too much partying

dad, mom, and becks
the second piece didn't go down quite as smooth as the first

the first piece tasted REALLY good

all the party people

coop, brooklyn, and pain paint their pumpkins

saturday night was the trunk or treat. party. sunday night ains spent the night with aunt mimi. millennium-type party with ensuing celebration. monday night we skipped fhe for some homerun derby. party. and tuesday. ahh, sweet tuesday. i woke the kids with a rousing rendition of rise and shout (the byu battle cry, for those of you unfamiliar with mormon tradition) and then we loafed around the house until beckett woke up at 10:30am. at this point we decided to bathe and make ourselves presentable. meg and the kids got here around 11am and we ran some last minute errands, i.e. looking for small pumpkins that were not rotting, getting treats for the kids' classes, picking up pizza and balloons. how would i ever survive birthday party weeks without meg? i mean, she really pulls it all together for me. whatever i need done, she does, with authority.

we decided to spice things up and invite the adults to come dressed in their halloween best as well. i have to say, i am pretty impressed with our friends. a certain pres. of the quorum came dressed as zorro. i laced up matt's football pads and donned his high school jersey and some eye black. my sister came as a bball ref. dixie was a pirate. i'm not sure what james was but the black fro was spectacular. john took it to a whole new level with a cowboy hat and real chaps. the kids looked great too. they sported old tshirts over their costumes and painted pumpkins, ate way too much pizza and cake, and jumped on the tramp until they made themselves sick. we also decided to invite our friends to bring new books instead of presents and it turned out to be a great idea. to be very not-me for a moment, we are so blessed. we have so much and, in the spirit of trying to instill in our children a desire to help those less fortunate than ourselves, we decided we would donate the books brought to the party to riley children's hospital. the other presents were great too! way too generous. the birthday boy didn't get up until about 10 minutes before the festivities started, so he laid low for the first hour or so. when it was time for cake he was ready to go. we always get the costco chocolate cake, the one that weighs about 12 lbs., and is so rich it hurts your teeth. we couldn't believe it when he ate two pieces. he loved it! it was a great segway into tomorrow, beckett's first birthday. we are so greatful for our friends and family that came to our home and celebrated with us. though it was fantastic, it was a very bittersweet party. the absence of a special few was felt.