Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween everyone! How was everyone's day? Are you already all "Halloween'd out?" We're not. And we've been at it since Thursday! Yes, Thursday. Logan had his Preschool, Halloween Day. Since he only goes to school Tuesday-Thursday, Thursday was our day to celebrate. Logan, Daniella, and I dressed up. We packed up our Halloween cookies, that we made and decorated. And all those bags for the class. It was such a fun day. Daniella got to be in the parade too. She was loving it! Getting to hangout with all the big kids.

Friday was also a crazy day! We all headed to the hospital, right after Ethan and Madelyn were out of school. Dressed up. To hangout with some of the kiddos and their families. There were lots of crafts, cookie and cupcake decorating, and some fun movies. We had a blast! It didn't hurt that Patrick came out, dressed up like Dracula. The kids loved it!

Friday night, we all "vegged out." Ordered pizza, and watched 3 Halloween movies. Patrick worked. Secretly, I can bet, that he's been looking forward to this week. You'd be surprised by the people you will see in the hospital. Crazy!

Saturday night, Patrick and I headed to the Halloween Ball. It's a fundraiser for the hospital. That I've been slaving at for months! It turned out great. And Patrick and I had an incredible time! Lots of good food, fun friends, raising money, and dancing the night away.

By Sunday, I didn't want to get out of bed. But the 2nd of the hospital fundraisers was Sunday. A Family Event. A Halloween Carnival and Trunk-or-Treating. So much fun! All the hospital staff came, dressed up, and with their families. A lot of money was raised. The hospital is trying to add another "Playground" for the kids. And they're so expensive!

And today hasn't disappointed either! Ethan and Madelyn had their Halloween parties at school. Oh ya! More Halloween treats. The 5 of us dressed up. The entire school was so fun! It was a like a Halloween Carnival. The different booths had fun Halloween games, that were educated. So fun! Patrick came by, during his lunch break. Dressed up! So that we could all enjoy a "Goblin Lunch" together. :)

After school, we came home. The kids were so excited! We made a yummy, Halloween inspired dinner. It was a special dinner too. Patrick was able to join us. Honestly, from Monday-Friday, we rarely have dinner as a family. My hubby usually doesn't come home until the kids' bedtime. Sad. But true. Tonight, was definitely a treat!

Our regular babysitter came by. She handed out candy for us. I didn't want to miss the trick-or-treating. But I also didn't want to be the only neighbor, not handing out candy. And our family went trick-or-treating. I've never seen so much candy in my life! Tomorrow, our kids are going to pick out their favorites. Then, we're going to donate the rest. To the troops. I'd rather that they have our candy. And it not go to waste. Yes, our family had a great time! I can't wait until next year. Now I'm  going to go enjoy some chocolate...

Dressing Up

Halloween costumes. Usually, they're an easy subject around here. We order Halloween costumes in early September. That way we get, what we want. Oh, and with my first 2 kiddos, I got to pick out their costumes, until they were 5. Yes, when they started school, they wanted to pick out their costumes.

But this year was a whole other issue! Life got busy, and before I knew it, it was mid September. OK, it was only 2 weeks off schedule. Not too bad. I sat each one of our kids down, and we searched for their perfect costumes. Logan and Daniella knew exactly what they wanted to be. Months ago!

Logan wanted to be Mr. Potato Head. It had been talked about, since the summer. My son is only 3! But he knew exactly what he wanted. And we were OK with that. Until, we couldn't find the costume anywhere! He hid under his bed for 2 hours, before finally agreeing to find something else. Too bad I'm not crafty. It doesn't look like a hard costume to make. Maybe I should really invest in a sewing machine...

We compromised on a Train Conductor. "Just like Thomas' friend." I don't know. Logan said it. I just went with it. And he was happy. When the costume came in the mail, he was over the moon! But the Mr. Potato Head, he's still asking about it. We'll get to that in another post...

Daniella was easy as pie! Since we went to Disney World, and honestly, before that, she's been all about Minnie Mouse. This costume happened to be on the front page. Although, there were cuter ones, she was hooked on this one. I also picked up some tights and cute shoes. Let's just say this, our baby knows exactly what she wants. Exactly! I'm starting to believe, our 2 youngest are going to be more opinionated, than our oldest 2. :)

Costume picking took a little more time than I thought. Especially when it came to Madelyn. She couldn't decide what she wanted to be. There were some pondering and searching going on. Lots of talking involved. Asking of friends, what are they dressing up as. Changing our minds. And finally settling on a Gypsy. I don't think Madelyn was 100% sure, when we ordered it. But now that she has it, I'm positive, that she's so happy with her choice. And all the gold jewelry that we bought too! Pretty fancy for my 1st grader...

I've said it at least a hundred times before, Ethan is so easy going! He's just like Patrick. When we visited NASA this summer, he was over the moon. My son, is totally a science and math kid. OK, he likes sports too. But you know what I mean. On the ride from NASA to our hotel, he turned and told me, "Mom, I want to be an astronaut for Halloween. Because I want to work for NASA when I grow up." Really? Easy as that. It took us all of 2 seconds, to decide on which costume he wanted.

