Holiday Happenings

It's been a while since I posted! We've had a busy busy house here!

Reagan is finally done with school and we are SO happy that she gets three weeks off so we can enjoy some quality family time together.  During her third week off we are planning a trip to Seaworld because we figure most folks will be back in school by then.

We got our tree and decorated it! Sorry no pictures of it decorated yet, but here's one of my wonderful husband securing it to the stand.

I finished shopping! Yay!

I got all the Christmas cards out! Here are my two favorites:

Santa came by our neighborhood (or as the girls say...one of his helpers), and handed out candy canes.  Funny enough, Reagan couldn't remember anything she wanted for Christmas, but Skylar started giving him "the list."  I can't wait to see their faces on Christmas morning when they open gifts!!

I was able to get almost everything wrapped because Reagan and Skylar are spending a few days with my parents.  We forgot how easy it was to have just one child.  We even went out to dinner and it was so quiet I was able to eat and enjoy my meal.

Bailey has been doing MUCH better with her toddler bed.  She is napping in it now and she is sleeping MOST of the night in it.  She usually wakes once.  If we don't hear her right away, she just runs into our room and climbs into our bed. We'll get that one figured out soon!

Mom's birthday is tomorrow so we're going out tonight with them and walking around a neighborhood known for their Christmas light display (and I'm making a dark chocolate cake!).

Into the home stretch for Christmas!

I hope your "week before Christmas" is blessed!!

Not So Silent Nights

This kid.

I love that sweet face.  Her kisses and snuggles make me melt.  But it's not all sugar and spice.  I think the Lord knew what He was doing when He made her our third.  If she had been our first, she probably would have been an only child (funny enough, B's mom says the same thing about him).

She can destroy a room in less than ten seconds (which is how she got the nickname Hurricane Bailey).

If she's not happy, you know (it's hard to miss the screaming at the top of her lungs).

She literally doesn't stop eating.  She should weigh 40 pounds or more with how much she consumes, but she doesn't stop moving either, so she's still only 21 pounds.

She started climbing before she could walk.

Most recently......

She has decided she hates naps and bedtime.  It used to be so easy.  If you put her in bed, she would lie down, say nigh-night, blow you a kiss, and go to sleep.  Gone are those days.

Now she protests every nap and every night.  One night last week, we "battled" it out until almost 2am.  She was finally asleep in her bed and I went back to my bed, only to have her wake up screaming at 4am.  This momma's tired.  It's only been complicated by the fact that she has discovered how to climb out of her crib.  Two nights ago, her bedtime "fussing" turned into an all out "cry for help" so I ran into her room to find her hanging on the outside of her crib (two inches from the ground...but she didn't know that).  I helped her down and she spent the rest of the night in our bed (her favorite place to be).  She made it quite clear that we needed to turn her crib into a toddler bed.  I was hopeful that she would love the "new bed" but that was not the case.  Now, her entire schedule is off.  She falls asleep out of exhaustion at random times.  In random places.  Like sitting up in our bed. Or in her highchair.  Or the couch.

I'm hoping we can get back into a routine soon.  I miss my sleep.  And my bed.  She's lucky she's so cute. :D

The gift of music

When my dad was little, his parents purchased an upright piano for him to learn how to play.  He spent a few years in lessons, but then the piano just sat for a while.  I remember going to my grandparents house and "playing" with the piano.  When I was old enough, my grandparents gave me their upright piano and I started taking lessons.  They were not cheap and when we hit some hard times financially, my piano lessons were the first to go.  So, it has been sitting at my parents house.  For years.  The girls have "played" with it, much like I did when I was little.

When we moved 7 months ago, the piano came with us.  Reagan would sit and "freestyle" for long periods of time, so we wanted to encourage her love of the piano by getting professional lessons.  She started in September (just three months ago), and had her first recital last weekend.  I was so proud I cried.

She was SO nervous! She kept telling me that she felt like her legs were shaking (they probably were!).  She played a duet with her teacher and it was beautiful.  She is so glad to have it behind her, but I'm so proud of what she has accomplished thus far.  Her teacher says she has a natural gift with music.  (I knew it!).

I love that she is learning something other than academics, and even more grateful that our lovely piano has someone to play it the way it was meant to be played.

Baileys cheese grin

Waiting for her turn to play

Here is a link to the video of her very first recital song, "Jolly Old St. Nicholas."
Reagan's Recital Video
(Blogger isn't letting me upload a video so hopefully you can access it through facebook)

Get out!

