let the festivities begin!

We had the most quiet, quaint little Christmas at home. Dan had five weeks off of school! Besides his survival trip (post to come on that soon), we just stayed home and went on little adventures around here. It was nice and relaxing and so lovely to be able to just be together as a family, us three. A special Christmas, indeed, that we will always remember. This is us prepping and trimming our tree and then a big, wonderful Thanksgiving with friends.

He loves (is obsessed with) the two moles under my chin. He touches them/rubs them all the time. It's like, his safe place.

We started out Thanksgiving with a good game of basketball at the park with the Optometry guys...

no big deal that guy...

Jude and I played at the park and ran around the field and were thankful we weren't the little kid we saw take a giant spill and possibly really hurt himself.

You can do it!!!!

It was so nice to have Thanksgiving with a bunch of friends, many new. It was nice to just all bring something and come together and have a delicious meal. It was nice to get together with new friends and just be each other's family. It was nice to spend the evening in a lovely little home filled with the Spirit of family and friends and play fun games. It was really nice to not have to cook two entire Thanksgiving meals! Jude, of course, needed his own whole meal that we brought and that was enough to worry about! He ate like, four or five bites... he was having too much fun with his balloon and Nini spinning him around in circles. :)

This is Halloween...

I hope everyone had a lovely Halloween! 

Halloween was so fun this year, and I imagine it will get more and more fun every year as the children are growing up. Jude was more aware of his costume and what was going on and it just made it so fun. We started out our festivities with a Halloween party at the library. Games, raffles, crafts, prizes, a photobooth, books... so fun! Just got all but a standing ovation as we walked into the library. The scattered tables of teenagers all ooh-ed and aah-ed and pointed and "look at that lion!!! he is so cute!!!" to the point where I even felt slightly embarrassed due to the big scene being caused! It didn't end there. He got more comments that I could count!

"Hold up your ghost for a picture, honey!!" He humored me...

There's the ball he won at the raffle! So exciting.

We stopped by Trace's house on the way home and they had plenty of fun playing and putting stickers on their pumpkin!

We had our Trunk-or-Treat on Wednesday night. Jude was really apprehensive about the whole thing at first. He wouldn't even go up to the first car! They had to bring the candy to him. :) It didn't take long for him to warm up to the whole idea, although he still never made an attempt at a "Trick or Treat!!," a thank you, or a roar! See last year's Halloween post here!

Jude was the lion, Dan was the African Safari Tour Guide, and I was the happy tourist. :)

Our adorable neighbors

Best African Safari I've ever been on...

Then there was the after-party where we played with our glow sticks. We started new Halloween traditions of a glow stick-bathtub-in-the-dark and reading bedtime stories in the dark with a flashlight. So fun!

Dan showed Jude all the fun things to do with a glow stick in the dark.

Jude was a pro!

Can we play some more, please?!?

Jude has been a little under-the-weather and didn't feel up to Trick or Treating on Halloween night. He had other plans... (bedtime). So we had a fancy dinner and carved our pumpkin! :)

daddy ghost!!!

A sweet lady in the ward remembered Jude had allergies when we came Trunk or Treating so she offered him a "treat," one of those stretchy sticky hands... and boy did Jude have a blast playing with it... once Dan had played with it for a while and let Jude have a turn. ;)