hello again! halloween is approaching. i like halloween but i have never been a HUGE fan.  i never saw the point or ordering a costume from some magazine only to be seen wearing the same exact thing as another girl at the party or event. back in college, i relied more on good will and local thrift shops to find a hidden gem that would then become my inspiration for that year's halloween costume.  i remember being a pirate several times... a sailor, hippie, mummy. they always seemed easy enough.  since having kids, halloween has become more fun.  i love trying to get a bit creative with their costumes.  i still (for the most part) refuse to purchase an already made costume in a little plastic bag. it's more fun (and afforable) to put together my own costumes and thankfully i've had luck the past few years with some pretty adorable little outfits.  this year, trey and ruby will be pirates! i swore trey would change his mind and want to be iron man.  then again, i guess because he is iron man everyday then it wouldn't really be a halloween costume.  over the summer, i got these ADORABLE little skull & crossbones shoes for ruby.  they may have subconsciously been the decision to move forward with the pirate costume idea.  she will be wearing a skull onesie, black and white striped tights, a red sweater, an eye patch headband (we'll see how long that lasts), and of course her little shoes. she's still a bit young for anything too extreme.  trey's outfit is still in the works but will be a bit more elaborate. lots of black, white, red, skulls, jewelry, stripes, etc.  jake has been working to turn our wagon into a little pirate ship.  fingers crossed for nice weather!

ava has decided to be a devil.  SO out of character for her.  not really sure where the idea came from but it's want she wants and it seems easy enough! she is so well-behaved (most of the time), calm, relaxed, easy going...more like an angel in reality ---but a devil it is!  i always thought the oldest was supposed to be the toughest and most demanding.  i was the oldest and i know i sure was a fiesty little thing.. and maybe i still am ;)

my mom is coming into town in a few days.  she loves coming to visit and the kids love to see their nana.  she is their #1 fan and i think they are hers. she loves shooing me out of the house for what she calls mandatory me time but hey i won't complain.  ava calls her the #1 babysitter.. not that they've had many babysitters (they're usually with us) but ava loves the idea of a babysitter so we'll let her enjoy it. anyway, that is all for now!