Thurs. Nov. 3, 2016 - Halloween!

 We took advantage of a day off school by spending the morning at the Building for Kids. As we venture out more, I realize that putting matching bright colors on the boys makes it easier to keep track of them.

 All 4 liked the sensory table

 Firefighter Micaela

 2 little firefighters

 Micaela and Logan thought it would be fun to sit under the ball dispenser and let the balls fall on them.

 Logan didn't like it.

 Family viewing of "Its the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!"

 Daphne from "Scooby Doo" being friendly with the Grim Reaper

 Cookies and Milk trick-or-treating at the Farmer's Market

 We went biking in Door County with our neighbors

 Taking in the views of Lake Superior

 Gorgeous trails

 Family pic on the Lake in Door County

 Micaela and her friend, Will

 Our neighbor Dan kept picking up kids as they got tired and couldn't ride their own bikes. In the end he had his daughter Lauren on the tag-a-long, Will and Micaela in the bike trailer and 2 bikes tied down

 Micaela had a strong finish and biked the last mile

Mommy, Tristan and Logan's jack-o-lanterns

Micaela, Riley and Daddy's pumpkins

 Our 2016 jack-o-lanterns, one for each family member

 I don't even know how he got up there with the shopping cart

 Sweet Daphne

 Scary Grim Reaper

Everyone loves Milk and Cookies

 Gathering with the neighbors

 Trick-or-treating at the first house

 Tristan and Logan went to our 4 nearest neighbors then got tired and went home with Mommy. We had a great time handing out candy and waving at the kids.

 Once it got dark enough, you could tell that Grim Reaper's eyes glowed

Micaela and her friends were invited to wear their costumes to their music class

I love this time of year, especially when we have such nice weather! We went biking in Door County with our neighbors. It was quite the production, getting 4 adults and 7 kids down the 9 mile trail. Some rode their own bikes, some pedaled on tag-a-longs (kid bikes that attach to the back of an adult bike) and some rode in bike trailers. We had a great time biking, stopping to take in the views of Lake Michigan, and playing at the playground. After finishing the trail we had a delicious lunch. We're lucky to have such a beautiful state park so close!

Of course the highlight of this week was Halloween. We went to the Halloween store a few weeks ago so the girls could choose their costumes. As usual, Riley knew exactly what she wanted to be. She went to the boys section (the girls costumes are never as scary) and immediately chose the Grim Reaper with glowing red eyes and a scythe. Micaela walked up and down the aisles. Should she be cute? Scary? A princess? A scary princess? In the end she chose to be Daphne from Scooby Doo. The only costume they had left was missing the orange wig and only an official Daphne wig would do. I thought an Ariel one would work but she said absolutely not. So after 45 minutes in the costume shop we went home and ordered it online. I struggled with an idea for the boys and at the eleventh hour found an adorable cookie costume and made a glass of milk to match. The bonus of these costumes was that they slipped on and off easily, perfect for toddlers.

We trick-or-treated at the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. The boys watched their sisters and got the hang of it very quickly so they were ready on Monday. Trick-or-treating starts early here, which makes it safer since its still light out when they start. Tristan and Logan absolutely loved following the neighbor kids around and knocking on doors. But they couldn't keep up and after a few houses they were ready to go home with Mom. But apparently even better than trick-or-treating is handing out candy. They got so excited when the doorbell rang. They put candy in everyone's bag and waved as they walked away. They are such great little helpers! Riley and Micaela walked around with Daddy for almost 2 hours and came home with quite the haul. Once again this year they chose their favorite pieces of candy then donated the rest to be sent to our troops. We are very proud of these girls and their thoughtfulness. Between the great weather, awesome costumes and happy kids we enjoyed a wonderful Halloween.