mad monster party

we had quite a time last night...shimmy shaking with good friends and singing terrible karaoke into the wee hours of the morning. matt and i sang "love lift us up where we belong"...and i think i hurt my throat a little bit trying to sound like joe cocker. serves me right.

our little red riding hood and the big bad wolf costumes worked out real well for us. 

matt won the costume contest for his dapper big bad wolf (high fives to all of you for the good guesses)! i made him wear a polka dot ascot and pocket square...and in doing so am claiming his best costume title as my own.

i hope you all had a safe and happy halloween. 

more party photos here

wild banshees

 we rioted and pillaged the town last night like a big bunch of banshees....throwing flour and jumping out of bushes scaring little ones....stealing candy!

or...paraded quietly like a group of polite trick or treaters. upholding etiquette..."trick or treats" and "thank you's" all around.  either way! it was a real fine time.

 max was a funny little rootin tootin cowboy at first...then last minute he wanted to add facial hair to be an outlaw cowboy...then wanted a dead face to be a zombie cowboy...

we settled on outlaw.

we marched around town with my sister amy and friends...which is always my favorite part. i love trick or treating in a group. even if you've lost half of them along the way...

 the night ended with a floor covered in candy, a little late night pizza, and pete and pete episodes.

love. love.love.

have a happy halloween weekend...we've got to get a few more things for our costume party tomorrow. matt needs more hair for his face and a night gown. any guesses?

happy halloween, dears!

the great pumpkin

last night we stayed in, had dinner delivered, strung lights in the tree and candles all around, spread the blanket, started a flowerpot fire, and introduced matt to the art of pumpkin carving.

he was a natural, and the finest pumpkin guts scooper i've ever seen.

when we finished we paraded the pumpkins around and lit up our front walkway. just in time for beggars night tonight.

 

max is going as a rodeo cowboy...and i just have a few little details left on his costume. 

the boy is wearing chaps. 

i don't think my heart can stand it.

chicago chicago

we're back from our trip to chicago and are still catching our breath and digging through unpacked bags.

matt and me and his mama hopped and skipped and jumped it over a couple of states to visit matt's brother todd and his wife tonya and all their fabulous friends. 

i love visiting this city, but have never been in the fall before. it might be my favorite.

we ate amazing food and drank our weight in ginger ale (thanks to tonya's wine bar), got to sleep in and stay out late, explore on foot and ride in crazy taxi cabs, window shop and try on fancy hats....

and being the shameless gal that i am...we did all sorts of touristy nonsense...like taking a rickshaw ride downtown and a boat ride to the navy pier. ...watched magic shows and held hands by the lake.

...tucked ourselves away in the art institute gardens and enjoyed the weather with a side of quiet time and some coffee.

...got caught people watching...

...ordered way too much pizza and root beer

and had the loveliest weekend away...and todd and tonya were the best hosts!

really and truly, we left yesterday feeling so inspired and energized after being around such a beautiful city and even more beautiful people.

 dear chicago in fall, you are swell. 

you would be even better if max had gotten to come along though.

more photos on facebook

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2069473&id=1162141043&l=34375fd8cd

me and max are soaking up the last bits of ohio's autumn warm sun and pumpkin patching till we drop.

this month has gone by too too quickly.

 happy weekend, friends!

matt and i are off to chicago to visit family and say hello to the city in the fall.

if i can get him to take me to the field museum and out for indian food then it will be a successful weekend.

i've been got

a year ago this week matt and i met for the first time. 

it was a business meeting turned fast friendship turned never wanting to know what my life would be like without him kind of thing. 

a year ago he showed up to this meeting with flowers. 

he wasn't sure why he was bringing them (knowing it was business and we didn't know each other at all) but obeyed his inner voice. he hid the flowers in his car until after our meeting and awkwardly pulled them out...rambling funny little disclaimers as to not make me feel uncomfortable.

and then he handed me white daisies. 

my favorite flower. 

and every monday since he was shown up with flowers for me to keep by my bed...just because.

he also recently brought home that hedwig for me too. haha.

it's uncanny how much he gets me. how much he was gotten me from day one.

my oh my have i been got.

 by this guy...right here.

apple tree farm

going to the apple tree farm has been a tradition for me since before max was born. i would travel there with my sisters and their little ones and couldn't wait to bring max in on it once he came around. 

fall just doesn't seem to be complete without a visit there to take a hayride, eat an apple off of a tree, get lost and panic a little in the corn maze, pine over apple fritters and popcorn and root beer, or leave smelling real fine...like all the goodness of the season and fresh air and warm sugar donuts.

 this was matt's first time going..and he did real swell.

next thing to check off the fall list i forced upon him: 

pumpkin carving.