Happy Halloween!

We returned from AZ early Sunday morning (October 30th)...in preparation for all the fun Halloween festivities ahead. That evening, I hosted our annual family Halloween dinner and pumpkin carving party. This has become a tradition over the past few years and it very well may be my favorite part of Halloween. Halloween, in general, is not my most favorite holiday. I never really enjoyed dressing up...until now. It's fun to get a little creative when everyone else is dressing up too. I still haven't convinced Jeff to join us though. This year, I also added a little Halloween scavenger hunt for Carter and Jonas. Nothing big; just a little something extra.

The next day was Halloween. We started our day with some spooky pancakes. That afternoon, Jonas had his school's Halloween parade and I got to help with his class party. He played bingo, listened to a ghost story, and made a little ghost. That evening, we indulged on our traditional Jack-o-lantern pizza before attending the trunk-or-treat. We were lucky enough to have Casey, Carter, and Everly join us. Jonas found his friends and took off. I think he was less concerned with candy (thankfully!) and more concerned with playing. Although, he did make sure to grab a donut as he ran around. Carter was super cute. At first, he didn't understand the concept. He was given a candy then at the next car, he gave that candy to them. Once he realized that he got to keep the candy, he was pretty happy. We didn't have a bag for him so his little hands got full pretty fast. When we asked if he was done after about a half a dozen cars, he simply said, "More!" We got him a few more things before we finished. I can't believe another Halloween has come and gone! Until next year...

Michael and Jackie's sealing

On Friday, October 28th, Jeff, Jonas, and I flew to AZ to be able to attend Michael and Jackie's sealing. It was a really quick trip! We landed Friday morning then by early Sunday morning we were back home. Still, it was well worth the trip. When we got there on Friday, Nichole invited Jonas and I to go to her place of employment to trick-or-treat around her office for their Halloween party. Of course, Jonas was more than willing to go grab some candy...and a cookie...and a soda. Poor kid definitely experienced a sugar crash later that evening. 'Tis the season. 

That evening, we met up with everyone to have dinner at Torchy's Tacos. This was a request from Krys and Jordan. It's a Texas taco staple that they have missed since moving back to Utah.

The next day was the sealing. That morning, Dad took all the boys to Waffle House for breakfast. When Jeff asked Dad to marry me, the only thing he asked was if Jeff likes waffles. I guess Jeff passed the test. After breakfast, the boys went to the army surplus store before meeting up with Mom, Krys, and I at the temple (where Krys was scouting picture locations for Mikey and Jackie). We walked around the grounds and stopped by the visitors center before going back to my parents house to get ready.

That late afternoon/early evening, Michael and Jackie were sealed in the AZ temple for time and all eternity. I was so glad that we had a chance to be a part of this special day for them. It wasn't an easy path to get there, but it was never an option not to arrive. They are so cute together and deserve all the happiness in the world!

After the sealing, we had a nice dinner at my parents house while Jonas went with Ryan and Kate to their ward's Halloween carnival. After his previous sugar crash, he didn't seem so interested in getting candy as he did in simply playing the carnival games and jumping around on the bounce houses. Early the next morning, we flew home. Even though it was a quick trip, it is always nice to spend time with my family.