We had a most spectacular Halloween this year! and quite a busy one, if I do say so myself!

 

The festivities began on Sunday October 25th when we took the girls to 'Boo at the Zoo' at the Denver Zoo. Since it was the Bye Week for the Broncos, we were able to spend as much time there as we wanted without feeling rushed to get back home to watch the game (or be at the game!) So we spent a good chunk of the day walking around the *beautiful* zoo and the girls got to try their hand at Trick Or Treating :) The weather turned out to be perfect, we couldn't have asked for a more wonderful day and of course, they were the cutest littles there!

On the Friday before Halloween, October 30th, me and the girls took a trip into Mommy's office to show off our costumes. We were also able to spend some time with Papa and after an exorbitant amount of 'ooo'ing and 'ahh'ing over the girls, we headed out to meet up with Nia to go see Great Grandma Vratil. Sunny Vista Nursing Home held their very own Trick Or Treat Street where all of residents sat in the hallways while little ghosts and ghouls collected a *ridiculous* amount of candy. You could just see the joy in the residents' eyes to see so many little cuties running around and I believe it was mutually beneficial for the kids as well.

 After some initial shyness and hesitation, the girls got right into the groove of collecting sweets and even started shaking the residents' hands. I was very proud of how kind and gentle the girls were!

And of course, we got to spend some quality time with Great Grandma Vratil :)

 

Halloween itself was a pretty low key October 31st. We put on out costumes (AGAIN!) and spent some time at our friend "Miss" Anika's 4th birthday party and then came back home to prepare for the dozens of Trick Or Treaters that flood our street. 

 

 The girls helped Daddy carve some pumpkins, but when asked to help remove the guts of the pumpkins, Ryan adamantly stated that "pumpkin goop is too yucky for little girls" and she did not want to get her hands dirty. It was hilarious, but not out of character for our little Ry! But despite Ryan's non-participation, Peppa Pig still, somehow, made her way onto one of our pumpkins!

 

We didn't end up making it out to Trick Or Treat, since we had a sicky Olivia and Ryan was exhausted from all of the previous days' festivities, but she was very content to help Daddy hand out candy. All in all, a great Halloween for 2015!

A Touch of Fall

Like everyone else on the planet, I absolutely love fall. the crisp air, the spice, the onset of the holiday season.... what's not to love? I will not even pretend to be anything close to a great designer or decorator, but there's something about making over your home to fit the cozy feeling of autumn that I cannot resist.

 

I don't expect anyone other than myself to really find this post interesting, but I am fairly happy with the way my fall décor came together this year. It has been an ongoing project to build up our seasonal decorations since we moved into our house almost 2 years ago, since it is about twice the size of our old house and, for the first 9 months in the house (while pregnant with my second baby) I pretty much did nothing to personalize or make it our own.

 

I wanted to make sure I got a few shots of my favorites around the house 1) so I can duplicate the set up next year and 2) so I can see how our décor changes and evolves as the years pass :) 

 

This year, the mantle got a Halloween mini-makeover. I'm not the biggest fan of spider webs, skeletons and jack-o-lanterns, so I stuck to traditional Halloween colors with a whimsical feel. Not to mention the pumpkins and the banner were in the $1 section at Target! Who can beat that?!

 

 

When it comes to the florals used around my home, I try to take a cue from what I see available at grocery stores. I figure if they are seasonally available, they will bring a bit of charm to my own home and invite the feeling I am trying to achieve. These sunflowers definitely achieve the warm, cozy, autumn-y feel that I was going for in our family room. Plus I absolutely LOVE the copper candelabra I found at, where else, Target. Then, just to incorporate our year round color pallet, I included a blue ceramic candle. Voila! 

 

 

 

My little helper wanted to make sure her contribution was credited :)

And no, she never wears clothes. Ever.

 

 

This little nook has become one of my favorite spots to sit and relax after the girls go to sleep... for approx. 30 minutes before I fall asleep myself.



Toys, toys everywhere, but at leas they are contained to one area.... at least in the family room. The playroom is a different story all together.  

Just a few subtle touches of fall

 

These pillows, I just love. I have always been a little timid to incorporate orange into my home décor, even though I love the warm feel it brings in fall. But when I saw these graphic orange pillow at Home Goods, I thought they would create a nice, yet unconventional, combination to the lavender flowers I have on the kitchen table, but also pair nicely with the sunflowers in the family room. Thrilled with the way they tie everything together! Orange, gold and lavender as a color pallet combination? Who knew! But I love it!

 

 

Not a ton of fall accents in the kitchen, but the lavender brings an amazing fragrance to the house, the gold mercury candles ($1 section at Target!) in addition to the gold wine glasses we already have displayed, and the sprigs of cotton on the counter definitely add enough fall for me!

And then there's the front porch. Oh how I LOVE our front porch décor this year! So please with how it turned out! I made the "BOO" door hanger myself, as well as the "Happy Halloween" sign, and gathered up all our lanterns and the manzanilla tree from our wedding! Other than the pumpkins, most was up-cycled! score!  

 

 

I will be honest, I am very proud of this chalkboard sign. Usually my letters are not spaced correctly, or end up crooked, but this one turned out exceptionally, if i do say so myself! 



 

From our home to yours, Happy Fall Y'all!

It's Time.

I decided to start a blog. I never thought I would be one of those people to sit down and actually write down my thoughts. But as my two beautiful daughters continue to grow and change right before my eyes, I found myself wanting to document our day to day life- which can seem ordinary in passing, but in reality is truly extraordinary and worth the time to memorialize. I constantly watch my two year old hoping to memorize her giggles, the silly songs she makes up and the way she lovingly asks me to hold her. I desperately try to commit to memory the way my one year old toddles around the house, wrinkles her nose and mischievously gets into everything she's not supposed to. So here it is. Incepted for my family, for our own personal purposes, as a way to look back fondly on our beautiful life... but also a way to share our journey with our family and friends.

"If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely" -Roald Dahl