October 2015

October is always loaded with awesomeness around here.  It's the best time of year in Albuquerque, hands down.  We have the weather, the balloons, fun things here in the community, and then there's Halloween.  Having a new little man around made it even more fun this year!

My parents came for a visit in early October (but just missed the Balloon Fiesta, darn!) and we had a fantastic long weekend with them.  While they were here we hit the Pumpkin Patch, always a fave for my boys.  Without fail, every year, the activity they spend the most time at is the duck racing pumps.  They get soaked every year too.  Something about water, racing and rubber duckies just sucks them in.  Then there's the corn pit, which I always figure is for the very little kids, but no.  My boys love a good dive in.  Dawson and I got up close and personal with a curious Llama and everyone came home with some hand picked pumpkins.  Good times!  Grandma and Grandpa were lots of fun to have around and we were glad to be able to have some fall fun with them around.

Balloon Fiesta this year did not disappoint.  We had a fantastic time with the kids at an early morning ascension.  The weather was perfect and the balloons were spectacular, as always.  A new favorite for us this year was the astronaut.  There were some fun activities for the boys and some cool NASA exhibits.  We even ran into a couple of our law enforcement friends helping out down at the park.  We love our Balloon Fiesta.  It's the absolute coolest thing all year and the balloons just never ever get old.

For Halloween this year we stepped it up a notch and all of us dressed up together.  It was so much fun!  I always say we should do it and then it never happens, but somehow we pulled it together this year.  Pokemon was our theme, and it was a riot.  Having ridiculously red hair for a night was fun too!  We had Ash, Misty, Pikachu, Charizard, and even a little Chimchar in our little group.  The boys were able to get some great mileage out of their costumes this year, wearing them to the ward Trunk or Treat, a Fall Festival and Storybook Character Parade at school, and then Trick-or-Treating on Halloween!  They had so much fun and really got into character running around as Pokemon. I was totally on board with their costumes after I realized that they'd be cute fuzzy animal-ish creatures with hats, tails and smiles.  Yay!  One year of all of them being cute and snuggly critters all together!  I don't think they were on to my ulterior motives, ha!

Halloween night was great too.  The Kings came over for chili and cornbread then we all went trick-or-treating.  We left the house unmanned while we were out, so didn't get a ton of trick-or-treaters, but I just hate missing out on the fun!  The boys came home with WAY too much candy, which is more for me too I guess so no complaints here.  Dawson did great too and was cozy and warm in his little monkey suit.  All three of the boys wore the monkey costume their first year, which I just love(although this year it had a slight modification with the fiery tail).  I remember how adorable they each were.  They grow up too fast. (sigh)

To top off our amazing fall, I did the traditional 'baby in the pumpkin.' I guess it's a sort of Reitz baby right of passage now.  Every one of them has been put into a pumpkin for some torturous pictures.  But, I have to say, Dawson did the best...or maybe it's not so traumatic now that I've finally got it down.  Poor Asher who had to pave the way for the others!  Anyway, the boys and I had lots of fun taking the pictures and playing with our little pumpkin boy.  He didn't mind a bit and just wanted to touch and feel (and eventually taste) it.  What a sweet boy!  Love how these turned out.

Happy lovely, wonderful fall!