Halloween 2011 ~ Out of this World!

Andy and I realized tonight that we'd never taken our boys trick-or-treating in the US. We left for Japan when Ethan was only two, and although they went trick-or-treating in Okinawa, it wasn't the real "American Halloween" experience. This year we carved pumpkins, went to the local Halloween festival and pumpkin hunt, hit up the pumpkin patch, and of course - trick-or-treating! These two planet enthusiasts thought this year's celebrations were out of this world!!

Posing with their pumpkins.

We went fancy this year with the pumpkin carving.

Jupiter and Saturn, ready for the pumpkin hunt on the 29th.

Grandma Vicki dressed up as a closet Broncos' fan when she passed out candy to the trick-or-treaters.

We had the best weather for trick-or-treating. Our kids will never know the pain Andy and I experienced as children - wearing huge winter clothes over our costumes. Saturn and Jupiter were huge hits with the neighbors. The hours and HOURS of paper mache and painting were well worth it!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Goodwill...I Mean Good DEAL!

I love Goodwill. The obsessed-passionate-stalker kind of love. Oh, and Goodwill is literally a block from my house, which makes it easy to get a fix for my addiction.

Whenever we need something for our family, Goodwill is honestly, the first place I check. When I decided to go back to work, I got a whole new work wardrobe for $19.00. I did all of Ethan's back to school shopping there for $17.00. This weekend I needed some clothes for the academy (got everything!), and while at Goodwill, I also scored these super cute, super nice, super never-been-worn Boston Red Sox hoodies for $2.00 each. How cool that they had one in size 5 and one in size 7.

We're not really Red Sox fans, but we did live in Boston the year the Red Sox won the World Series, and Ethan was born there, so we might as well be Red Sox fans.

So cute and what a steal!

The Patch

'Tis the season for football, falling leaves, and pumpkin patches! Oh how we have missed this fall tradition after four years in Okinawa. Ethan hasn't been to a pumpkin patch since he was two, and this was Jackson's first time. After a fun soccer game and our weekly trip to the library, we found this quaint church pumpkin patch. It had tons of pumpkins to choose from, tractors, and games. Ethan insisted on getting a white "ghost" pumpkin while Jackson wanted a little one "because he's the little brother." Good logic. We were successful and had so much fun!

I forgot my memory card for my camera so these were taken on my iPhone. Sorry for the not-great quality.

Farmer E and Farmer J getting ready to plow the fields.

Jackson showing us how it's done at the bean bag toss.

Cutest pumpkins at the patch.

Happy Fall from The Goldhahns!

Someone's SEVEN!!

Ethan turned seven today. What happened to my baby?!!? He's just the coolest, smartest, funnest boy, and I don't want him to change. Last weekend we celebrated with Ethan's friends and had a solar system birthday party.

That's Saturn in case you were wondering. No, I was not a cake decorator in another life.

All the boys getting ready to make the pinata blast off!

The whole gang!

Birthday Boy!

It might have been an ugly cake, but they devoured it.

For Ethan's actual birthday, Andy and I left work early and took the boys to Chuck E. Cheese for supper. We practically had the place to ourselves and had a blast. Then we came home, ate cupcakes, and opened gifts. Ethan made quite the haul. All in all, a great birthday for my favorite seven-year-old!

Riding the "roller coaster" at Chuck E. Cheese.

Ethan got EVERYTHING on his list. First, a helicopter from Momo and Papa.

A globe from Bobby, Connie, and Gunner.

A telescope from Aunt Britt.

He also got a new bike from Mom and Dad, games, money, and a Highlights subscription. The child is spoiled rotten...and I wouldn't change a thing!

He's the best! Love you seven-year-old!

Doesn't Look a Day Over 25

Andy turned 33 on October 8th! He matures and ages much more gracefully than I do. I love the "salt and pepper" in his hair. Andy doesn't make getting older as big of a deal as I do; to him, it's just another day. However, he does take an aspirin a day for heart health and wears a knee brace when he plays soccer. Just sayin'. Love you Andrew and Happy Birthday!!

Daddy's favorite gift...socks! He also got a lamp (to match the one I got), a basketball hoop, gift cards, and more things are in the mail.

In honor of Daddy's birthday, we got a bounce house! Oh, and Ethan's birthday party was this weekend too. We had constant entertainment all weekend long!

During this time of year, we go into "cake overload" thanks to three of our birthdays all falling within two weeks of each other. Daddy opted for ice cream at Marble Slab rather than cake this year. It was delicious!

Happy Birthday!!

We Love Soccer (sort of)!

We are in the midst of another soccer season. We are about halfway through, and Ethan has even scored a goal. He just doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body so him scoring is pretty huge. He scored twice last year so he's halfway to tying his record!

Ethan seems to have fun (sometimes) when he plays soccer, but he just doesn't get into it. Is it because he's 6? Does he not like soccer? Is putting a soccer ball up your shirt really that much more fun than actually playing the sport? Is it because his coach is awful? (It's okay, "Coach" doesn't read my blog). Whatever the reason, this might be the last year for soccer (for awhile). Once Jackson turns four, he'll be old enough to play soccer, and he is sure to remind us of that after each of Ethan's games.

We have found a swim team for Ethan to join at Miller Swim School so he and Jackson will be starting that once soccer is over. The busy-ness never stops, I tell ya!

At least he looks the part!

I was the stingy mom this year and didn't buy soccer pictures. Seriously, I have 12 team pictures from sports past at about $20 a pop, which are just sitting in Ethan's baby book. This year I just stood behind the photographer and took my own pictures. Why didn't I figure this out 12 sports' seasons ago?

By the way, my kid is the GIANT in the back row.

The game is going on during this picture. He's just brain-washed to smile when I pull out the camera. Sorry, Coach, for the delay in game.

Nice form! Who knows, maybe he will be a soccer star one day?