Happy Halloween!

We decided to stay at home for Halloween this year and enjoy our last one in Highland Timbers subdivision. It was the first time we have gone trick or treating since having children. Emery loved it, Aubrey hung back until the door opened and then she would come get the candy and Lily started off strong but ended up sitting in a stroller by the last few houses. We collected plenty of candy between the three of them and we quickly discovered how much they LOVE it. Lily loves M&M's, Emery loves lollipops and Aubrey loves candy bars.

MIMI and PawPaw stopped by to check out Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Chris and Reece enjoying Reece's first Halloween.

Daddy with one of his 3 little bears.

We had dinner next door in the Hartley's driveway before we started trick or treating.

Aubrey with her friends Haley (her family has moved but they came back for the fun) and Taylor.

Halloween Playdate

The Michaelis' hosted our annual Halloween playdate. Shannon took pictures of all of the families dressed up. This one was taken right when we got there before...

...they set up the background.

The kids had a great morning of playing with some of their friends that they don't get to see very often. It had rained a lot the day before so all of the fun had to be inside......even swinging.
My kids really loved playing with those little plastic balls.
The host, Justin, getting ready to destroy the pinata.
CANDY!!!!!

Walk-A-Thon and Parade

The Thursday before Halloween was a busy day at school for us. First, all three girls participated in the Walk-A-Thon which is the school's only fundraiser for the year. The kids go to the gym and walk, skip, run, crawl and other fun things around some cones for a few minutes. Then they leave with a certificate, cookie and toy. I volunteered to help with this event so I could watch each of them.

This is Aubrey's class getting instructions from their teacher before they begin.

What a good listener!

Lily's class had pajama day. Here she is with some of her friends in her class.

Lily didn't love the crawling part of the Walk-A-Thon.

Emery's class had to dress like a circus animal. It worked out perfectly that we already had the bear costume. She is the one holding the teacher's hand.

The Preschool 3's had a circus parade at the end of the day. Carter and I watched as the kids walked up and down the hall dressed in adorable hats and bow ties while carrying fun noise makers. Here is Aubrey's teacher, Mrs. Chicas, leading her class in the parade.

They also had their faces painted.

Mrs. Chicas didn't want the other Hall kids to feel left out so she painted their faces also.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

The girls dressed up for their gymnastics classes to celebrate Halloween.

Goldilocks

The girls decided that Lily was "Papa Bear" and Emery was "Mama Bear" and of course Carter was "Baby Bear."
This little bear was not very happy to have to wear her costume. Carter likes to spend most of his time at gymnastics crawling around on the floor rather than watching his sisters.
Aubrey's class with Coach Tara and Coach Selinda.

Light the Night

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk is a way to pay tribute and bring hope to people battling cancer. Our walk took place in The Woodlands Market Street. On this night, hundreds of people carry illuminated balloons and raised money for vital, lifesaving research and patient services. The Jay Walkers are a team of friends and family who walked in honor of Mike's stepbrother, Jay, who lost his battle to cancer on September 25, 2008.

MIMI was sitting with the girls while they were enjoying a cookie to get some energy before the big walk.The walk starts at 7:30...enough said!
There wasn't a lot of room on the sidewalks for the stroller but people definitely got out of our way when they saw this thing coming. By the end of the walk we had three in the stroller and one on Mike's shoulders.

Horseback Riding

Before we came home from our long weekend in Plano, Dallas, McKinney and Frisco, we stopped by to wish Papa a "Happy Birthday." He saddled up one of the horses and 2 out of the 4 kids took a ride. Aubrey rode all around the farm with Papa. We had to convince her to get down for a few minutes to eat her lunch. Lily and Emery wanted no part of being on that horse. Carter didn't have much say in it but by the smile on his face, it didn't seem to bother him.

Seelman Cousins

My mom came to Dallas while Mike went to the OU/Texas game. We took the kids to Frisco to watch my niece, Bella, play soccer. She plays on an all girls team called the "Bees." She scored at least 5 goals that day and played pretty much the whole game. She is an aggressive and skilled little soccer player.

Bella's fans
After the game, we went to a park in their neighborhood to play.
Abbey, Bella, Aubrey, Lily and Emery are posing for Nana.
Then we headed back to their house to continue playing and have dinner. The older kids enjoyed their pizza on the patio...
...while the two little kids ate dinner inside with the adults.
Julia being fed by her daddy (my brother, Kevin).
Although we don't get to see them often, these cousins cherish the moments they are together. We are looking forward to them growing up with each other and making many wonderful memories.