I suppose it goes without saying that Eli and Abby had a fantastic Halloween! We started the day with pumpkin pancakes (literally pumpkin pancakes, but also pumpkin-shaped)...
(sorry for the photo orientation...I gave up trying to fix it!)
Then had mummy dogs for lunch...
And then we were ready for a fun-filled evening. Abby wanted to be a ladybug this year (surprised, anyone?), and Eli wanted to be a transformer. Funnily, the transformer Eli dressed as is actually called Bumblebee, and for weeks when anyone has asked these kids what they were going to be for Halloween, we've gotten "Aw, that's cute!" when they hear the answers, "A ladybug" and "Bumblebee." I don't think this is quite the cute pair of insects they had pictured in their heads! :)
We spent the evening with some great friends who are now also neighbors since we moved. Ryan and I hadn't planned to dress up for Halloween, but the night before we had this brainstorm to actually dress up as our friends. I don't think the pictures below do justice to how well we pulled it off!
Jason is the head basketball coach at IHS, and Ryan mimicked his game attire to a T. Of course, Jason wasn't in game attire on Halloween! My friend Dana also has a very definitive style; she always looks amazing, and has impecable taste. She's the queen of accessorizing, and her signature look includes a side ponytail, big earrings, and a scarf. I don't pull of the look as well as she does, but I got a lot of compliments on how I looked that night - dressed as Dana! Apparently I should put a little more effort into dressing like Dana when it's not Halloween. ;)
After some dinner (well, maybe a few bites...these kids were way too wired to sit down and eat), we all headed out for some trick or treating. Abby was into it for awhile, but then we headed back to the house to just hang out. Eli, on the other hand, was a machine (heehee) and came home with a serious haul!
Happy Halloween!
Then had mummy dogs for lunch...And then we were ready for a fun-filled evening. Abby wanted to be a ladybug this year (surprised, anyone?), and Eli wanted to be a transformer. Funnily, the transformer Eli dressed as is actually called Bumblebee, and for weeks when anyone has asked these kids what they were going to be for Halloween, we've gotten "Aw, that's cute!" when they hear the answers, "A ladybug" and "Bumblebee." I don't think this is quite the cute pair of insects they had pictured in their heads! :)We spent the evening with some great friends who are now also neighbors since we moved. Ryan and I hadn't planned to dress up for Halloween, but the night before we had this brainstorm to actually dress up as our friends. I don't think the pictures below do justice to how well we pulled it off!
Jason is the head basketball coach at IHS, and Ryan mimicked his game attire to a T. Of course, Jason wasn't in game attire on Halloween! My friend Dana also has a very definitive style; she always looks amazing, and has impecable taste. She's the queen of accessorizing, and her signature look includes a side ponytail, big earrings, and a scarf. I don't pull of the look as well as she does, but I got a lot of compliments on how I looked that night - dressed as Dana! Apparently I should put a little more effort into dressing like Dana when it's not Halloween. ;)After some dinner (well, maybe a few bites...these kids were way too wired to sit down and eat), we all headed out for some trick or treating. Abby was into it for awhile, but then we headed back to the house to just hang out. Eli, on the other hand, was a machine (heehee) and came home with a serious haul!
Happy Halloween!
This is the first year that Eli has done his almost totally on his own. He designed his jack-o-lantern face, cleaned out the pumpkin, and did most of the cutting himself. He felt really good about accomplishing so much on his own. 
This may very well be our favorite Halloween photo ever...Eli says is of two ghosts. We love this awesome, hilarious kid!
Abby was interested in the process, but didn't like touching the slimy parts.
She chose a happy face for her pumpkin.
Here are the finished jack-o-lanterns...
And finally...
Next stop, pumpkin patch!
Our day started with a really yummy pumpkin pancake breakfast, which I was too busy scarfing to take snap a photo! Then we were off to the giant corn maze, which is in the shape of a rocket ship - a fact that Eli thought was super cool! 
In one corner of the maze there is a campfire where you can stop for s'mores!
Eli spent quite a bit of time walking around in the Boot Wash puddle...he said it was actually his favorite part!
We had a great time goofing around and enjoying each other's company - despite the fact that we were incredibly cold!
Eli with his good friend, Reena, who is moving in just half a block from us next week!
The Cars were actually really cool! We met some good friends from our new neighborhood there, and it was really great for Eli and Abby to have friends to hang out with while we waited in line. We are so blessed to live close to this wonderful family; Eli and Nico have become great friends, as have Abby and Ami. They all play so well together, and I get along great with their mom - as I said, we are blessed!
We waited in line for our turn to play some games, get some free Cars 2 loot, and have these photos taken with the Cars...
Eli loved this computerized memory game!
And Abby was happy to have her picture taken with Holley, the purple car!
It was a really fun event, and a great time with our friends!
It's fun to see the progression now that she's been doing it for awhile. I've always been really happy with the laid-back, age-appropriate approach her teacher takes when working with this age group, and now it's fun to watch as they're starting to really get some actual ballet techniques.
Abby's even preparing for her first dance recital at the beginning of December. Her class is doing a dance to the Rubber Ducky song from Sesame Street, and it's SO super cute!
