Halloween 2022!!!

 

Monday night Halloween is extra fun! They had ALL weekend to anticipate it and then dress up day at school all day!  We had our traditional dinner of steak soup extra early at 5:00 so they could meet up with friends at 6 to begin the big hunt!

{Molly (Pirate), Anna (Pirate), Campbell (Care Bear), and Vivian (Pig)}

The Friends Crew!

Flanagans, Schlicks + McGinnisses  - just 3 families = 10 kiddos!

Let me back up a little - it was THE MOST beautiful 

Halloween day - high in the 60's and gorgeous!

The most perfect day to trick or treat

 (and not have to wear a coat covering your costume!)

Kate was going to be a minion for weeks, and the day before 

changed her mind to be a professional volleyball player . . .

I think she just wanted to wear her volleyball uniform one more time . . .

Regardless, she's pretty cute.

Molly wanted to dress as a pirate - and we even had an eye patch and hat, but she scratched that at the last minute to wear this darling head wrap instead. 

The littles started early - before it was even dark!

Running from house to house through Kenilworth . . .

Ruby continued to be a Minion, even though Kate changed her mind.

Molly off to meet her 7th grade girlfriends to go off on their own . . .

Notice her HUGE LuLu Lemon shopping bag

Gone are the days of plastic pumpkin holders for the big kids.

My Goddaughter, Cecilia Flanagan - she was such a good sport!

A few of the Dads

{Greg, Mike, Marc, John}

The most beautiful pirate I've ever seen - 

This is middle school trick or treating - 

8:00 p.m. - Counting their loot!

9:00 p.m. - Starting the big candy trade

SO much candy!

Our Weekend in Pictures . . .

 

Friday night out with friends at the Cure' of Ars Skeet Shooting party!

{Megan, Kirsten, Liz, Me}

Saturday night, we stayed in and made individual chicken pot pies - so cozy!

It was an EARLY Saturday morning, with Molly's final volleyball tournament starting at 8:00 am. at St. Patrick's in KC, KS. They ended up placing 3rd! So sad volleyball is over - was so fun to watch them having fun with friends out on the court!

Saturday night, after dark, Mike took the girls out to "Boo!" friends and neighbors! The girls dressed in all black, of course - as to not get caught - and had an extravagant plan to not get caught ringing doorbells and leaving candy on doorsteps!  

Ready to go! Love that she wore a hat to cover her blonde curls!

They picked up some friends to help along the way!

Kate + Ruby

Some of Kates artwork from this past week . . .

She's really into making "collages" out of magazines.

And I love her spooky tree she made for me for Halloween!

Loving these gorgeous fall leaves . . .

This is how Bear sits, (super low to the ground) when he sees dogs approaching that he wants to say HI to.He won't budge - he just sits and waits for them to get close and then he gently smells and kisses them. He knows his size can be intimidating, so he tries to get real small so they will approach him.It's hilarious.

Kate raking leaves for Bear to jump in.

Such a good Mama to Bear. Molly is too. 

He is the most loved pup in Kansas!

October, Please Don't Go

 

We are nearing the end of this beautiful month. 

The month of the feast day of the Guardian Angels, the month of autumn beauty, the month of gorgeous weather and the month where my beautiful Mama went to Heaven. 

As I take my daily walks with Bear, I am reminded of this beauty and reminded that the very first day of this month was when my Mom left us in this earthly world. We celebrated early autumn with her in McPherson with all of us in and out of my parents beautiful home, enjoying pumpkin bread,  apple pies, and cooler weather - and now as we near the end of the month, it is all fleeting. 

I don't want it to end. I want to stay in this state of autumn beauty, where my Mom was HERE with us - I can't bear to think of another season, another month, another YEAR without her with us. 

At least, for this month of October, and this autumn - she touched us. She was here in it with us even just for a few hours on that Saturday morning, the first of October. 

The hardest part is not being able to call her and physically hear her voice on the other end of the phone. To share a funny story, something on my mind, or just to chat.

I reach for my phone to send her a text, even putting MOM into the text line - as for a very brief moment, I forget  - and then I'm reminded - she's not on the other end of that phone anymore. 

But, I tell myself what I tell the girls - she is now with us ALWAYS - in spirit and as our own guardian angel. And I try to accept this reality my girls seems to so readily understand. 

Kate played a new, "fun" song on the piano this week - and said to me, "I wish I could tell Grandma JoJo about it - she would love this one!" And I repeated the mantra again, "She IS with you, listening to you play - always!"

We miss you, Mom. We are so grateful for the time we had - but we miss you.

School Pictures!!

 

School Pictures are my favorite! I was out of town, caring for Mom the week in September that these were taken, but they did a great job helping each other get ready. Molly even lent Kate her favorite necklace after straightening Kate's hair for her. Sisters. ❤️

Kate - 4th Grade

Molly - 7th Grade

Navy Pier FUN!

 

We explored Navy Pier on this gorgeous sunshine day and the girls 

wanted us all to ride the Ferris wheel together!

SO HIGH!

Never too old to play!

Then, fearless Molly wanted to ride these swings!

I got dizzy just watching from down below!

Another fun ride . . .

We bought some burgers and had a picnic . . .

And found edible cookie dough for dessert!

Walked down Michigan avenue before Mass and dinner - 

Found the bronze penny statue man who insisted on a picture.

Have I mentioned how gorgeous the trees were?!?!

One last stop at the park before church!

St. Peter's . . .

Sunday morning, found another park by our breakfast spot!

It was a memorable, fun 4 days of family time, just the 4 of us that I'll never forget. It's the trip where Kate learned to ride the escalators without having to hold our hand anymore (although I'll take the hand holding as long as I can get it!!) as well as the girls first time seeing live rats. They saw the musical Wicked for the first time as well as their first homeless person swinging around a dead pigeon. They rode their first subway train, as well as smelled marijuana for the first time on one of the cars - as someone boarded while actively smoking a joint. They learned a lot about street smarts, while also understanding what it feels like to feel the 'energy' of a big city. They loved Chicago. ❤️