This is Halloween

I know I already posted a few pictures of the kids in their costumes, but I had to snap a few more on the actual night of all the festivities, right?
Trey was the puppet master this evening so I could greet all the goblins and ghosts at our door...although it's been a bit slow going.
Hazel was the puppet and August was "Mustache Man".
I'm super proud of both the kids this year. They came up with their own costumes and were totally original.We couldn't leave out our biggest chicken:

Waiting For Sufjan

Hazel's Pumpkin

Field trip

Photographs

I finally got around to getting pictures taken of the kids!
I would highly recommend our friend Monica Wilkinson if your family is in need of some updated pictures. Take a look around her website...holy COW! Looking at her newborn pictures makes me want to have one just so she can snap some shots!

Trey's Birthday Treat

My LIttle Note Collection

Every once in a while I'll go to bed and as I'm moving my pillows around I find a note. Sometimes the note has words, sometimes it has pictures, but all the time it is amazing!
When I hear the crinkle of paper I get as excited as a kid who just lost their first tooth. I'm not even kidding!
Hazel's notes have often come at the end of a rather rough day. She has an amazing sense for when I could use a little pick-me-up. And her notes are just the thing.
This last one says:
"I love my momy. I hog and kiss her evrey day. I miss her when I'm at shcool and when she is away. When I am mad at her I still love her. When she is sick or srest (stressed) I triy to help. I don't caer if I donet hav a berth day or get eny toys I still love her."

I mean come on! She's killing me lately!

On Our Day Off

The kids don't have school today and both of them have requested a chill day. Can't say that I blame them, seems like we've been going and going and going everyday.
Hazel did have a Girl Scouts event that she almost missed because I had the time wrong, but thankfully her wonderful troop leaders drove past the house to pick her up so she didn't miss a thing.
Once Hazel came home I gave the kids some video time before calling them up to make caramel apples. Let me be clear- I love caramel apples, so when I bought the bag of caramel I said I was doing it all for the kids...you know, so they'd have something fall-ish to do on their day off...but really? My mouth has been watering just thinking about making them.
Growing up in Michigan meant that there were several trips to apple orchards to pick fresh apples, eat warm apple donuts and drink delicious cider. Oddly enough, there are no orchards out here that do any of that. So, I buy the apples, and eat pumpkin donuts from Top Pot instead.

*Photo from Top Pot website

You gotta make do with what you've got, right?
Back to the caramel apples...In my humble opinion, the best caramel apple out there comes from a little store in Michigan called Kilwin's. I will always make time to pick a few up when I visit. Often saying that I will share them only to sneak down when no one is looking and slice them up all for myself. It's shameful, I know.While these apples don't look as pretty as Kilwin's I'm sure they'll do for now. Both August and Hazel helped out by melting the caramel, but once it came to covering the apples I just had to take over. It was pretty easy. I can totally see this becoming an autumn event in the Many house.

While Waiting for August's First Piano Lesson

Pretty Penny