October 2015

October:  Balloon Fiesta, Fall Fun, and Halloween.  Here's a photo tour.

We did not make it to the actual balloon fiesta park this year for any of the events, but we did have plenty of ballon fun at Harriet's school for Balloons Aloft, and just watching the balloons float over our neighborhood all month.

Grace and Kayla - came over to Balloons Aloft at the elementary school before they had to head down the hill to middle school for the day.

Harriet and Alexis. The start of their BFF year at school.  They are such cute friends!

Kids watching Mr. Johnson's balloon inflate (Mr. Johnson is Mrs. Johnson's husband - Harriet's former kindergarten teacher, who still comes back and does balloons aloft for the school even though she moved to Colorado a few years ago.)

4th grade friends

Sisters

Never gets old seeing your kindergarten teacher float into the sky.

View from our upstairs windows of mass ascension.

 Grace's YW group had a camp reminiscing party and got awards.  Grace got the "loudest camper" award? (Sorry about that to the leaders!)  David got his own camp award - he got "best dressed."  He did try really hard to go with the theme days to support the girls while he was up there and had some pretty outrageous outfits going on.

 More balloon days.

Even though I don't volunteer for Galloping Grace anymore and the kids have kind of outgrown going out to the ranch, we sill go to their pumpkin patch to buy pumpkins and play games and see the animals. 

I seriously don't think pigs are all that great, but there is something seriously cute about newborn piglets! I think these were like a few days old.

 measuring up

 feeding farm animals never gets old either.

 Sisters and their pumpkins.

Harriet was a very serious cheerleader this year and encouraged her dolls to be the same.

 One of the first performances the cheer team does is a football game at Cleveland High School

 I just love watching them

 Harriet got to be really good at stunts this year, especially being a base and a back spot.  She gave up so desperately wanting to be a flyer when she realized that her role on the ground was just as important, and that as one of the bigger girls, she was needed more at the base.  After that, she put a lot of effort into being a good base so that the flyer would be safe.

4th grade cuties staying warm during the football game

At a church activity, they had the girls write nice things about each other.  This is what the girls said about Harriet.

 I really do love being on the field at balloon fiesta, but it was nice to take a break from it this year and just enjoy having them around during other normal parts of the day.

 Harriet and her sleepovers... they are a thing.

 Halloween was pretty fun this year.  I loved the girls' costumes.  They really represented their personalities.  Grace went as Link from The Legend of Zelda.

Harriet went as Cinderella from the newest Cinderella movie.  

She is a true princess. (So is Grace -just don't tell her.)

The hair... this was one challenge of the costume.  We got dressed up for several events on different days, so getting the hair done every time was kind of time intensive.  

 At the church for trunk or treat

 Okay, so it's finally "Back to the Future" day- October 2015 - 30 years from the 1985 adventures when Marty goes into the future to fix things.  David and I tried to go as Jennifer and Marty for Halloween.  Since I don't have my 1985 perm anymore, it was hard to get my hair big enough, and we could NOT find an orange vest for David, but we did our best, and I think we pulled it off ok.  I downloaded some Huey Lewis and the News and it felt great.  #poweroflove and all.

 Grace and her friends, Carter and Julia

 sisters

 Harriet and Mylee

 Grace and Kayla

 Harriet and Grace inside at the dance... oh man, Harriet was SO mad that night.  She got upset that she didn't get to do the Virginia Reel and then she wouldn't dance even though she really wanted to and was super jealous of Grace.  I finally got her out there, and she reluctantly had fun.

 The beginning of a lot of snuggling in bed with these two over the winter months. 

Grace and her friends Kayla, Keely, and Julia, at the middle school Halloween party.  I'm actually surprised that the school has a real Halloween party at night for the kids and lets them dress up.  The elementary school does not allow costumes ever.

 So... I lost my mind and made these sugar cookies for Harriet's class Halloween party.  They were so fun and pretty, but it took forever to make that many!  I got some new food-safe markers that we used to draw the faces on. I will probably have amnesia and do it again.

 The middle school always has parent teacher conferences on Halloween, on purpose, so that the kids do NOT go to school on Halloween.  Who wants to be at school with middle school kids on Halloween?  It's so genius that they sidestep all of that mess.  So, this frees up Grace to attend the elementary parties with Harriet.  Harriet thinks it's pretty cool that Grace comes to her class parties.

 This is random, but it's in chronological order.  Halloween was on a Saturday, so Harriet had time for an epic tea party with her dolls and animals before dressing up again.

 And then, it was ACTUALLY Halloween and we went trick-or-treating at Grandma's house.

 And carved personalized pumpkins.  I love how their pumpkins represent what they are excited about every year.  

This year we went trick-or-treating in the Peck's neighborhood so that Grace could go with Kayla.  The big kids took off by themselves - first time Grace hasn't been with us for trick-or-treating. The clock is ticking on how much longer it is really appropriate for them to go out.  I might let them go one more year - last year of middle school.

Grace and Kayla

Harriet and Mylee