halloween weekend.

Halloween weekend began with some cold rain. It was perfectly creepy & cozy.
We attended our church Halloween event. There was a chili cook off & I won! I used a Cook's Illustrated recipe with blade steak and my own chili paste. Gotta love those tried and true recipes. Zara got lots of candy. She was a sticky mess for the first of many times this weekend. You can't keep my girl away from candy, she even stole the candy corn from the centerpieces !

My winning chili. Is anyone else obsessed with avocado on their chili?!::

My little puppy! This costume was cleaned a lot::

Saturday we went to a birthday party in Lexington for twin cousins. It was so cute- my aunt made Rapunzel braids. Poor Zara was so tired and she threw up. My sweet babe.::

My sister's backyard. Because I am obsessed::

Z tormented my niece's new cat, but it was very sweet. & now I want a kitten!::

My nephew and nieces. They are the best bunch of kids ever.::

Another chili cook off and another round of trick or treating! Yep, I'm a Mormon::

One night we painted and carved pumpkins. Jonas carved a dog just for Zara :) ::

We had a bizarre zoo trip. We were almost the only people there and they were taking down all of the Halloween decorations. We had a private train ride and spent way too much time with the grumpy geese::

This gorilla always loves to watch other gorillas on youtube::

& Halloween night!!

Princess Fiona! I remember hating her hairstyle when I was younger. Yet here I am ::

Hillcrest Halloween is wonderful. I have heard how good it is, but was blown away. Plus, if you go at 5, the crowd is not that bad. It was a perfect trick- or- treat scenario!

Game of Thrones! ::

Maybe my favorite::

 I just loved being with family all weekend. I worked on some house projects. Made banana bread. Caught up on my journal. Had Halloween dance parties.  Finished some audio books. & you know we watched one of the best shows ever::

pumpkin pickin'.

We loved our day at the pumpkin patch! Zara was eager to find some pumpkins & trip over some vines ;) She even said "cheese" for me a few times because I kept taking photos in the gorgeous light. We also had a blast playing at this really endearing "family fun park." They have everything- mazes, animal statues, a huge slide, tractor rides, giant bouncy areas and instruments. Such a sweet day.

zara's great search for numnums (candy) at the zoo.

I may have had a fever. My throat may have hurt so badly that I had to brace myself before talking or eating, but it is worth the pain to get to see my family and how much they love my girl! I seriously love my ginger nieces and nephew. They are hilarious and kind & even when they are fighting they are having fun (mostly). & I love to have my sister around, especially now when I need someone to validate how difficult a toddler can be.

We all went to the halloween party at the louisville zoo. we all had costume malfunctions due to shipping times and the heat (Zara WILL be a dog later this month!) I loved being there with some light out, we could see all of the adorable costumes, decor & a few animals. My daughter turned into a candy monster. Every attempt to stop her consumption of her beloved "num nums" was met with a storm of tears. She only cared about candy. I was happy to see her happy & that it is not a normal thing.

We ended the evening at Taco Luchador. PSA- the nachos at the new location are only $6 and they are the best nachos ever.

Thanks for coming family, we love you!

st. James.

from a short visit to our favorite art fair:

the long weekend I needed.

tacos. general conference. nulu fest. photo booth. pizza. cinnamon rolls. sunday comfort food. the park. spiders & funny seals at the zoo. tower of blocks for mama to protect from zara the monster. picnic at waterfront park. home organization. decorating. night walks.