I've been told numerous times that it's important to go on "dates" with your husband.  I think it's equally as important to get away overnight without kids.  With little ones (especially nursing ones), it's not always easy to carve out the time.  It's not that my husband and I don't love spending time together, it's just not always easy to put our needs ahead of our children.  In the parenting class that we took at church while we were expecting Reagan, they said one statement that has always stuck with me:
"To be a good mother, you must be a good wife" and the same is true for men, "to be a good dad, you must be a good husband."

Some might see that as archaic. I don't.  It basically says that I CANNOT neglect my role as a wife, if I'm going to succeed as a mother.  Sometimes moms (and dads) just need to get out of the house.  Alone. In the chaos of life with kids, it's easy to get tired and not connect with your spouse.  You forget to say "I love you."  The only hands you hold are your children's in a parking lot.

When we lived with my mom and dad, we tried to go out and eat occasionally, but then my mom got sick and it was harder to find a sitter.  Plus, I've been either pregnant or nursing for 5 years, so that's hampered our attempts.  :D Honestly (and sadly), it just wasn't a priority.

So it had been a long time since we had even had a meal together, and almost FIVE years since we had gone away overnight.

But, I'm no longer nursing (Yay!), and my mom is healed (Praise God!), and she only lives 45 minutes away.  So, in the midst of trying to figure out a good gift for my husband's birthday (that happened to fall ON Thanksgiving this year), I had the brilliant idea to surprise him with a weekend away since he would have Friday off anyway.

My dad helped us secure a hotel with his timeshare rewards, and my mom agreed to come stay all weekend at our house.  I told him that we were going out for dinner in Newport Beach the day after Thanksgiving to celebrate his birthday.

My mom arrived on Friday morning (and of course we had to hit a few Black Friday sales), and then Brian went to get new tires on his car.  He wanted to get the tires done before we drove all the way down to the beach.  It worked out perfectly.  While he was getting new tires, I packed our bags.  I threw them in the garage under a blanket and did my hair and makeup.  When he got home, he said he needed to shower quickly before we left for dinner.  While he was showering, I took the bags from the garage and put them in the trunk.  We said good bye to the girls (and I grabbed his phone charger on the sly and shoved it in my purse) and took off for "dinner."  After we got to our hotel, I told him that I wasn't taking him to dinner at the Marriott, but that we were staying all weekend. He was completely surprised!

We had dinner at a very nice Italian restaurant on the water, and realized that we were done eating in less than ten minutes. It's amazing how quickly a meal goes when you don't have children with you!

The funniest part of the weekend was that we watched two movies in the hotel and they were both kid movies!

Even though things weren't "perfect" (gotta love the untimely arrival of Aunt Florence), it was nice to just exhale and enjoy each other's company.

We drank coffee in the morning, and walked around the beach.

We held hands.

We had uninterrupted conversations.

It was a weekend of rest, and we decided we would not wait five more years to get away again.  We came home refreshed and ready to be parents again.

The girls had a great weekend with Yaya and she loved the quality time with them.  It was a win-win situation all the way around!

If you haven't been out with your husband in a while, make it a priority.  You won't regret it.

The view from the lobby

This tree was not there the day we checked in but they transformed the lobby while we were there!

It was so beautiful and made me want to head home and start decorating!

Ba-bye Binky, Hello Disneyland!

A few months back, Skylar said she was ready for her binkies to go away.  Yaya (my mom) had promised her that if she gave up her binkies, she would take her to Disneyland as a reward.  Skylar asked if Reagan could go along too so mom and I decided that we would make it a girls trip (well, a girls over two trip since we left Bailey with Daddy).  We decided to go the weekend before Thanksgiving since it would be decorated for Christmas but not crazy busy yet.

We left early on Friday morning and checked into the Disneyland Hotel! Then, we rode the monorail over to Disneyland.

This is the tree in Downtown Disney on the way to the monorail.

We had a fantastic day with the girls! They loved seeing Tinkerbell, eating ice cream, and shopping!

(yaya and the girls with the sun in their eyes!)

They got a little tired and hungry so we took the monorail back to the hotel and had a nice lunch and some rest time.  They got their second wind and we went back to the park.  Oddly enough, one of their favorite parts was playing at Goofy's house in his "yard."  There are a bunch of those soft climbing structures (like they have at our mall).  My mom and I were laughing about it, because they can play on those things anytime, but they had a blast because they were "free" to just play and not wait in line or hold someone's hand.

