Happy Halloween!

What a fun day!! It was really neat that we were able to celebrate Halloween TODAY instead of on Sunday. Kentucky is the first place I've been where they actually schedule Halloween! Ha ha. You can go to here and they tell you the day and time each county has scheduled for trick-or-treating. Lexington decided to stick with Sunday, but Georgetown picked Saturday. I think we are going to get the best of both worlds - we trick-or-treat Saturday - and then on Sunday - the girls can pass out candy from home. Perfect! Since half our ward is in Georgetown we decided to hop on over and do our trick-or-treating with them!

We started the day with our family tradition - SURPRISE CUPCAKES!! Yummy. My mom used to make these cupcakes every year for Halloween and I have great memories of Halloween cupcakes. Now it is my girls who get excited for them - you should see Sophie's eyes light up when she see them - it's precious.

During our cupcake making - the doorbell rang - and lo and behold - TWO PACKAGES had arrived! We have felt VERY BLESSED this past week - with the arrival of FIVE PACKAGES!! Some from Grandma and Papa Noorda, Grandma and Grandpa Hawley, AUNT REN (amazing pumpkin chocolate bread), and then today from GG!! The girls were beside themselves with excitement. Too which Bella said - "I just love getting mail!!!" Ha ha. They opened them with much anticipation - and GG - they loved everything. Sophie was/is obsessed with her new silly bands (I think she even wore some to bed) and Bella was very excited about her "make a book" project! And, of course, they LOVED the crowns. Ha ha. Thanks so much GG. We love you!

We then headed out to do our grocery shopping - and - SO EXCITED - Nate bought me a new video camera. It has been a year since our old one died (we realized it had passed on only after we had taped all of Christmas and Halloween last year with no sound) - it was time for a new one - and we didn't want to miss another holiday season with the girls. So I'm excited - thrilled! You better believe they got recorded trick-or-treating! So happy to be capturing their little lives on video once again. We are probably going to have to retoactively use Christmas money to cover the costs - but I'll take it. Ha ha. I have to record as much of Sophie's little toddler voice as I can before it's gone - I can't get enough of the cutness.

After that, we got all ready for TRICK-or-TREATING!! Fun! Bella was Belle...fitting huh?! And Sophie at the last minute wanted to be Sleeping Beauty. It was always a toss up between Ariel and Beauty...but Sleeping Beauty was the final decision. I was pretty proud of myself for just letting them pick their own costumes this year from what we already owned. I usually feel the need to buy brand new and cute costumes - but not this year. Video camera instead, right?! Ha ha.

Anyways - we met up with all our friends at the Hyde's house and we were on our way. It was so perfect. In fact, I kept thinking that it was exactly what I thought a country Halloween would be like. Freindly neighbors, families and kids everywhere, crunchy leaves underfoot, giggles, crisp fall air with a hint of wood burning. It was glorious. I think the girls just liked the task of asking for the candy more so then actually getting the candy. Ha ha. Bella and Braelyn (Bella's best friend) held hands and skipped between each house. Sophie Jane, Sophie Kate, and Berkley chased after them. I think we had all the princesses covered. Let me think...we had...two Belle's, a Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and a few fairies and bugs...ok so maybe we were missing Ariel. But it was so cute following all the sparkle. =)

After the trick-or-treating we met back up at the Hyde's and had a potluck soup dinner! Carly your soup was amazing! And so was the company. Bella and Sophie dumped out their candy at the end of the night and they were very happy with their collections. Ha ha. Funny, the thing that looked the most enticing to Sophie was her pencil. She ate the eraser off the end before I could explain to her, yet again, that erasers are not candy. Silly silly girl. What a great night!




















(If you look closely - you can see the pure joy of trick-or-treating on Sophie's face! Ha ha.)

(Bella, Sophie, Rachel, Berkley, and Braelyn)

(A little bit scary...daddy to the rescue!)







(Sophie Jane and Sophie Kate...the two blonde Sophie's from Vegas.)




(Checking out her loot!)