Halloween 2018.

Another Halloween is in the books. This year was really fun. Both kids were very excited for Halloween, and were asking about it back in the beginning of September. It was so much fun to experience their excitement for Halloween.

We carved pumpkins last night, which really meant that John and I carved pumpkins while the kids asked us if we were done yet. Emma and Elliott painted a couple of pumpkins, while John and I carved Skye and Chase pumpkins. It was painfully detailed and took a while, but they turned out pretty cute, and the kids loved them.

Today, both kids got to dress up for school and daycare. Elliott had pajama day, and Emma got to bring her batgirl costume and put it on in the afternoon. After we got home, both kids got into their costumes (and mom). Elliott wanted to be Chase again, Emma was going to be batgirl, and then a hotdog, and then she decided on a witch. We watched Hocus Pocus the other night, and Emma really enjoyed it. I also dressed up as a witch, and that was enough to convince Emma to dress up as well.

Jim and Barb came by with supper, and they watched the house and handed out candy while the four of us went out to Trick or Treat. We also met up with Lizz and Reese, and went all around the neighborhood. The kids did really well with the trick or treating, and they got a lot of candy. We have so much candy at our house right now it's crazy.

Elliott pooped out first, and said he was tired of trick or treating and wanted to go back home. We dropped him off at home where he hung out with grandma and grandpa, and then the rest of us continued to trick or treat. Emma had a really good time and would have trick or treated longer if we would have let her. The weather was also beautiful. It was about 55 degrees, and then got a little cooler once it got dark, but it was still very tolerable. It was a really fun night.

Just like that Halloween is over. My house is a disaster, and I can't wait to pick up all the Halloween decorations and put away all the Halloween costumes. But, that can all wait until tomorrow. I finally have the kids in the bed, and I am ready to relax and then pass out. What a night!

Pumpkin scooping

Halloween ready

Ready to go trick or treating 

Snow, Denver, and Halloween Fun.

I'm not sure how it happened, but all of a sudden October is almost over. I've been a little absent in my blogging lately, but in my defense it has been pretty crazy around here.

Two weeks ago, we finally got the kids outside (on a pretty chilly day) and took some beautiful, fall family photos. They turned out so well! And we took a family one with a tripod and timer and actually got a really cute picture of all four of us. I had to bribe the kids with cookies. So, after the successful photos, we went home and baked some cut-out sugar cookies and then decorated them. The kids loved it, and I think I finally mastered the sugar cookie, so it was a good day all around.

The next day, we woke up to about 2.5 inches of snow on the ground. The kids were overly excited to see snow, and had to put on all their snow gear and go play in it after church. It was so cute to see their excitement, and it was a really pretty snow. However, the rest of us were not so excited to see the snow in the middle of October. Luckily, it didn't last long and most of it had melted by the end of the day, but it's just a taste of things to come.

Last weekend, John had a work retreat in the cities, so I had the kids to myself for a couple of days. On Friday, the kids and I headed to Minnesota to visit my parents and help with some of the harvesting. The kids both got to ride in the combine with Uncle Ryan, and Emma rode with me in the chopper. I got to chop stalks this year! It was really fun to get back into the tractor, and I really enjoyed being able to help again this year. It was fun. It was a short visit though, and we had to head back Saturday evening because Emma had to sing in church the next day. And we had a football party with some friends from church, which was really fun for the entire family.

This past week has been another busy one. I went to the Magnet Nursing Conference in Denver Colorado from Tuesday to Friday. It was a busy week filled with breakout sessions, general sessions, networking, vendors, and a lot of walking. But I really enjoyed the week, and I feel like I learned a lot and I felt really proud of my nursing profession. We didn't have much downtime to explore the city or see the mountains, but we did get to eat out a couple nights and do a little bit of shopping in the evening.

I did get a glimpse of some mountains during a break at the conference, but for most of the time were inside the Convention Center listening to presentations. I am glad I went to the conference, and I had a great time with the girls I went with, but I don't know if I would go again. It was hard to be away from home, and stuck in such a tight schedule, and I wasn't paid to attend the conference. So, it was fun, but I think one time is probably enough.

I got home at around 8:30pm on Friday evening, and both kids were spending the night at Jim and Barb's house since Emma didn't have school on Friday. So, John and I watched some of the World Series Game and just enjoyed a quiet evening at home.

Today, was a pretty busy day. We went and picked up the kids pretty early this morning to get back to town for a Halloween Costume Contest. The kids did really well walking up on the stage. Neither kid won in their category, but they had fun and got cotton candy and popcorn balls. After the contest, we met up with Krystal and Donovan, and did some trick or treating and pumpkin decorating at Lake Lorraine. It was really fun, and the kids got a lot of candy, but it ended up getting really busy by the time we left. The weather was beautiful and everyone wanted to enjoy it.

For lunch, we ate at Hy-Vee Market Grille, and then we decorated cookies, pumpkins, and did some trick or treating in Hy-Vee. The kids got so much candy today, it was insane.

