Gingerbread houses

The holiday season brings lots and lots of traditions around our house (and probably around yours too!).  For us, Gingerbread houses is definitely one of them. Joey and I started doing Gingerbread houses back with Danny and Stephanie when were kids...though I'm SURE Carolyn didn't get the pre-made, pre-assembled, pre-packaged kind.  I'm sure hers were home made and filled with love!

You can looks back and see pictures from over the years here 2015 and here 2016.  This year Hazel go her very own house to work on.  Next year we'll add Lincoln to the project table!

As always the decorating part is a little hectic with three kids, tons of candy and not enough adult hands to go around.  Somehow everyone needs something at the same time and then, in a blur its over and we have finished houses. 

The big kids are getting much better at listening to directions (like you can only eat one piece of candy) and Hazel was content just watching Ryan go to town on her house, sneaking her frosting when I wasn't looking.

These girls seriously are the sweetest and I can't wait to see how their creativity and personalities show in these houses over the years.  This is a tradition that is here to stay!

1 Family x 12 (Nov)

I'm so bummed I have a snow flake right over my eye...but everyone else looked so cute that I just decided to go for it and make this our family photo for November.  Want to know what's REALLY cool about this picture?  Someday (in the not too distant future) that big tree behind us is going to be made into a dining room table for our dining room!!

First step, she's coming down.  This is a huge oak tree standing in my parents front yard.  Its dead and they've been delaying having it taken down, but it's time.  First step of many to get that tree into a table...but it'll be so worth it!

Halloween 2016

Halloween has always been one of Ryan's favorite holidays.  I blame Breakfast Club at Perdue and him getting to dress up outside of the traditional Halloween festivities but whatever the reason, costumes go over pretty big at our house.

In the past Ryan's always roped his Mom into making us some really cute costumes but this year it just seemed like one more thing nobody really had time to do, so we took the kids to Target and let the run wild.  Hazel picked (with a LOT of help from me) this cute little Llama outfit.  It was warm and snuggly and cute and I think she looked adorable.

Going into the store Abby was CONVINCED she wanted to be something super scary.  Last year she was a dragon (or a dinosaur...I cant remember which she decided she was) and some kid told her she wasn't very scary.  Well, she remembered that a full 365 days later and she was certain she was going to pick the scariest costume they had.  In the end, she picked a Unicorn (hahahaha!).

The kids made quite a haul this year because we actually ended up going Trick or Treating twice.  Our annual beer tasting weekend fell on the Apple Canyon Campground Trick or Treating so we got the kids all dressed up and let them run wild in the campground for a bit.  It was warm, sunny and the perfect fall day for it!

These kids and their faces.  Just wait til you see the one of Abby and I little farther down!

Bhahaha!  I mean, look at those eyes!

Two weeks later the weather had changed quite a bit and and we headed out for another round with some friends up in Crystal Lake.  If you've been to our house since we moved you know we don't have the ideal trick or treating situation (5 acres and a long driveway doesn't really say...come on up and get some candy) so we visited a cute little neighborhood with friends and it was perfect!!  Bethany and Patrick, make a note, we're coming back again next year!!

These two sweet girls have been friends since the day they were born...I hope that never changes!

It's too bad we already had an October family photo because this one would have been perfect.  Funny faces and all!

Oh, and...we even got a chance to do a little adult party the weekend before Halloween.  Ryan and I dressed up in a couples costume "Deer in Headlights".  It was perfect!!!

Pumpkin Carving 2016

Sheesh!  Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I still have pictures from Halloween I need to post.  I guess this is why the holiday season always seems to fly past so quickly.  There are lots of traditions to fit into just at two month span!

We started doing family pumpkin carving when Abby was teeny tiny.  When the kids we smaller we just gave them paint and let them scribble all over the pumpkins but this year, we went with real carving.  Ryan let Abby draw the faces on each of the pumpkins and then he and I did the actual carving.

I was gone getting Hazel when the pumpkin scooping happened so I'm not sure if Abby actually helped with that messy piece or not!  Isn't our little family of pumpkins cute??