As we were walking back from Toontown (and Goofy's house) we realized that the Christmas parade (LOVE that they still call it a Christmas parade) was starting so we grabbed a spot next to Small World to watch.  Skylar fell asleep while waiting.  So sweet.

She woke up just as the princesses were passing and two of them even waved at her and blew her a kiss.  It was the highlight of her day!

Skylar on Small World ride

Reagan on the monorail (her favorite part).

We were there until almost 9pm and then decided to head back to the hotel to watch the fireworks from our balcony.  It was so fun! We sipped hot chocolate and covered up with a blanket.  The hotel has a "fireworks" channel that you tune into so you can hear the music that goes with the fireworks.

The next day we had breakfast with the characters, then shopped around Downtown Disney and headed home.

The girls with Jasmine

It was a great trip filled with memories! I'm so glad the girls had a fun time, but even more glad the binkies are gone from this house!

My babies are growing up.....

This time of year!

It's been "one of those days" all week.  


I feel like a broken record lately.  "Don't touch that."  "Put your shoes away please."  "Who emptied the DVD drawer again!?" "No, you may not have another snack.  I'm making dinner."  "Turn the tv off."  "Who gave the baby markers?!" "Is your homework done?" "Wasn't this room JUST picked up?!"  "Did you hear what I JUST said?!"  "How in the WORLD did you climb OUT of your crib?!"


Some days feel like it would be more productive to just bang my head on a wall.  I know that we have made the decision for me to stay home, and deal with all the sacrifices that come with that.  It's for the greater good of the girls.  It's just that some days it doesn't feel like it's for MY greater good.   At the end of the day, I'm spent.  I have nothing left to give.  I know that feeling is not unique to SAHMs.  Working moms must feel like they have even less to give.  


Christmas seems to add a whole different layer too.  This week (even though we're only halfway through), I was lamenting about how much I needed to get done.  I have tons of gifts to buy (and praying money starts growing on trees), decorations to put out, a tree to buy and decorate, Christmas cards and letters to finish, cookies to bake, and memories to make.  It's easy to feel overwhelmed.  


Just when I start to feel defeated (and tired and cranky), it seems like the Lord sends me a little perspective.  He doesn't require me to do any of those things on my to-do list.  He just wants me to be with my blessings and cherish them for what they are.


There are plenty of folks that would love to have my to-do list if it means that they wouldn't have to sit in a hospital next to their sick child (like a friend of mine), or watch a loved one deal with a terminal illness (another friend of mine), or watch a marriage crumble (another friend of mine), or wonder how to pay for gifts because of unemployment (another friend), or even have children to celebrate the wonder of the holidays with (yes, another friend), or ache from losing a child (another friend).  


Perspective.  


Overwhelming.
  


This season I will count my blessings.  Even the ones that don't seem like it.  The baby is showing us she's not a baby anymore.  She climbed out of her crib (more than once), and is talking non stop, as well as "asserting" herself more.  I am thankful that she's healthy, bright, and obviously agile.  Skylar wants every toy in every commercial, and even the "as seen on tv" items that are not toys.  But I'm thankful she lacks nothing and has few cares in the world. Reagan has lists of things she wants to do over her Christmas break.  More lists.  But I'm thankful she loves Christmas as much as I do, and wants to spend time with her family.  


I am truly thankful for this time of the year.  With the hustle and bustle and long lists of things to do, I am still reminded that the greatest gift of all was given in the humblest of conditions.  A baby born in a stable.  There were no icicle lights, Christmas cards, or trees.  


My blessings are many, my burdens are few.  I'm praying the same for each of you.

I heart Faces (and tooshies!)

This weeks theme cracks me up! I didn't think I had any "tooshie" pictures, but I did come across this one that I just love.  This is Reagan, at almost a year old.  She loved to be outside so when she wasn't able to go out, she would just stand at the back door and look.  My favorite part is that she pulled up so fast, she usually crawled her little legs right out of her jammies! Enjoy!

Head on over to I Heart Faces and see everyone else's (totally appropriate and clothed) tooshies!

