Happy Halloween!

A couple nights ago, Thomas and I, along with his sister and parents, all took the kids trick or treating in Ames. Beggar's night is what they call it was on Friday night and Thomas' family was able to make it to enjoy the fun with us. It was so fun watching all the kids follow each other from house to house. Ethan dressed up as a dragon, Simon was a lion (Ethan's costume from last year) and Grace was a monkey. Simon only wore his hood half the time but Ethan loved every part of his costume! He's been looking forward to wearing it for weeks now. It's actually a costume sized for 4/5 year olds, so I'm hoping that it will be just as cool to him next year and we can make use of it for two years. Poor Simon will probably be everything Ethan has been in the past. It's ok because Simon really looks up to Ethan and is all about anything that Ethan gets excited about. They are buddies...most of the time. We walked north a couple of blocks and made sure to visit the our neighbors train, the singing pirates, and the scary house with spooky music playing. Ethan has a very vivid memory when it comes to trick or treating. He remembers all the houses where decorations were put up. He really takes after his dad and loves to be scared. It does backfire once in a while when he wakes up at night due to something frightening he saw or heard that day. Thomas is quick to reassure him that it's ok and he will always be safe. We had a great weekend with family and friends and were pretty exhausted going into the next week. Thomas has been putting in quite a few hours working on finishing the basement. His Dad has been helping with the electrical work this past weekend and I will post pictures of the lights once they are all in. This past Saturday, Mom and Dad Fawcett were in town (helping with the basement) and they took us all to the ISU vs Nebraska game. It was so much fun and even though ISU suffered a tough loss, it was a valiant effort and a great game to see. Ethan really enjoyed being so close on the hillside and SImon enjoyed eating a bowl of popcorn all by himself. He had a bit of a cold so no one really cared to share with him. It was a great time, beautiful weather and lots of new memories. The weather has been absolutely beautiful this fall and I almost feel ready for winter. I can't believe I'm saying this but really, the fall has been so nice that I feel ok about it getting real cold. It's November and I feel like it's going to happen pretty soon. I worked out in the garden today to prepare for the cold. We were all out together getting things put away and closed up for the months ahead. It's kind of sad to close up the sand box and put away all the outdoor toys but at the same time, we can't wait to open up the Christmas decorations and pick out our tree. I love the changing seasons! It's one of the best parts of living in Iowa! You can't get that in Cali!

Oh and when we were trick or treating with the boys, several people looked at Simon and said Oh, she is so cute! I said to Thomas that I thought it was time for a big boy hair cut. He agreed and so I cut the long hair off! He looks so much older and has received many compliments on his new hair cut. He looks great and even more like Ethan. You can definitely tell they are bothers. Too cute!