Halloween!

This Halloween was packed with fun, friends, and a little mystery! I kicked things off with a murder mystery night with my girlfriends using a How to Host a Murder Mystery box that my Aunt Sherry gave me years ago. It was such a fun evening, and good memories.

Crissy did such a great job with the charcuterie board!

One of the highlights this month was the Halloween Masquerade Orchestra Concert, where both the high school and junior high orchestras performed together. It was such a treat to finally see Tanner and Carson play in the same evening—so proud of both of them! Between their performances, they hosted a Halloween parade for the little kids. Logan did it for the candy.

Oh and every year the teachers dress up too! In the past they’ve done the Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, and Sesame Street. This year it was Toy Story!

 While the boys were off trick-or-treating with their friends, our neighbor threw a Halloween party just for the grown-ups. It was a great chance to relax and catch up with friends while the kids made their candy rounds.

Best of all—this year all three boys dressed up again! The past couple years Carson hasn’t dressed up for Halloween, but this year he actually asked me to buy him this mask so he could dress up as his favorite album cover Tyler the Creator’s Dr Doom. It’s getting rarer as they get older, so it made my mama heart happy to see them all in costume together.

His inspiration

Tanner #13

 Happy 13th Birthday to Tanner! 

Officially a teenager — woot woot!! This boy is all heart and hustle. If it’s a school morning, you can bet Tanner’s out front in our driveway organizing a neighborhood basketball game before the bus comes.  He’s got energy for days and a love for sports.  He loves quality time and teasing his little brother.

Tanner is his dad’s mini me. A tease, a hard negotiator, an organizer, a hard worker with a big heart, and I couldn’t be more proud of the young man he’s becoming. 

 

For his big day, we put his brain to the test in an escape room  and then out to a fancy Brazilian restaurant with all the meats, because of course, this guy has expensive taste. 

Love you so much, Tanner! Keep being your amazing self!

 

October Happenings

Aside from Tanner's birthday and Halloween, October was full of fun and music for our family! Bring on the cooler weather and more fall fun! 🍁

Carson had his first orchestra concert of the year and did such a great job! We’re so proud of how far he’s come with his playing. 

He also got all dressed up for homecoming! It was so fun seeing him head out with his group of friends he had a great time.

 

🚴‍♂️ Brad and I tackled a 25-mile bike ride around George Bush Park, no alligator sightings this time, but we did have beautiful weather and even better company.

Logan’s scout group hit the trails for a 2-mile hike. It’s always great seeing him and his buddies enjoying the outdoors and working together.

 Concert #4 Dashboard Confessionals

Before the show, we kicked things off with a fancy dinner to celebrate Jodie’s birthday (she’s the one to my left!). After dinner, we had a quick wardrobe change in the car—gotta be concert-ready, right?

One of my favorite moments of the night was when he had us take out our phones to record the chorus of his biggest hit. Just that part. Then he asked us to put our phones away to be fully present and enjoy the rest of the song like we were back in high school… you know, pre-cell phone days. It was such a cool throwback and made the moment feel even more special.

I’m seriously loving all these concerts lately. It feels like I’m rocking out live to all my old mixtapes—and I’m here for it!