We Had a Happy Halloween

Yes, Halloween was almost 3 weeks ago. Moving on...

Halloween was super fun at our house this year! Cade had Book Character day at school that day, which means that parents loosely interpret "book characters" to allow their kids to wear their real Halloween costumes all day. So, Cade got to debut his Hulk costume and loved it! Annie wore her cute little Trick or Treat shirt and has decided that these funny glasses are appropriate on any day, not just Halloween.



After a candy-filled day, we met up with Garrett and his mom for trick or treating around the neighborhood. The kids all had a great time and we will be eating Halloween candy at least until Easter!

Pumpkins!

I think I love going to a pumpkin patch even more than dressing up for Halloween. And I am so happy that Cade and Annie get so excited about pumpkins too! Cade anxiously watched the open field on Rock Prairie for the arrival of the pumpkins this year, and when Annie and I pulled up to the pumpkin patch for the first time, she stopped whatever she was singing about and said "Oooo!"

The first pumpkin patch we visited was the Habitat for Humanity patch near our old house. Thanks to lovely Texas weather, it was incredibly hot and bright, but we had a good time!

We didn't get far before I had the kids sit down for their first photo op.



There are so many cute places to take pictures here!



Cade found our perfect pumpkin. He didn't carry it for long, though!



Thanks to my mom for taking our fall family photo (and to my dad for trying to get Annie's attention the whole time)!



A couple of days later we went to the Farm Patch pumpkin patch with Garrett and Vandi. This place gets better every year, too! And it is so fun with friends.



The boys have taken pictures on the swing and in front of the truck the past 3 years. Annie needs a little more practice.



And one last fun pre-Halloween treat... festive cookies from 2Tarts bakery in New Braunfels!

Cade Grows Up

So much of my time and energy is focused on keeping up with Annie... literally keeping up with her when she runs away from me, and shopping to keep up with her growing feet and body. Sometimes it seems like Cade's growth just slips by, and I want to make sure to share his recent accomplishments and growth and make sure he knows how incredibly proud we are of him! On October 6, Cade lost his first tooth! It was really pretty easy; he had a loose tooth for less than a week, and while he was eating dinner one night, he just said "hey, it's my tooth!"! I was very happy to let him use my old tooth pillow that I received from my Oma and Opa. Thank you, mom, for saving this for us.



On October 17, Cade graduated from yellow belt to camo belt at karate. This also moves him to a new class, which includes sparring! The kids received their sparring gear at the graduation and they are all pretty excited about the new adventure.

Cade tied on his new belt and hefted up his bag full of sparring gear.



We are so thankful for the grandparents who cheer him on, the sweet sister that attends every single practice, and the Palmisanos for their fabulous instruction.



After a celebratory dinner at Whataburger (Cade's choice), we were off to another football game!

Football Forever

When I looked through our pictures to start a blog post this month, most of them were at football games, so that is where our energies lie these days! Between Cougar football and Aggie football, our weekends are always exciting!

Chance's team had a couple of games where they won by A LOT, so games didn't always hold everyone's attention. Annie spent her time trying her first sucker, watching videos on Nana's phone and playing with her purple bracelets. And Cade has a fun new Cougar spirit paw!





Cade likes getting his picture taken with his favorite Cougars after the games. Yes, I just said that Cade likes having his picture taken! Sometimes the athletes even give autographs.



We've been blessed with lots of family at the games to support Chance and the Cougars!



Winning games makes for happy family pictures afterwards!



Somehow during the most exciting game (a WIN in the last 20 seconds over A&M Consolidated), Annie fell asleep in my lap. It was surprising and very sweet.



Flag football has let us experience all types of weather. Here we are at a rainy game with Nana and Papa and a hot game with Oma and Opa (just one week apart).