroom found in our yard after a rainfall.)

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Arwen's first sketch from art class.  Funny, I totally remember the kids who took art in my high school doing the exact same still life exercise.  Arwen isn't a huge fan of still life, but I thought she did a pretty nice job.