Trick-or-Treat 2013

The kids had dance right before trick-or-treating.

We had some bad weather predicted for Halloween night, so the city moved up our time a little. Though it was raining, the temps were mild, and we had a great evening for trick-or-treat. Darren drove the van, and the kids & I piled in the back to make our trek from house-to-house a bit easier. The kids filled their bags and got LOTS of compliments on their cute costumes. I dressed up, too, but Darren was late getting home from work, so he didn't wear his.

We were out for a little more than an hour, and the kids got their bags filled- we have great neighbors! I have always loved trick-or-treating, and I was happy to see the kids so excited to go this year even with the rain. They were definitely more into it this year and were awesome, little trick-or-treaters! The photo above and the two below are at the end of our night out. 

The big candy dump! I made everyone sit down at the table for turkey roast and vegetables before we headed downstairs to dump the candy bags. The kids just love this! We helped them sort all the candy into piles by type, and everyone grabbed their favorites. I do love that my kids don't even think about the candy as belonging to any individuals- Halloween is a family effort at our house (hooray for candy-socialism!). We all munched on our favorites before settling down to relax for the rest of the evening. Another great Halloween with my little monsters!

Degen with his favorite from the pile!

Kyrie with her favorite from the pile!

T

Leaves!

Degen has a sad face because he wants the cat to be with him in the leaf pile

Upon our return, Darren spent the day cleaning up the yard from all the trees! Of course, nothing ever goes as planned so after the mower had some problems, he ended up using the leaf blower to clear the front yard. Always a good daddy, he made the kids a giant leaf pile! I got some cute pics of the kiddos playing! (Funnily, the next day brought rain & winds and you could not even tell that the yard had been cleared by midday- poor Darren!)

Our sweet girl, Lilah! 

My handsome boy!

And Kyrie is getting to be so grown up!

Neewollah Grand Parade 2013

The Grand Parade started off a bit cloudy and with a few sprinkles, but soon the skies cleared and we had a beautiful, sunny day! We love joining our family along the parade route for conversation and fun before the parade starts. Aunt Sue knows how to take care of us with goodies & snacks for the kids! 

Bacon & Eggs are a Neewollah tradition!

We love this parade! There were a lot of great floats and marching bands this year! The kids got lots of candy, too! Aunt Sue & I did a lot of clapping and hollering out appreciation for everyone who passed by...it's all tradition!

The Independence High School Marching Band! Go Bulldogs!

Queen Neelah!

Grandma Ida with the grandkids and great-grandbaby!

Our friends, the Kings!

Post-Parade Pics

It has become a family tradition that after the Kiddie Parade, we head back to Papa Derrel & Nana Billie's house to take family photos in our costumes with the float. We got some good photos this year! 

LOVE!

My cutie-pie! 

The costumed cousins! The kids had a fabulous time with their cousins during the Neewollah weekend!

Time to play! After all the prepping & primping and waiting then waving, the kids are ready to have some fun! Always a great experience and so grateful to Papa Derrel for building the float and Nana Billie for the amazing costumes!

Neewollah Kiddie Parade 2013

A beautiful day for a parade, and there are few parades as fun as the Neewollah Kiddie Parade! The photo below is a shot of the crowd waiting for the parade to start...I will remind you that this is a town of less than 10,000 people. My brother-in-law said it best, "People here take their kiddie parades seriously!"

Here are a few shots of the kids as they were getting ready for the parade! We LOVED our costumes this year (thanks, Nana Billie!): Raggedy Ann, Raggedy Andy, a toy soldier and a doll! I was a tad worried that Degen might protest his costume a bit this year as he had said that he wanted to be a pirate, but he put on the costume with a smile and seemed to really enjoy it! The kiddos were just super-cute! 

My serious boy, preparing for the parade!

Dapper Darren in his toy soldier costume! 

It was an overall great Kiddie Parade with lots of participants and spectators. The kids knew exactly what to do and were great at smiling & waving at the crowd. It is always fun to see all the great costumes and familiar faces! Another great Kiddie Parade!

There were some additions to the parade this year, and the Neewollah banner started us off!

I LOVE this boy! 

Darren pulling the float as the parade begins.

Our nieces (as Dorothy & the Cowardly Lion) marched by us. There was a HUGE crowd of spectators this year!