Church Halloween party '08

Saturday night we went to our ward's annual Halloween party. Needless to say, with Michigan losing a big rival game only moments before the party started, some of us were not in the greatest mood (...ahem, William) but I somehow still got him to dress up and go. What a good sport!

Will and I went as Napoleon Dynamite and Deb. We watched the movie the night before for a little inspiration. Here's our official picture pose that night.
Will was so good at keeping in character. Really funny stuff. Here he his doing his Happy Hands Club bit.

We were actually surprised at how few of the adults actually dressed up. Who says the kids get to have all the fun?

Speaking of kiddos, Coleman and Cooper got to pick what they wanted to be this year. Cooper wanted to be Iron Man which was a $20 costume at Kmart. Simple. But Coleman, bless his heart, was dead set on being a Cog, which are the bad guys from the Disney online game Toontown. And no, they do not make Cog costumes so I scrambled to find him a suit and warned him everyday that he'd have to wear make-up, which he was okay with once I told him it wasn't the kind that girls wear. I was so worried that he wouldn't like the feel of the make-up all over his face. But he surprised me and didn't complain a bit. He was so thrilled when he saw himself in the mirror. I caught him impersonating his favorite Cogs throughout the night. Just totally off in his own world, channeling the Cog energy. He's so funny. Here's a pic of the boys with Madi (she was Cinderella.) By the way, this was the only pic I got of Cooper with his mask on. I don't really blame him for not wearing it. I'm pretty sure he couldn't see a thing when he had it on.

And a pic with their next door bud, Colby.
We had dinner and then played some Halloween themed games with the kids. There was also a pumpkin carving contest that I somehow managed to win. That was the cherry on top for me. I was really surprised because it was such a simple design. Here 's a pic of me and Cooper with our winning pumpkin and our prize, a pumpkin pie and can of whipped cream. Yum! We still have trick-or-treating coming up this Friday and school parties that both boys are excited about so the fun's not over yet. Will is scheming a way to scare the kids that come to our doorstep to trick or treat so just a warning for the neighbors. ;)

Scarecrow Festival '08

Well, we headed to the Scarecrow Festival again this year. We've gone every year for the past 4 years so it's kind of a tradition now.

The boys started out by playing several fun Halloween themed games. Here's Cooper cheating in the throw-the-spider-into-the-web game. He really wanted to make sure that it would stick.
Rather than tossing them, Coleman carefully placed the rings around these animals necks. I learned that my boys really like to play by their own set of rules.
Cooper looked SO uncomfortable when he and Will wheeled up after their turn on these pedal cars. I don't blame him for the grimace. Just look at that split!
After a ridiculously long wait in line, Coleman got freaked out by some backfire from the train. We were worried that he'd jump off the train before the ride even got started but he was fine after a couple minutes.
Here they are coming back from their trip around the fairgrounds. Hey, where's Coop?! We thought he had jumped off the train or something but he was just (not so cautiously) leaning over the side. He is always doing something crazy. Little monkey.
The boys were excited to ride the ponies at Farm Country even though they've ridden them many times before. Coleman chose the smallest one and I teased him that he was so big that the pony wouldn't be able to move. The look on his face told me that he actually believed me until the ride got started. Speaking of the look on his face, I have got to stop telling Coleman to say "Cheese!" because I always get this look--->
This pic was taken right before we left so I was lucky to get a good smile out of both of them. Had to get a pic of them with some scarecrows.

This is why I pay for school pictures.

Because no other photo session can bring out this real kind of emotion. Can you say deer in headlights?

My Itty-Bitty Athletes.

This past week brought a couple firsts. Cooper's first extra-curricular activity, itty-bitty football classes, and Coleman's first tae kwon do class. Cooper has taken to football like a fish to water. No surprises here. He's always been very coordinated and seems to take to sports just naturally. Here he is playing running back. Go Coops!

Coleman really seems to enjoy tae kwon do! I just love that he approaches everything he does with the pure intent of having fun. No competitiveness. No feeling silly or embarassed. He just goes for it. Makes me wish I were more like that. I continue to learn so much from him. Funny boy.