Halloween 2016...

Another Halloween and we successfully coerced every member of our family to dress up with our theme. We...meaning Brig and I. And I am pretty sure I am close to getting Ellie to see the light of everyone dressing up together. In fact, Ellie chose the theme this year- well, she chose what she wanted to be and then we based everyone else's costumes around it...but it worked!

I present to you...

Halloween Under the Sea

The cutest little sea creatures ever! Cory was a shark and I was supposed to be an octopus but my rather large and obnoxious costume was a bit of a bust...I did however get lots of comments when I wore it to Brig's school...cool to weird, spider to squid...occasionally people got it correct.

Brig was a scuba diver.

Ellie was a mermaid.

Jase was a shark. He wanted to be a boat and so we were almost finished with his submarine costume (a box) and then he changed his mind and we made a shark.

Ty was a crab. Because he is crabby...although he sure put on a good show for everyone and acted very un-crabby all night.

And I decided that being "Octo-mom" had it's advantages...

Past Halloweens...

See them in all their glory and homemade wonder...

Halloween 2015...

This year Halloween had some blended emotions...I was exhausted (I always am when I am pregnant!) and lacked motivation and I knew the holiday would be pushed to the back burner since my sister was getting married that same weekend...and yet...it is always one of my favorite days of the year (at least in the top 25!) especially since it seems that I have succeeded in brainwashing at least one of my children. Brig is totally on board with the whole theme costume thing. It makes me oh so proud! And I don't know how much longer I will be able to convince them all that dressing up together is the best thing ever. I already had to try and manipulate and persuade Ellie this year (more on that in just a second)...

So here we are...the entire football game experience...

Coach Dad, Ref Mom, the two players (who often do seem like they are playing a game of tackle football) and our little homecoming queen.

Jase has some pretty set opinions on what he wears these days...mostly he prefers whatever he is presently wearing and becomes irate when we try to change him. So I knew as long as he didn't really know he was wearing a costume we would be ok. And he was the cutest little football player ever! I think baby boys should be allowed to wear jeggings all the time!

I tried my best to convince Ellie that she should be a cheerleader- we even found the perfect BSU cheerleading costume that I bought from Savers in case I could persuade her. I even tried to bribe her with getting to wear makeup on Halloween if she would do it. But she was dead-set on being a princess. And then Cory totally guilt-tripped me for my manipulation efforts- so the cheerleader got benched this year. Luckily, she was totally thrilled at the idea of being a homecoming queen. And Brig and I still got our theme!

Brig (as usual) was the brainchild behind our theme this year. It all started with a cardboard box helmet that he made himself. (I need to put a picture of it in here if I remember) He was so excited to wear it to school...well 100% of the people who had a little preview of his costume had no idea what he was...a box troll, a robot...but not a football player. Thankfully, we found a perfect helmet at Savers (I kinda love that place...especially around Halloween!!) that was exactly his size.

We rushed home from Utah for our Ward trunk or treat on Friday night and then hit up a subdivision with their cousins on Halloween. It was the first time in my life that I have ever walked around a block and actually trick or treated.  Growing up in such a small town necessitated being driven from house to house...usually several miles between knocking doors. So this was a first for almost all of us!

And here is a little picture flashback from Halloween Past..

Halloween 2014...

I'm a sucker for themes. And homemade costumes. And candy. So I kinda like Halloween.

My kids are down with the whole theme-costume-candy thing too. It was their idea to do Peter Pan.  Although they really wanted me to be Wendy (her costume just wasn't fun enough so I convinced them otherwise!)

 Megan: Tiger Lilly     Cory: Smee     Jase: Peter Pan     Ellie: Tinkerbelle     Brig: Cap'n Hook

Once Upon A Time on Halloween Night...

Some fairy tale characters went to a Trunk or Treat at their church. 

The Dragon was only a temporary presence (I told Cory he just had to take a picture...this was before anyone even saw him!)

