All Hallows Eve....was a great success this year! Having Halloween on Saturday was great! It was so nice to have the whole day together. The kids were as spooky as can be as swashbucklers and a crypt keeper. They got a lot of candy (too much really!). Here are a few of our treasured photos. I love this time of year...

In the backyard...

After Nicholas and Chase joined us back at the sidewalk after trick or treating at this house, we realized Joseph wasn't there. We looked back to see him chatting up the nice lady about the dogs. It was really funny. But the picture is even funnier...I love the dogs spooky eyes!

Trick or Treating at the outdoor mall...

This week was a fun one! Friday night Vern, the boys and I dipped apples and carved pumpkins. We had a fantastic time! It's amazing how much happiness the little ones get out of such simple family nights. I love these moments!

Thursday night (I know these photos are out of order) we went to Disney on Ice. We all enjoyed it a lot. It was a very fun show featuring Cars, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and much to Chase's dismay, Tinker Bell. I hadn't realized how much went into one of these shows and Vern and I were impressed with the costumes, stage and details. The boys were particularly excited when Lightening McQueen, Mater and Sally drove onto the ice. They were smiling from ear to ear! It was a night to remember!

Happy Birthday to 2 of my FaVoRiTe people!

(sorry about the outdated photo, but it's one of the only ones I have of just the two of you together!)

Our family loves music, we just do. When Chase was 3 he knew every lyric to Les Mis. Vern is seeing Wicked in Seattle this week, by himself! (only because he's there for business and I can't go with him!) Every road trip we take is accompanied (no pun intended) by 3 or 4 musicals and we sing along, all of us, the whole way. So it should come as no surprise to me that the twins have followed suit. However, they have taken their love of music to a whole new level. Not only do they love music, but they LOVE (I can't stress that word enough) The Shins. Their's is an obsession like I have never seen in a 3 year old. And, they love one album in particular, Wincing The Night Away. It has gotten to the point that if, when we get into the car, I don't put on said album, mass hysteria occurs. This has been going on for quite some time now and it just isn't getting any better! They have listened to their "favorite song", aka #7 Turn On Me, literally hundreds of times and they just aren't getting sick of it, at all! Their second "favorite song" is #2 Australia, which they tolerate (and I suspect enjoy), but it always comes back to Turn On Me. In fact, they have been known to have little cat fights, including kicking, screaming and general pugnacity, all for the sake of a little disagreement "NO, it's my favorite song", "NO, it's my favorite song"... I think I have finally convinced them that they can, indeed, have the same favorite song, and they do. Trying not to stray too far from their obsession while attempting to ease them into something new, I have introduced them to other Shins albums... Chutes Too Narrow, Oh, Inverted World, but to no avail. They have apparantly found their song, and it has stuck. At least they have good taste in music!

This year for Labor Day we drove with friends to the Oregon Coast for 3 days of camping. We had reservations at a beautiful park called Cape Lookout. Saturday was a beautiful day, however at about 7 p.m. hurricane force winds (not really, but that's what it felt like!) blew in, and we all ended up packing up at about 10 p.m. to head inland to our friend's house for the rest of the weekend. We were dissappointed, but at least we had one fun day on the beach (even if it was a little chilly, rainy and windy.) We also visited the Tillamook Cheese/Ice Cream factory & the kids got to see where our favorite cheese and ice cream is made!

A week ago today a dream of mine came true! Vern and I drove a couple of hours away to see Fiddler On The Roof. This has always (since childhood) been one of my favorite shows...so just to see it was a treat. But the BiGgEsT treat of all? You might ask (hee hee) who starred as Tevye....are you ready?.....TOPOL! He was just as brilliant as he was nearly 40 years ago when he starred in the motion picture. We were about 10 rows back in the orchestra section ~ Sweet ~ and I was teary eyed from the moment he walked (cart and all) on stage! Of all the shows we've seen Vern and I agree this was at the top of our list! The only sad thing is that I will never be satisfied with another production of Fiddler ~ having seen Topol ~ no one can top his performance!

I figured I'd better post something before my dear sister posted for me! My newest little beautiful neice (ok, she's actually my first cousin once removed, but since my cousins are more like my sisters I count her as my neice) Presley Moore. I am SO sad I missed the baby blessing, but here is a photo of my girls:

Aunt Coco, Grandma Ruth, Ashley and Presley...aren't they all beautiful?