We Were Boo'd!!...

Brian had a really special weekend! Actually, this has been Brian's week!! This week was Parent/Teacher conferences which I was really looking forward to. Brian has really turned a corner after a tough start to First Grade. Between adjusting to the new workload and dealing with some grief, it was not the easiest transition. But something clicked after Gavin's birthday passed and he was coming off the bus smiling again - always excited to tell me that he had a great day.  I had great conferences with his teachers who each told me that he was a hard worker, respectful, well behaved and doing well in all of his subjects. One thing his first grade teacher told me that made me laugh was that he is sometimes so serious when he's working that she has to tell him to smile. He does take his work very seriously! He is like that at home, too!!

Saturday morning was a soccer game. They don't technically keep score, but the kids always know who won. The other team crushed Brian's team. Brian's team didn't even make one goal. 

But we were so proud to see how he was hustling out on the field and trying his best to defend the ball. Or is it defend the goal? You know what I mean. Ha! He has really taken to Soccer and - I can't believe I'm going to say this - so have I. I'm going to miss it when the season ends in a few weeks. But - onward and upward to Basketball!

Saturday afternoon was VERY special. Brian attended a Halloween themed "Cooking Workshop" all afternoon at our friend, Claire's, business - "Home Cooked!"

He invited his friends, Daniel and Grace, to come, too!

They decorated their own chef hats...

...and then got right to work. The Home Cooked team did such a great job commanding the kids attention (there were about 12 kids in the workshop) and making it fun and informative. The first thing they did was work together on "Chocolate Halloween Bark." Brian and Daniel thought it was hilarious that they got to punch Oreos in a bag to crush them.

But when it came time for Brian to do his assigned job of adding sprinkles to the bark, his laser-like focus came out. Ha!

They also made "Mini Spider Donuts" and took a snack break to eat one... and "Mummy Cupcakes." The main entrée was "Blood and Brains" - or Chicken parmesan Spaghetti Bake.

Brian even made garlic butter for the ciabatta bread! And to keep the vampires away, they told him.

At the end of the workshop, all the kids pitched in to clean up before they collected all their packaged up food for dinner! Brian was thrilled (as were we!) that he was making dinner for his family that night!

When we got home, he carefully spread his garlic butter on the bread and we put the dinner in the oven. 

He helped me set the table and we even lit candles for the special occasion!

His dinner was (no lie) AMAZING. I mean - better than anything I've made in years. It even had spooky parmesan cut outs of ghosts and bats on top! We ALL devoured it... making sure to save room for the scary desserts!

The Spider donuts were a big hit with their pretzel legs and M&M eyes.

And his mummy cupcakes were sinful. I wish I could get away with eating the last one. It's staring at me while I'm typing this. But really - could YOU steal the last cupcake from this cute face???

As if his day hadn't been exciting enough - we got "Boo'd" that same night!! If you're not familiar with this adorable tradition, it's when you anonymously leave a bag of treats along with a "You've Been BOO'd" sign for your neighbor's child (or children) - ring the doorbell and run! They have to hang the "We've Been BOO'd" sign in their window and then leave a bag of treats for another neighbor. It's so much fun for kids.

The photos are dark, but Brian was SO excited to find the bags on the front porch! He took a quick look into the yard - hoping he'd catch a glimpse of someone running away. But there was no one there.

The bags were filled with candy and toys and silly putty for Brian. Hope's bag had a little stuffed dog (which will make a perfect "Toto" for her Halloween costume!) and a huge bubble wand! Someone on our street must know how much Hope loves bubbles. With the amount of bubbles flying into the air on most days, I guess it was a sure bet!

The weekend ended with a bang when we attended a "Trunk or Treat" event at Brian's school Sunday afternoon.

 If you've never heard of that, it's another fun tradition! Families line up their cars in the school parking lot and decorate their trunks. Then the kids "trick or treat" from trunk to trunk - to people they know and who know them. It's such a great idea! Some families decorated their cars quite elaborately - I was very impressed. Brian had requested a "Minecraft theme" but after I spent a week at home with a cold - and taking care of a little girl with a cold - I opted for the "Trunk or Treat in a Bag" from Party City for $5.99. Not kidding - it's really a thing and it really was that cheap and yes, I was really, really grateful for the easy way out.

Ed was the best. He decorated the car when we got there and then handed out the candy while I walked around with Brian and Hope. Brian was Batman, obviously. Hope went as an almost two year old stroller escape artist. She really hit it out of the park. I went as the suburban cowgirl slash tired Mommy.

Speaking of Hope - she had such a tough week, but was so sweet through it all. You know it's bad when your little toddler - who only has a small arsenal of words - spends most of the day pointing to her nose and saying "tissue?" and "clean?" with a sweet little smile. But lots of tissues... and lots of snuggling from me and Mia got BOTH of us through it! 

She is busy, busy, busy (even when sick!) and I feel like I'm constantly darting from one thing to another all day long... but boy, is she so much fun. Hope is fearless and happy, sleeps well and loves big, adores her family and is equally adored by all of us.

It was a beautiful, fun Fall weekend.

Okay, I have to end now and get away from this cupcake. It won't leave me alone!!