outstanding october

october meant 1 of 2 things for us this year, soccer or halloween. between getting to 4 soccer practices each week and 2 games on saturdays, j & i were craving sundays with nothing to do. and in the down time i needed to figure out 7 different costumes for halloween. reese is having a great time in soccer and turning in to quite a good little goalie. maddie's team has been in 2nd place this entire month. and we are actually enjoying saturdays filled with games. i love that it brings us together as a family unit and this is something new for me since i didn't play sports as a kid. 

{the girl smiling on the opposing team is a good friend of maddie's. and they both said they hated playing against each other.}

{these 2...love them.}

{"coach dad"}

halloween week felt like a sprint to the finish. we didn't have even 1 night to decorate pumpkins before halloween. so we played hookie from maddie's soccer practice just to get it done. our jack-o-lanterns look very familiar.

the festivities began the week before halloween. maddie invited her 2 best friends to attend our church's scare fair. this was costume #1 for us. they all wanted to dress alike and so the cutest nerds you ever did see were created. 

{they met up with other good friends from school & church and had an awesome time starting to exert their independence. no parents allowed.}

next was reese's turn to dress up for his storybook parade at school the friday before halloween, costume #2. he wanted to wear this dinosaur costume given to him by our neighbor friends. he got a lot of compliments from parents at the school which made him feel proud. and costume #3 was put together with my kindergarten team. we decided to be super teachers. our slogan was, "we teach kindergarten, what's your superpower?"

{meanwhile, the 6th graders, who are not allowed to dress up, participated in crazy hat day. umbrella hats for the win.}

that evening was an adult halloween party which prompted costumes #4 & 5. you know how i love to coordinate. well this year instead of being a couple, we decided to be a theme, tom cruise movie characters. i was the guy from risky business and he was top gun. we had a ton of fun.

and then it was on to the big day. after 2 soccer games, we quickly had to get ready for trick or treating. i didn't think i was going to be able to pull off another year of coordinating costumes for my 2 kiddos, but it happened. once she saw her costume in a catalog, her mind was set on being a 1920's flapper. so when i asked my lil' man if he wanted to match his big sis, he said yes. the 1920's mafia man costume was purchased, costumes #6 & 7. 

{he's trying to be a mean faced mafia man.}

{so excited, he could not stop jumping and bouncing around.}

{the trick-or-treating crew.}

ahh, finally some down time. this dog cracks me up.