Trick or Treat Party 2013

Once again we hosted our annual Trick or Treat party and had such a great time!  Just something about excited children dressed up so cute in their costumes, and enjoying being out and about with friends and neighbors. 

We served up our traditional Halloweenies (hotdogs) and had a bit of backyard fun before venturing out for candy.

We had such a great group of kids this year!  I mean, they're all just so darn cute!  And I couldn't believe we got this picture with everybody mostly looking in the right direction.  

After the photos, Will was off and running with his buddies, while Meredith was content being pulled in the wagon.  She was definitely all about the candy this year, though, so she wasn't about to miss adding treats to her basket.

 We all had a great time even though the nice weather brought out the masses.  We started passing out candy when we returned home and had given out all of it (350 pieces) in just 20 minutes!  That was giving ONE piece per person!  Apparently, I need to start stockpiling candy in July.  Oh well, Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween: The Wolf and Little Red

Teddy Bear Tea Party

Meredith's sweet friend, Riley had a teddy bear tea party to celebrate her birthday.  These girls were born two weeks apart and have been buddies since birth!  It's been fun watching them grow from cute babies into playful little girls.

 Everyone dressed up fancy and brought their favorite teddy bear.  Meredith had fun accessorizing with the pearl necklaces and feather boas Riley's mommy provided.

The mini-cupcakes were VERY popular with the little ladies.

Riley was so cute opening her gifts and getting so excited about the tissue paper.  Hehe! 

 She got a couple of princess dresses to play dress-up, and the girls and a great time trying them out!

 Such a sweet little afternoon!  Happy Birthday, Riley!

Dean's Farm Market & Pumpkin Patch

Aaron's been very busy at work lately, often having to go in on weekends, but we were able to squeeze in a trip to the pumpkin patch the last Saturday before Halloween!  This farm is in Wilson, NC and has so many great things for a family outing! 

We checked out the market first, which include tons of pumpkins, gourds, hay bales, and fresh preserves.  The kids had a great time exploring before we took a hayride around the entire farm.  They included a Spookly scavenger hunt, and Will had a great time keeping an eye out for his favorite square pumpkin as we rode along.

Enjoying our breezy, bumpy ride!

 First stop, the little pumpkin patch.  Each kid gets to pick a pumpkin as part of the ride.  Will and Meredith enjoyed making their selections, before climbing back in the wagon.

Next stop, the barnyard to see some of the animals.  Meredith squealed over the little goats, and Will made friends with the donkey.

Attempt number one at a family photo... someone was not happy about saying goodbye to the animals!

 But the fun continued with a tractor/"train" ride!  Will was pretty pumped to ride "Little Thomas."

There was a huge playground we didn't get a chance to explore, before we had to get back for a friend's birthday party.  But that will give us something to look forward to next year!  Happy Fall, y'all!

Wigged Out Halloween Bunco!

Jacque, Kelly, and I signed up to host the October squadron coffee together!  After sweating to death putting together the ice cream social in July last year, we were pretty excited to have a much cooler month, plus Halloween kind of lends itself to a party!

I was totally inspired when I visited my friend Amanda in Utah last fall and she hosted a "Wigged Out" coffee for her squadron gals.  It was so much fun, I knew the Rockettes would love it, and why not add a game of Bunco in the mix!  I mean not everyone wants to pull together a whole costume, but folks can easily grab a wig and voila!  I decided to be a red head, though I'm pretty sure the one I selected was inspired by Ariel, and admittedly, it's so not my color! haha!

I had a blast decorating for this party and I was super impressed by my co-hosts' creepy culinary creations!  I thought the end result was pretty fantastic...

 It was a hilarious watching everyone arrive, looking the complete opposite of their usual selves!  From goth to glam, punk to sophisticated... I think we had it all covered!

 The dessert spread was pretty tasty.  I couldn't resist making my spiderweb cupcakes, but I loved Kelly's mini-caramel apples and Jacque's funfetti cheese ball shaped like a pumpkin...too cute!

What a lovely looking group of ladies, huh?!  

 Eventually, the dice started to roll and the fuzzy die started to fly...

Bunco!!!

Hiking at Hanging Rock

We decided to take advantage of the long Columbus Day weekend and take a family hike at Hanging Rock State Park. 

 It's only about an hour from Greensboro and right beside the town of Danbury, NC where my Nana grew up.  This is the church where she and Papa were married.  Such a sweet and simple building in a sleepy little North Carolina town.

 We borrowed a backpack carrier for Meredith from a friend and she loved it.  She's climbed into it ready to go, before we'd even finished eating our lunch.

 The hike to the top of Hanging Rock is only 1.3 miles, which was perfect for our crew, plus the scenery is interesting and gorgeous.

 Will loved these "caves," as he kept calling them.

 He did such a great job walking and climbing!  He only asked to be carried a couple of times when he got tired walking up hill.  Aaron would heft both kids for a little while, and when he would ask Will to walk again, he was ready and willing.

 Lots of slippery rocks, but I think we all enjoyed the little adventure.

 It was a pretty gray day, and rather cloudy when we reached the top.  It's still early in the fall, so at least we didn't miss a very colorful view.  Will kept asking if it was water underneath us rather than clouds.

 Occasionally, the clouds parted though and we got a pretty view...

THE Hanging Rock.

 On our way back down, we let Meredith out of the carrier for the walk back to the car.  She loved stretching her legs and walking alongside us.

 The whole family enjoyed getting out and enjoying the beautiful outdoors.  Looking forward to making this an annual tradition!