I heart Faces Sun Flare Challenge

I am so excited about this week's theme over at "I Heart Faces"! I actually read the "sun flare" tutorial before taking my girls' Christmas pictures, so when I placed them on the bridge and saw that the sun was behind them, I tried every which way to get some "flare" into my photos.  Of course I was shooting with a Canon so according to the Boybarian Dad, (author of the sun flare tutorial, and owner of a Nikon), these are not nearly as good as they could have been.  :D This is one of my favorites from that day.  I love that Bailey has her little hands in her pockets (she was not even posed to do that!).  Their expressions are just natural because daddy was being silly behind me.  I even ordered a few of these prints with the caption "May your Days be Merry and Bright!" on them.  Enjoy!

I'm not perfect

I know. Shocking. But it's true.

There's a song by Laurie Berkner (who just happens to also be my favorite children's musician), that has a pretty catchy tune. It goes something like this:

I'm not perfect
no I'm not
I'm not perfect but I've got what I've got
I do my very best, do my very best, do my very best each day
but I'm not perfect, and I hope you like me that way.

You're not perfect,
no you're not.
You're not perfect, but you've got what you've got.
You do your very best, do your very best, do your very best each day.
But you're not perfect, and you know I love you that way.

(Or you can click here to hear it yourself)


How nice that children can learn at such an early age that no one is perfect. Nothing is perfect. I've been trying to change my use of the words "that's perfect" around the girls as well.  I realized I was saying it too much when I started hearing THEM say it.  Reagan likes things "just so" and can often be heard telling Skylar that she's not doing something right because it's not perfect.  I'm now trying to teach them that NO ONE is perfect.  Well, except for ONE person, but we'll get back to that.

I've struggled for years with perfection. Even as a child, I wanted things "just so." Now, one of my favorite songs that plays on my playlist is Francesca Battistelli's "Free to be Me." My favorite line is when she says, "Perfection is my enemy." Isn't that the truth?! Perfection IS my enemy. I will never achieve it, so it becomes a vice that destroys me.

When we moved into this house I wanted things "just so" but when my mom had her brain aneurysm and subsequent surgery, my plans took a back seat. So the house wasn't finished when we moved in. I tried to quickly get things in order but it felt like each step I took, I had to take two more backwards. I painted the cabinets. Then the paint peeled. So I painted them again. After sanding and priming again of course. We had a leak in our drain pipe in the garage. So after getting it repaired it took our home warranty company over a month to get someone to come out and seal up the drywall where they had cut into the wall to get to the pipe. Of course in that time, our little mice friends had moved in. So then we had to get rid of those icky creatures. It seems like projects get started but not finished. My bathroom still has wallpaper that I hate (and lots of spots where I got sloppy with the paint). My pantry has new contact paper in it, but it has bubbles in it. And only half of the cabinets have been contact papered at that. My sink has dried paint in it. I haven't cleaned a single window. The girls don't have curtains or pictures on their walls.  My dust ruffle on my bed is torn and 6 inches too short.  I could go on and on.

I found that when people were coming over, I was making excuses about why my house looked the way it did...unfinished. "It's still a work in progress" I would say.

Aren't we all?

I like to do lots of things, but I don't think I'm terribly great at any of them.  Far from an expert, and certainly not perfect.  I was beginning to start each day, feeling defeated.  I would exercise and eat right, but the scale wouldn't move.  I would pick up and pick up and pick up but the house would still look like 3 little girls live here.  I would attempt a new recipe only to have my girls make icky faces and I would end up making quesadillas for everyone.

Then I was driving and a song came on the radio that released me from my drive to perfection (probably not once and for all, but at least for now). I've loaded it to my playlist but wanted to give you the words also.

Natalie Grant-Perfect People

Never let Him see you when you're breaking
Never let Him see you when you fall
That's how we live
and that's how we try

Tell the world you've got it all together
And never let them see what's underneath
You cover it up, with a crooked smile
but it only lasts
for a little while

There's no such thing as perfect people
There's no such thing as a perfect life
So come as you are
Broken and scarred
Lift up your heart
and be amazed, be changed
by a Perfect God.

Suddenly it's like a weight is lifted
When you hear the words that you are loved
He knows where you are, and He knows where you've been
and you never have to go there again.

There's no such thing as perfect people

There's no such thing as a perfect life

So come as you are

Broken and scarred

Lift up your heart

and be amazed, be changed

by a Perfect God.

Who lived and died to give you life

to heal our imperfections

so look up

and see love

and let grace be enough

There's no such thing as perfect people

There's no such thing as a perfect life

So come as you are

Broken and scarred

Lift up your heart

and be amazed, be changed

by a Perfect God.