After all the craziness, we went home and let the kids relax for a while (and ourselves). Eventually, we decided to enjoy some more of the beautiful day and we raked leaf piles for the kids to jump in. They had so much fun jumping and rolling around in the leaves. We also played catch and baseball in the yard for quite a while. It was a great afternoon.

The kids are finally asleep, and I am so ready to relax and call it a night pretty soon. Also, the LA Dodgers look like they are going to tie the world series at 2 games a piece tonight with the Boston Red Sox.

All ready for family pictures 

The first snow of the season 

Combine rides 

Captain America 

Skeleton Girl 

Sonya and me at the Conference 

Colorado Mountains 

Our group of nurses at the Magnet Conference

Trick or treating

Jumping in leaves 

Trick or treating fun.

This past weekend, we enjoyed some quality time with the kids after being away from them during our trip. We spent Friday evening at home, just relaxing and playing games with the kids. They enjoyed the attention and togetherness.

On Saturday, we went to the gym in the morning, which allowed the kids to play in the daycare area at the gym, which they thought was amazing.

In the afternoon, we went to Lief Erickson for a Halloween Festival. Emma wore her batgirl costume and Elliott wore his Chase costume. The kids got to Trick or treat along one of the trails, jump in the bouncy houses, eat snacks, and just enjoy the pumpkin festival. We went with Kristina and Anna, so Emma enjoyed having a friend her age to play with.

The kids loved the festival and all the candy they got. They were super excited to wear their costumes, and they can't wait for Halloween. We enjoyed spending some quality time with the kids.

On Sunday, we went to church and Sunday School and Bible Study. It was nice to see everyone at church and catch up with everyone. In the afternoon, we brought supper out to Jim and Barb's house and dropped off Emma for part of the week. Emma doesn't have school Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, so luckily Grandma Barb was around to watch Emma. It was kind of a bummer to have Emma gone so soon after just getting back, but she was super excited for more sleepovers at Grandma's house.

We've officially been back to reality and went back to work this week. It's been pretty nice to be back in a routine and to see everyone at work. I feel like all I have been doing is telling people about our trip. I still feel a little tired from the jet lag, but overall I feel back to normal, and it's great to be home again.

Chase

Loving the trick or treating 

Bat girl Emma

Silly girls 

The kids enjoying their first school bus ride 

Batman Elliott 

Paris Day 3

Our last full day in Paris. It was such a strange feeling. We were so ready to go home and see the kids and be back in America again, but we were also enjoying our time in Paris and trying to enjoy every last moment in Paris that we could, but we were getting tired after such a long vacation. And we were ready to get away from the crowds, and drive a car again!

We started off the day by seeing St. Chapelle, which is a church that was built around the same time as Notre Dame, and has huge stain glass windows. It was beautiful to see, but didn't take us very long. We spent about an hour here looking at everything and then moved on. It was definitely worth seeing though.

Then, we went to the Orsay Museum, which has art from the impressionists, realists, and other french art. The entrance to the Orsay had the worst line that we had to wait in the entire trip (not counting customs). We waited in line for a good hour to get into the museum, and it was a really fun one to explore.

There were some exhibits that were closed for remodeling, so that was a bummer, but we got to see some beautiful artwork. We also got to see some more original Monets. It was really cool, and we tried to appreciate all the artwork. We followed another Rick Steve's audioguide and that helped us navigate the museum and understand what we were looking at.

It was around 2pm by the time we were done exploring, and we were starving. So we headed to a Mexican Restaurant, and it was delicious.

We impulsively decided to go on a boat tour next, and we were glad we did. It was a little chilly, but it was fun to see all the sights from the water and get a little history along the way as well.

We had supper at a grille, and then we packed up called it a night. We had a flight to catch the next day. What a trip!!

We left our apartment at 6:00 am, and walked to the tube station. We rode the tube to the train station, and then rode the train to the airport. We got through security with no problem, and before too long we were waiting at our gate. It was a 9.5 hour flight, so it was a little painful. I couldn't sleep, so I watched like 4 movies. Ugh. I also was seated by a crabby french guy, that I accidentally squirted with balsamic vinegar, so that was fun.

We survived the flight, and landed at around 12:30pm Minnesota time (it was weird because our flight left Paris at 10:15 am and we landed at 12:30pm, we gained some hours there). The next part was the most painful. We stood in line for customs for over an hour before we could get on our way. It was so painful. Then, we got a Lyft ride to our car, and got to drive 4 hours back to Sioux Falls. Yuck.

On the way back, we stopped at Minnesota's Largest Candy Store and bought a bunch of random candy. And we also stopped in Windom for supper at Duffy's. We finally made it home at 8:00pm, which was like 3:00am Paris time, so we were beyond tired and headed straight to bed.

Thursday was our catch up day and then we got to pick up the kids after school, and they were so happy to see us. And we were so happy to see them. It was great.

Now, we have the weekend to catch up on sleep, spend time with the kids, and then back to work on Monday. Oof-da. That might be a reality check.

We had such a good trip, and we were so lucky to be able to go to London and Paris. I can't wait for our next adventure!!

St. Chapelle 

The Orsay Museum 

Our Boat Tour 

Back at home with the kids