Cheers to the Weekend, Halloween Week Edition

Shooey! Sorry for my unplanned absence, but the last week was busy and I just couldn't find a way to sneak my writing time into my days. But alas, it's Friday, it's NOVEMBER (say wha?!), and I have a boatload of CHEERS catching up to do! Here are some things that have kept us busy but having fun that we are saying CHEERS to to kick off this lovely Fall weekend: 

Halloween shenanigans. I'm just going to throw a bunch of pics here with a few brief descriptions or this first segment will be 18 pages long - ha! And ain't nobody got time for that. 

Despite Mother Nature's attempts to thwart our plans, we still managed to stay (mostly) dry and go Trick-or-Treating around our 'hood last night, stopping by a dear friend's house to grab some dinner and some friend time while the rain poured down. This year, we had a scary-morph-suit guy; Mal from Descendants; a police officer; and an owl. If you can find a theme in that random mix o' costumes, you win. ;) But my Lu Crew was thrilled to dress exactly in what they wanted to be; so, this momma was happy. :) 

Prior to Halloween, there was plenty of pre-Halloween fun to be had: 

We got "Boo'd" and "Boo'd Back" neighbors: 

We went on our annual "Halloween Hunt" around the 'hood: 

We had Year 2 of "Let Our Kid Design Our Pumpkin." Harrison got to do it last year and this year was Raleigh's turn. She was so proud: 

We skipped out of school a little early and visited Hall Family Farm to check off our Fall items of a hayride, pumpkin patch, apple cider donuts, etc.: 

We had costume day at dance, during which Bella wore her first of two costumes for the week: Princess Mulan: 

We had Book Character Day at school, wherein Bels re-wore her Mulan costume and my big 3 decided they wanted to dress together as Charlotte's Web. A themed costume? YES!!! 

We had Halloween parties at school, and this mommas was invited to the preschool one, which was so fun for Bels and me: 

And THAT.WAS.THAT. Now, onto Thanksgiving. Let's do this!

Flag Football, Season 1 = Complete. It's been interesting to go from being the momma of the son who towers over the other kids thanks to his large stature to being the momma of the son who is littlest peanut of the field. Our Harrison is full of heart, hustle, determination, and sportsmanship, and left all of them on the field at the end of the season, giving his all each game. And I cheered as loudly as I could when he finally scored a TD in his second to last game. Way to go, sweet boy. What a season! I am so, so proud of him. <3

Tackle Football, Season 1 = Complete. Banks' first season of tackle football taught him to overcome fear and anxiety, to focus on the next play instead of getting distracted by mistakes, and to cheer on those around him. He played with guts and passion, and I was so proud to watch how much he matured over the season. Seeing my son, leading his teammates as they huddled on the field, instructing them on which play they'd be running, and then doing his best to help others shine, well, it made me so proud of him. Way to go, Bankster. We are behind you all the way, always. (and he was *thrilled* to have his *favorite friend* there at his last game, along with her little sister, who is one of Raleigh's good buddies). <3

Weekend shenanigans. Let's see: my hub and I snuck out for some grown-up fun last weekend, three nights in a row (which never happens - ha!). We kicked off the weekend with a quadruple date night Friday at a legendary Charlotte restaurant; we attended a charity event Saturday night for Lily Pad Haven, an amazing non-profit organization that supports survivors of human trafficking; and then I snuck away again on Sunday afternoon/night for candle-making and then a Mexican dinner and then gourmet ice-cream eating for a friend's birthday. WHEW. It was a weekend with little rest (boo, especially since I ended up being sick) but definitely packed full of fun (yay!).

Etc. And our week marched on! Throw in Life Group gatherings; a doc appointment, a hair appointment, and a fun Barre3 + Anders Ruff event for me; my last of four parent-teacher conferences, and all the Halloween madness, and this week was a(nother) doozy! 

I hope you and yours are fully recovered from your Halloween craziness and have a lovely weekend spent with the ones you love. We have some special plans tomorrow and I can't wait! Have a great weekend, y'all! Happy November. <3