And that left Patrick and I. We need to dress up for this "Halloween Ball" that we're going to attend. We don't usually dress up as a couple. But we thought it would be fun. And we don't have to worry about warmth. We're going to be wearing these costumes to the ball. And our costumes from last year when we take the kids trick-or-treating. Dracula and a witch. After lots of talking, dying with the prices, and negotiating, we settled on Cleopatra and Mark Anthony. Isn't that fun? I can't wait until Halloween! It's going to be fun. The makeup and jewelry are going to be so fun too!

And honestly, I can't wait to see my hubs dressed up! I'm telling you, this is going to be a fun Halloween. It's going to be so busy. But I'm positive that we're going to enjoy ourselves. And for next year, I need to remember, to get our order in earlier. It was a little stressful this year. I'm sure Logan would appreciate that. Did I mention? He's still talking about Mr. Potato Head...

Emily of New Moon

Now that we're in the middle of summer, I'm caving. Little by little. In the middle of the day, at the peak point of the heat, we're watching TV. But I'm trying, to at least make our TV watching, somewhat educational. I don't want people to think that I'm mindlessly putting my kids in front of the TV.

No, as a family, we sit and watch. So maybe Ethan is not too keen on some of the shows. Like Sesame Street, Dinosaur Train, or Clifford the Big Red Dog. But I've let all of my kids, pick one show to watch. And that's what we watch.

I was a bit surprised by Madelyn's choice. It seemed a little more mature, than what I thought she'd go for. Just my thoughts there. But Madelyn is such a fan of Emily of New Moon. It reminds me so much of Anne of Green Gables.



This year, Lola sent the entire book series, of Anne of Green Gables, to Madelyn, for her birthday. That's after Daniella got her set. And Madelyn wanted to read all of her sisters' books. See Lola values reading just as much as we do. And we're super glad about that!

Madelyn watches this show like no other! In fact, all of my kids enjoy it. Don't tell Ethan that I said so. But we sit there for 60 minutes, every day, and watch. It really is a cute series. Completely reminds me of the PBS Anne of Green Gables.

What a darling show! Patrick and I are already getting some ideas. For Christmas presents. We're thinking of getting our girls the entire series of Emily of New Moon and Anne of Green Gables. 2 really sweet series. That I'm so glad my kids enjoy. They're learning about a much simpler time. And I LOVE it! 

Learning Grace

Ethan and Madelyn just finished up their school year. I can't believe it, but in September we will have a 1st grader and a 2nd grader. Logan will also be starting Pre-school! It's hard to believe it. My babies are growing so quickly!

One of the things we value and appreciate most, at our kids' school is, the prayer. The level of education is amazing! These teachers are really on top of things. But all of our kids have come home, with this prayer, on their 1st day of school.

We've incorporated it into our daily use. Teaching the rest of the family. We've always said Grace before meals. But now, we have a specific prayer to say. I'm happy to say, all of our kids now know, this prayer. Yes, some days, I'm still trying to figure out what Daniella is saying. But it's a nice tradition to have in our family. I'm very grateful for this school. And all that they are teaching, all of us!

Cute Cupcakes

I was recently googling, for cupcake ideas. And I found these cute cupcakes. Hello! They're definitely on my list. And now that Madelyn and Daniella have seen them, we're definitely going to be making these cuties! Now, I just need to figure them out.

I"m pretty sure that the eyes and mouth, are candies. The crown? I don't know. But I'm sure that I could figure something out. Oh, and Madelyn has also requested a "Princess Cupcake." You know, like the Fairytale. Yes, these cupcakes, look like a good summer activity. I know that my girls will enjoy making them. And my boys will enjoy eating them!

Welcome!

Hi! I'm Brooke. Welcome to my blog. It's a place, that I hope to share about my family's adventures. Yes, my family. My #1! I'm married to Patrick. The love of my life! He's an MD. I'm also an MD. Except, I don't practice as much as Patrick. Only a few times a month. Why? Because we have 4 beautiful kiddos. From oldest to youngest, Ethan, Madelyn, Logan, and Daniella. These 5 beautiful souls, are my entire life!

A few more things about me. Well, 98% of the time I'm a SAHM/W. I LOVE it! I'm originally from the West Coast. My hubby is from the SW. We lived in the SW for years, when we first got out of medical school. We still miss it. But now, we live in the SE. And we're loving it too!

I enjoy cooking, baking, and blog reading. I'd love to read your blog. Please leave me a comment with a link. Or send me an email. I'm always looking for ways to connect with moms and wives. I also enjoy reading. Please share your latest read. I collect cookbooks. Love receiving mail. Most of my days, are filled with my kiddos, my hubby, and lots of fundraising. Let's not forget God. He's the center of my life. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. And Welcome to my little place in Blogland!