Frankenstein and other "Monsters"

We carved pumpkins for FHE the week before Halloween.

Will really got into pulling the guts out of them but the girls were more grossed out by the slimy insides this year than before. They designed the faces and mom did the cutting. Sophie nicknamed hers Frankenstein, and Avery called hers one of the crazy names she pulls out of thin air for all her dolls and stuffed animals (think "Ahktu" and "Keko" and things like that.)

The girls were told to wear costumes to gymnastics the week of Halloween, but I didn't think they'd fare very well in their costumes so we opted to wear our little Mexican senioritas dresses that Joseph and I got for them in Mazatlan instead.

In the middle of all the Halloween craziness Will cut his first two teeth. They only took (and I am not exaggerating) 6 months to come in. More miserable for baby or mom? It's a toss up (though I will claim it was worse for me. ALL his teeth have taken forever to come in. I can see them under the surface for months before they finally poke through, and he whines and cries about them often. Worst teether of my 3.)

Good thing he's cute! God must've known he'd need to be adorable so I wouldn't trade him in for a lower maintenance model. :)

Sophie was Pippi Longstocking for Halloween this year. We'd read the book a few months before and she thought that would be a fun costume to do with her naturally red hair. I used pipe cleaners to stick the braids out, and my friend lent me her daughter's striped tights and dress that I sewed patches on. Easy peasy. Sophie insisted on carrying her Pippi doll around with her everywhere as part of her costume.

Avery was a cute little Ladybug this year. Pipe cleaners for antennae, another borrowed costume, but the smile is 100% hers.

We hosted a Halloween party at our house for our moms group. So many cute kiddos in their cute costumes.

My favorite part about this picture is Avery's wink. Ever since she learned to wink she does it all the time, especially when she's pointing to something. She'll wink the eye of the arm she's using to point and it's so cute.

Here are the babies of the group. Will was a dragon along with his buddy, and then there was a Flounder as well.

We played a game where the kids had to try to eat a donut off a string, without using any hands. I didn't think eating just one would be hard enough so I tied two to each string, and that was way too hard for most of the kids. Sophie eventually got both off, but I think Avery had to cheat to eat it.

They were so funny to watch, and got chocolate all over their faces.

We all dressed up for the ward Halloween trunk or treat. Joseph and I reprised our Daphne & Shaggy costumes.

By the time we got to the actual day of Halloween the kids had worn their costumes so many times. But they didn't mind donning them once more for trick or treating with cousins. We only hit a few houses in Ladera Ranch, Peter and Abby's neighbors who especially wanted to see the kids all dressed up.

Gramma and Grampa Lamb were in town too which was extra fun!

We celebrated Peter's "special" birthday, 31 on the 31st, with a fun little party. These 6 cousins sure love each other!