Thank goodness I'm not expected to be perfect.  I'm so thankful for a husband that knows my imperfections and loves me in spite of them; children that know I'm not perfect, but still love me "to the moon and back"; and a God that created me to be imperfect so that I could find perfect peace in His grace and a promise of a perfect eternity in heaven.

I heart faces Autumn Beauty

This weeks theme over at "I heart faces" is "Autumn Beauty."  I don't normally participate because I'm so new to this photography thing, but the theme this week made me think of our pumpkin patch pictures, so I'm diving in! It was hard choosing just one photo, but this one is just a favorite.  Enjoy!

Merry Christmas Makeover!

I know, I know....it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I just LOVE Christmas! I'm ready to start decorating now! Since we are not having Thanksgiving at our house this year, I don't feel a need to keep the Fall decorations up.  It may have something to do with the Christmas stuff that has popped up in every store I visit.  Or the fact that we took our Christmas card photos this past weekend.  Or maybe it's just because I love Christmas and want to make it last as long as I can!

Whatever it is, I'm ready to put on the Christmas tunes, sit with my peppermint mocha by a roaring fire, and enjoy the sparkle of a tree.

40 days to go!

Another Fix-it Friday Foto

Here's another attempt at playing with pictures thanks to the folks at I heart Faces.  I have Photoshop Elements 8, but I think my iphoto program works just as well for my needs.

Here is the original:

"Fixed" with Photoshop

"Fixed" with iphoto (I love my Mac!)

Wish I had more time to "play" today.  I know he has shadows under his eyes and some crazy color cast on his face, but maybe next week when I have more than three minutes. :D

I hope everyone has a blessed day (and weekend!).  I'm hoping to take our Christmas card photos this weekend (a girl can dream, right?).

Lessons Learned

Just a few tidbits I learned over the last week or so:

1. Designers on HGTV that say "A master bedroom should be a retreat, free of children's item" do NOT live at my house.  Nor do I think they have children.  My master bedroom usually has children AND their items in it.  They like my bathtub too.

2.  Never question a 3 year old when she says she is telling the truth.  Skylar commented on a child wearing a blue shirt and blue pants last week.  She said, "that girl is in all blue."  I replied "and you are in all pink!" She said, "Not ALL pink." I pointed out her pink pants, pink shirt, and pink shoes.  In my mind...all pink.  "No mommy, I'm NOT all pink, see?" She then proceeded to pull her pants down in the school parking lot to show me that her panties were indeed NOT pink.  I shouldn't have argued.

3.  Craigslist brings out the flakiest people!

4.  A good church service is like food to a famished body!

5.  My baby turned 20 months old yesterday.  I don't know why I continue to use months or when I will stop, but there is just such a major difference between 18 and 20 months.  Maybe next month I will start saying "She will be 2 in March" and let others do the math.  Maybe.

6.  I need to just get over the last ten pounds and buy new jeans so I can be comfortable. :)

7. We got rid of our highchair because Bailey kept standing up in it and I thought it was unsafe.  She figured out how to unbuckle herself and the tray didn't sit close enough to keep her in.  She wanted to be AT the table like her sisters, so we bought her a booster seat with a tray (and a buckle of course).  It's working beautifully.

See? She stays put nicely now.  Or not.

When you have monkeys for kids, you can't confine them.  No matter how hard you try.

8.  My kids are the target audience for EVERY commercial during the holidays.

9.  The best "gatherings" are sometimes the ones without much planning.

10.  Probably most importantly, no matter what the "odds" are according to man, God is still 100% on the throne and in the miracle business!  If you don't believe me, check out Mckmama's blog about her precious boy!

Hope you had a good week last week too! On to another busy week for us!

We have a Winner!

Wow! What an amazing turnout for my first giveaway! I secretly decided that for every ten entries I received, I would pick one winner (never assuming I would get past 19), but there were exactly 20!
So, I have TWO winners to announce!! I used random.org to generate two numbers for me.

But before I announce them, I wanted to extend an offer to everyone that participated.  My normal charge for a blanket is $15 plus $3 shipping.  If you entered, but did not win, I am waiving the shipping until January (just a little 'thank you' for participating).  Simply email me and I can send pics of my current fabric options.  Then, I will put it up on my etsy site with a listing specifically for you!

The two winners chosen by random.org are:

Jaimie at The Wonder Years
and
Julie at The Peapod Four (plus one)

Yay! Congrats ladies! Let me know if your blanket will be for a boy or a girl and I will send you the fabric options.

