OH, October!

Where did the month go? We are well in to November now. The jack-o-lanterns are destroyed, the witches, bats, ghosts, and goblins are put away, the turkeys are out, and cookbooks are getting dusted off.  But where did October go??  It is probably my favorite month of the year, and it fleeeeew by so fast this year. 

In a vain attempt to wrap my head around the fact that I did indeed live through the month, and experienced all 31 days of it, here's a recap of the goings on:

The first October event was race spectating.  My friend Gena, the little ones, and I had the privilege to watch BBH and his friend Corey complete a half marathon.  Despite it being cold and windy, we had a ball and the guys did great.

Next on the calendar was Fall Break. It came early this year, which was fine by me.  The boys and I took our annual fall trip to see my folks in Texas.  We ended up spending one of the days going to a park in Glen Rose that is the home of some real life fossilized dinosaur prints in the bedrock of a river.  It was INCREDIBLE to witness true life history. It was like nothing I have ever seen before.  Pretty amazing to be stepping in the print of a creature that lived millions of years ago.

We also did some shopping while we were there, visiting the Frisco mall, and taking a ride on the carousel. It was a nice visit, and good to spend a little time with Mom and Dad before the chaos of the holidays set in.

The next week was kind of quiet.  We have been working hard on getting Smaller Child potty trained, which meant we really needed to stick close to home. I used that time to clean out the house (going through cabinets, drawers, closets and things) and even cleaned out the attic.  I found a dolly from when I was about EB's age, Bonnie. I loved her, and hoped SC might do the same. We also had time to do some fun art projects while we were home.

The next week, Larger Child got to go on a trip to California with his Nana and cousin.  They went to visit his aunt (BBH's sister) and her family.  They got to go to Disneyland, see a tidepool, go to their cousin's bday party, and visit family they rarely get to see. (I hear he even got to make lemonade from his great uncles lemon tree.) They had a ball!!

While we had the rare opportunity, BBH and I decided to take advantage of the single child household, and take SC to the Zoo.  It was a gorgeous day, and we had a really lovely time.

The week LC came back, began the flurry of Halloween activities.  School parties, Trick or Treating, costume making, and local fun! The week began with a trip to Storybook Forest where the kids walk a trail by the lake and trick or treat scenes from storybooks.  It has always been a family tradition, and a lot of fun.  Add in carnival games, and a hayride, and it is always a good time.

A couple days later, we got to don the squid and cow costume again to go trick or treating.  The boys did great and had a lot of fun this year.  Many more houses in our neighborhood participated, which was great.  Smaller Child didn't walk in to a single home, and they both made out like bandits!

Throw in some fall baking, birthday prep for someone's upcoming 8th bday, an anniversary celebration, and the usual daily routines, and you've got a good picture of October in the McQueen house. I LOVE IT! I am so blessed.

Now, on to November. Gratitude, turkeys, eating waaay too many fun sized snicker bars, and early Christmas shopping.  Good times ahead, ya'all!