My Faith and Joy… and Boys!

Okay, ready for Halloween pictures?  They’re worth the wait, I promise!

Look at this fiesty gang!  Becky was a pirate, Susie was a wolf, Jimmy was a ninja, Danny was a dinosaur (or dragon?  I never figured it out!), and Baby T was the cutest giraffe ever.  We had an awesome night, first trick-or-treating a little around our neighborhood and then with my in-laws nearer their house.  It was such a fun night, and the kids got so much candy we’re still going through it!

One of my favorite fall activities is pumpkin carving (I have so many fond memories of doing it when I was a child!).  But I’m usually hesitant to carve with the kids because I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to manage all the knives, mess, and general craziness that accompanies carving.  Fortunately, my father-in-law came to my rescue this year and did all the hard work for me!  Hooray for Pappy!

I had mentioned to my own dad how much fun I had carving with him when I was a kid, and he told me to make sure I documented if my kids stuck their hands in the pumpkin goo.  Well, two out of four ain’t bad – here’s the proof!

Jimmy took it upon himself to independently carve his own pumpkin.  Here’s his awesome creation – a three-eyed alien, complete with an eyebrow over each eye!

I always find it bittersweet putting the kids on the bus in the morning…I’m glad they enjoy school so much, but I’m sad to see them leave the house.  It always lifts my spirits to see the sun in the sky when I’m walking back up to the house after the buses pull away, especially when it’s a gorgeous fall morning like this one!

We’ve had a couple more lost teeth in the house – Susie lost one a few weeks ago, and Jimmy lost his second tooth last night (he pulled it out himself, brave boy!).  My favorite part about our lost-tooth ritual is reading the old book that my mom used to read to me when I was a kid (it’s the exact same book that she saved from my childhood!).  It’s about a brother and sister who get whisked away by the Tooth Fairy to a land where all the teeth are cleaned and displayed (the title of this post is a quote from the book – at the tooth fairy’s bidding, the kids slide down a magical slide exclaiming, “Loose tooth away!”).  I love how excited the kids get when they see me coming in to tuck them goodnight with that book under my arm!