The Princess wept (Ellie was so sad and under the weather the entire evening. Poor girl)

And the Knight was ever so brave and made his Fairy Mother a little sad because he is growing up so fast. He proclaimed it to be the "Best Halloween Ever!" (he went around trunk or treating with his friends and got TONS of candy)

We have always been able to dress up as a family (much to Cory's discontent)...

2009

2010

2011

2012

I thought that this year we wouldn't be able to make it happen. Brig and Ellie both had opinions about what they wanted to be. Brig wanted to be a hunterman, then a ghost, and Ellie wanted to be a cat and then Tinkerbelle.  So, I just tried to be ok with it...Cory tried not to jump for joy;) Then at the last minute Brig decided he wanted to be knight and convincing Ellie to be a princess was a pretty easy sell (she did insist on being Cinderella instead of just a normal princess though) and Brig even assigned Cory and I characters too.  (I think he might like the whole family dressing up just as much as I do!!!) He really wanted Cory to be a dragon so he could fight him.  So I told Cory a while ago that I would only make him wear a hat or something simple...he thought this was a little overboard this year but when I told him how much Brig wanted it...he conceded for a picture:)

So cute and such a fun night. We passed out cotton candy that we actually made right in front of the kids...it was pretty exciting:) 

A Red-Hot Halloween...

This fall has been pretty crazy so far. We (when I say we, I really mean Cory) has been working NON-STOP on our house.  The remodel is coming along- slowly but surely. We will all be so happy when it is over. It is really looking good and Cor is doing so awesome. We did take a little time for some Halloween festivities...

Here is our family theme picture...

Cory & I were smoke and fire (I tired to put flames on my shirt) because "smoke follows beauty... and I'm one hot mama!"

I know...that is pretty vain- especially when I look like I have a crazy lazy eye and Cor looks pleased as punch about it all!

Ellie and Brig were really the main attraction though...

I mean check out the cutest Dalmation and her Fireman ever!!!

Brig's firetruck was pretty awesome- thanks for the help Grandpa Madsen!

Ellie was such a cute little dalmation...for some reason the little nose just melted me!

Notice how tired Cory looks! Oh- we sure are thankful for such an awesome dad! The kids were pretty excited that I kept saying yes to all the candy they wanted to eat!!!!! WAHOOOOO!

Here is a little video. Love these kids and love the holidays!!

Halloween!!!

Since we LOVE farms so much around here...we decided to rock the farm theme for Halloween...

They were seriously the cutest animals to ever walk the planet! And how 'bout that farmer... Nice:)



H-A-Double L-O-W-Double E-N

Hope everyone had a GRRRREAT Halloween... ours was MAGICALLY DELICIOUS!

We were in a bit of a CRUNCH to make it our party...in fact we missed it because we were trying to wrap some things up in our huge remodel project (more on this later) but I still made Cory dress up (he is a pretty good sport!!!).  Here are some pictures.

And let me just say that if you didn't get to see this little tail wiggle...you missed out BIG this Halloween. Melt my heart! I love this little tiger!

A Timid Parrot and a Pair of Pirates

That is what we were for Halloween...Pirates and Brig was our little parrot. I must say that he made a much better parrot then we made Pirates! Cory was such a good sport and dressed up...well wore a hat...it was a stretch for him- he's not so much into the whole dressing up thing. I told him that he had better get used to it...Thanks Cor- you are the BEST!!!! So here are some of our pictures from Halloween. Oh yeah... a Timid Parrot? Brig was so scared when we were at the Halloween Party- he clutched to my shirt and burried his head into me the whole time. It was kind of cute...I guess he got a little more of his dad in him then we realized!





The ward party was great!!! I was so impressed by everyone's costumes. There were so many great ones and it was really fun. I do see why Halloween is only one night a year though...it's a lot of work to get dressed up- and we only have 1 kid!!!

Hello Halloween!

That's a lame title but oh well! So, with Halloween less than one week away I would just like to encourage everyone to dress up because it would be really embarrassing for someone to get all dressed up thinking she would just blend in with all the other adults in costume at her in-laws ward party only to show up and be the only one over the age of ten wearing a costume...that could possibly be slightly humiliating. You know...if that were to happen to someone.