halloween 2016

halloween 2016 is officially in the books. we scaled back this year and it still managed to wear.me.out.  mclain chose the grinch because it's his favorite book.  aplin had a hard time choosing between disney princesses (because obviously) but once she saw elsa's tiara, her mind was made up. and penny was a giraffe because our annual halloween theme was non-existent this year and because i found the costume on trading up for $7 (done and done) also, look how cute she is!

the arm around penny's shoulder. i can't handle the sweetness.

the costume came with a hat. but when do the kids ever wear the hat or mask? 

she didn't even like her costume and i may or may not have bribed her with a sucker every time she had to wear it. and by the time she finished her sucker...she realized how cute she looked and how fun costumes are, except the hat. the hat was never fun.

trick-or-treating at marmee and grandad's...eating the candy as soon as they get it.

our school has a tricycle parade every year. the kids love it! i love it! i love seeing all the costumes and it's just a magical time for the little ones. i posted all videos on my insta-stories and need to edit them and put them up on our youtube channel...check back later. 

 

 

our school also puts on the best trunk-or-treat. with all the trunks filled with candy, cute decorations and fun games...the families of southcrest go all out! and they love the bounce houses and train ride. mclain is very aware and anxious of the scary halloween costumes and decorations, which is another reason we opted for the trunk-or-treat instead of the traditional trick-or-treating in the neighborhoods.

 pops met up with us at the trunk-or-treat and surprised us with his clever costume....
"the last can of who hash" -- how the grinch stole christmas

 explaining his costume.
penny thought this was the perfect opportunity to look at (and eat) all her candy.

silly girls.

halloween 2016...you were a good one.

mommy/daughter date

while mclain and his pops were camping.  the girls and i had a great weekend filled with shopping, playgrounds and junk food. saturday night, penny got to spend time with her grandparents, while aplin and i had a mini mommy/daughter date of dinner and dessert. she was so excited to wear her elsa dress, wonder woman tiara and cinderella slippers heels. bun-bun (her bunny) even came along on our date. i am loving these sweet moments with my not-so-little girl.

pie five - silly selfies - super hero moves - frozen yogurt with ALL the toppings. 

what the picture doesn't show that i will post to my instagram...she used the 20 foot long booth as a trampoline. maybe next time our date will be more fitting of what a three year old likes....

cousin camp 2016

swimming. crafts. pokemon. rockets. zootopia. slumber parties. abilene zoo. 

build your own sundaes. ice cream sandwiches with sprinkles. gummy worms. pink starbursts. and all the capri suns. lots of laughs. all these make for a great cousin camp and memories to last a lifetime. 

crazy thankful that i get to call these people family. 

thank you to wes and holly! thank you for opening up your beautiful home for another unforgettable cousin camp!

big hugs and lots of love,

m, s, mc, a + p

  

tour de texas

this past week we drove 1,380 miles. we were gone for 7 days. 6 nights. we stayed at 3 different families' homes. we visited some of our very favorite people. we traveled to dallas, down to houston, a quick day trip to galveston and a not-so-convenient pit stop to the magnolia silos in waco on our way home. we spent our time in the sun and in the pool, eating the best home cooked meals, staying up too late, skipping nap time and exploring new places. we didn't want the fun to end, but you can only expect the best of friends to welcome this loud circus with open arms into their homes for so long. every mile. every potty break. every penny girl meltdown was worth the time together as a family and with our friends...who we consider family. 

here's a few photos of the great memories that were made.

~DALLAS~

other than our friends, the place we might miss most in dallas is northpark. the mall that is greater than any other mall...why, you ask. it is the mall without kiosks. you can roam from store to store without being bombarded by sales pitches. 

the flowers, the art, the stores, the restaurants, the lack of panhandlers....it's all so heavenly.

~HOUSTON/GALVASTON~

~WACO/MAGNOLIA~

what a special week that will be forever in our hearts!

big hugs,

m, s, mc, a, + p