Have a blessed weekend!

A big finish!

I love projects! It's nice to have something to work on that has an actual ending (as opposed to the piles of laundry that seem to never end).  Of course, finishing it, is almost as exciting as starting it!

The last couple weeks, I have been working on a crib bedding project for one of my nearest and dearest friends, Beana.  She has three girls, like me, and wanted something new for bambino number three (Miss Lily).  She has a penchant for all things red, so she went looking for a red crib set, only to find that few exist (and those that do are WAY too expensive).  She knew that I had run into the same problem with my third (not finding the perfect crib set), so I ended up making my own.  She asked me to help her make one for Miss Lily and I was more than happy to oblige.

Beana has always been so giving, so I was happy to be able to give back a little something to her.  We both perused fabric websites and came up with a few ideas.  Ultimately, we both just fell in LOVE with Jill Finley's line "Meet Me In the Meadow."  Beana picked the red floral, the yellow dot, and the green vines (I picked the red vines to do the binding and ties on the bumper).  Since the nursery walls were already yellow, it was a perfect fit!

I found a bumper on clearance and use it as a "fill" bumper (so much easier than actually measuring!).  Out of the red floral (Beana's favorite), I did a straight crib skirt; then used all three fabrics to make a crib quilt.  Since she said, "I will be using it, not hanging it up" I used high quality, low loft, cotton and bamboo batting.  The backing is a solid red fabric that I happened to have in my stash.  Altogether, the project took six yards (not including the backing). I told Beana it took 3 yards so that I could surprise her and bless her with the remainder...shhh, don't tell her. :D
(Sorry about the quality of the pictures. They really do not do this fabric justice.  My camera is on it's last leg and flashes whether I want it to or not; even with tons of natural light).

I used EVERY last bit that I could.  This is literally all I have left (one 8 inch square and some yellow strips).

The bumper has all three fabrics in 26 inch sections.  The binding is the red vines (as well as the ties).

The quilt is my favorite part.  Beana and I played with a block layout and she picked the red center.  I love how it turned out and think she made the right choice! The red is definitely the highlight here!! After I got it stitched together, I decided to do just an antique triple saddle stitch. I didn't want to do anything freehand that would take away from the beauty of the fabric itself.

The rest of the red floral was used for binding (and then washed and dried to make it wrinkly).

I wish I had enough to make a sheet and curtains for her, but it wasn't in the budget for either of us this time around.  Maybe someday :)

It was so fun to work on, and equally as fun to be done.  Since my creative space is my dining room table, it's always nice to put the machine away (even for a day).

And my living room that serves as my "layout" space has been returned to it's tidy state (with blankets and the crib set all ready to go to their new homes)

Maybe once it is placed in Lily's nursery, she will post pictures of it actually "in use."

On to my next project!

Today is the last day to enter my giveaway! I will be picking a name tonight and posting tomorrow. Good luck everyone!

The Patch and Princesses

Every year we go out to the pumpkin patch, ride ponies, feed goats, take a hay ride, and pick pumpkins.  I always love the pictures that result.  We figured out this year that going on a Friday is MUCH better than going on a Saturday or Sunday.  It was fairly empty and a whole lot less stressful.  It was close to sunset so the lighting wasn't all that great, but the girls didn't seem to mind.

Bailey hitching a ride out to the patch in a wheelbarrow

My little Hercules

I attempted to get a shot of all three girls, but they were NOT havin' it!

Another attempt

I finally gave up and just took pictures of the girls individually

We had so much fun!

Halloween rolled around and we were part of our church's "Trunk or Treat" at the Fall Festival.  Since we were so busy, I hardly had a chance to take pictures of the girls in their costumes.  But I did manage to get a few.  We don't make a big deal out of Halloween at our house.  The girls just chose costumes from our dress up chest.  I did end up having to make a headband for Reagan, but I think that's a piece of cake compared to the work some parents put in for their children's costumes.

Reagan was a flower girl, although everyone guessed she was a princess.

(and yes that is Christmas stuff behind her.  Our trunk was decorated with a Christmas theme for the Halloween Trunk or Treat.  You work with what ya got!)

Skylar was Sleeping Beauty (and would NOT stand still for a picture)

Bailey was Snow White (and discovered a love of chocolate)

Personally I'm glad to have Halloween behind us so folks will take down their ghoulish decorations and put up their "Fall" inspired ones instead.  I much prefer Harvest to Halloween.