Happy Halloween!

Grandma Cheri gave Isaac this super adorable fringed cowboy jacket last fall, and it worked out perfectly that it fit him this Halloween. That with Ben's red-checked shirt from his childhood and all we had to drum up was a cowboy hat and horsy to complete the costume. Isaac was a pretty cute cowboy, I think. And a good one, at that! He'd walk his horsy around saying, "Giddy up!" for photos.

Trick-or-treating turned out to be the most fun Halloween event of all. In Colorado, trick-or-treating begins at sundown. So when the sun set, Ben, Isaac and I walked around the neighborhood greeting all of our neighbors and meeting a few new ones. Isaac loved to pick a piece of candy (or five) out of the candy dish and say, "Cank cue!" This was our first time taking Isaac out, and we learned that our neighborhood is a pretty fantastic place for trick-or-treating with little ones. Our cul-du-sac does not have any other children, but just up the road the streets were filled with young ghosts and goblins running around with their parents. And the houses were so festive, too! So many lights and music, jack-o-lanterns and much, much more. We had such a good time. 

And the best news of all? Isaac only ate one piece of candy on Halloween night. He has since forgotten about it (and I'm not reminding him). I think we dodged a bullet this year!

Happy Halloween!

Certops Isaac

Since we did have so many Halloween events this year, I picked up a second costume with an Etsy gift card for Isaac. This cute dino hoodie and tail was perfect for wearing around daycare all day. And I didn't care if it got dirty, as opposed to the vintage red-checked shirt Isaac will wear with his cowboy costume. That one was his daddy's shirt when he was Isaac's age. That one is worth holding onto forever.

He called himself a "certops." Cutie.

Reflection and Backyard Beauty

Fall is my very favorite season. The color, the fallen leaves with their satisfying crunch underfoot, the smell of the earth, the chill in the air. One of my favorite activities in the fall is to get out into nature--be it a hike or a drive or a run through the woods--and immerse myself in autumn. 

To go along with all things autumn, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I look forward to picking pumpkins and then carving jack-o-lanterns, to kids dressing in costumes, to excited trick-or-treaters on Halloween night, and of course, Halloween parties. But this year, I've managed to over-schedule our family for too many events in a short span of time. Admittedly, there were seven on the calendar--just options, I told Ben--and I let some of them go. Not enough of them, though. I lost sight of what it is that I really love about the season and the holiday, and that is tradition. Those hikes and drives and carving pumpkins are traditions to me. Traditions I've looked forward to beginning with my own family as a parent. And this year, we did very few of them. 

So reflecting today, in the midst of all the autumnal beauty right in our own backyard, as we're about to head off to the first of two school parties (apparently I'm not the only one who overdoes it on occasion), and as Halloween is finally upon us, I've re-learned a valuable lesson: Less is more. 

Let me repeat that: Less. Is. More. I'm certain it will not be the last time I repeat it to myself, but I'll let this post serve as a reminder--hopefully before the more catches up with me again.

In the second-to-last photo in this series, that bright orange tree sits just outside one of our bedroom windows. I often find myself staring out into the vibrant colors of the turning leaves entranced by all that beauty. What a gift!

His Work, His Play

Isaac and LB

He Bakes

He opened the pantry this morning and started pulling out the ingredients for granola and setting them in a pile on the kitchen floor. "Make cereal," he declared.

And so he did.

Overdeck's Halloween Party

The cowboy, gearing up for party time!

Isaac was begging to hold one of the babies; he was so proud of himself when he finally did.

Donut on a string game.

Cowboy pirate.

Hudson the construction worker with a backhoe. Pretty impressed with Crystal for pulling that one off with newborn twins taking up much of her waking hours (i.e., all of the hours of the day). 

Play

Coloring and Conversation

Building Houses

As he calls them.

Our nights have been ending this way lately: We play with blocks or trains or trucks, then Isaac makes laps around the house--sometimes we chase him, sometimes he runs after the dogs, squealing with excitement--and then, finally exhausted, we all pile into our bed and read a few train books before sleep. Goodbye old ritual and hello to the new. (Such is the life of a parent!)