Trick-or-Treating

How adorable are they!?

 We joined our neighbors this Halloween evening.  Keri took the two cutest kids in the world around to door to door collecting loot and practicing good trick-or-treater manners, thanking all bestowers of candy.  Neal got out the bug spray and camped out at our front door to give out goodies.  Sophie enjoyed seeing the jack-o-lanterns and commenting on scary decor while Rhys was very content to walk from house to house with his bag and newly found dead leaf in hand. 

They kids went down for bed on time as tomorrow is preschool and Mommy and Daddy enjoyed rummaging through the children's spoils.  Happy Halloween!

Carving the Pumpkin

Pumpkin, pumpkin I've been thinking
You're the finest one I've seen.
Soon you'll be a jack-o-lantern
All lit up for Halloween!

Sunday night we enjoyed more family time by carving the pumpkin and making treats.  Sophie indicated what shapes and features she desired on the pumpkin while Daddy outlined them.  Once Neal removed the top it was great to see the kids reaction.

Eeeeeeeeeeewww!

While Neal finished carving, Keri served up hot apple cider and roasted up the pumpkin seeds.  Neal's was a spicy Cajun and Keri's a sweet cinnamon and sugar.  Great way to use up more parts of the pumpkin!

Trunk or Treat

Saturday was our church's Trunk or Treat so we got our little witch and pirate in the car and headed over. 

The kids enjoyed popcorn and cotton candy before the parade of costumes.  Sophie won "Most Colorful Costume" and was pleased to be recognized as such. 

Dad took the kids around to get the goodies while mom handed out Halloween themed toys to the little and not so little trick-or-treaters.  The kids had a good, safe time and we adults enjoyed chatting with friends and viewing all the cute kids.

Hot Stuff

Keri is still having a blast trying new recipes several times a week. Our new way of eating has been fun and satisfying.

Pear-Cranberry Upside-Down Gingerbread



Sweet Potato-Cauliflower Gratin with Crispy Sage Leaves

Other dishes we have enjoyed recently are Acorn Squash Quesadillas with Tomatillo Salsa, Apple Cider Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Apple Slaw, Okonomiyaki (savory Japanese style pancake), Maple Balsamic Dijon Salad with Strawberries and Pecans, and Gorgonzola Garlic Bread.  So good!  We tweak things when needed to meet our updated healthy eating standards but splurg when we see fit.  We've had some less than memorable meals sprinkled in there too but who wants to hear about those, right?!  

Cattle Drive

Keri and the kids raced to one of our local parks to meet up with Daddy again this year for the second annual Cattle Drive to kick start the Texas Stampede Events. Some of the long horn cattle moseyed kind of close so we got a real good look at them as they walked down our city streets to the event center.  Rhys was happy to converse with them with his happy "Moo! Moo!"

Day of Service

Our stake (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that live in a designated geographical area) performed a day of service for our communities. Hundreds of hours of service provided by men, women, and children of all ages blessed the lives of those in and not yet of the church. Fire hydrants were painted, land was cleared of brush, fences repaired, care packages created, materials for the local women's shelter collected, and so forth were just some of the acts of kindness provided.

 

One side of the tree remaining after the other side had been removed down to the bottom of the split.

We were also grateful to personally receive help with felling the remainder of our large front yard tree. It was removed down to a stump and hauled away in one morning.  It was split down to one foot above the ground and we did not want it to cause harm to our neighbor's or our own property.  We were very appreciative.  What would have taken several hours and hundreds of dollars was done in approximately 3 hours at to cost to us.

While Neal assisted with the tree, Keri and the kids met at the church to decorate items for care packages.  We colored, glued, and tied ornaments that will be included in Christmas care packages to military service persons and missionaries.  We were happy that our littlest ones were able to give back to others as well.

Thanks for all the help we received and for being able to participate in such a well organized event.

Roar!

Awesome Dad

Tender moments: Daddy, kids, and cartoons!

We've All Done It

Our kids discovered that crayons on windows can be fun until you have to clean it up.  Sadly, Sophie did not fully embrace this lesson and used crayons on the walls, doors, switch plates, and dresser a couple weeks later.  Thank goodness for Mr. Clean Magic Erasers!