Halloween . . . finally

Our camera is on its very last leg, so we pretty much only take pictures with Sam's phone, but then I never remember to upload them. So, here we are, almost two weeks later with the Halloween post. The story of Bria's costume is that I originally really, really wanted her to be Dora the Explorer, and Sam and I would be Boots and Swiper. But, it just didn't pan out. I couldn't seem to find the right clothes, and I realized it was just going to look dumb. So, last minute, I ditched it. I finally just asked Bria what she wanted to be (maybe I should have taken that into consideration in the first place?) and the answer was a very emphatic "BALLERINA!" So I went with it.
Bria's Halloween actually lasted for quite a while. Her first event was a trunk-or-treat with Marc and Jenn's family while Sam and I were on staycation. Her 15 year-old cousin Amanda dressed up in her actual ballet costume (she's a great dancer) and took her around. Jenn texted me this picture, and I almost died on the spot, she's so adorable.

We had a mid-week pirate dance party, just to get in the spirit of the holiday:

Then we had our ward's trunk-or-treat.

Bria was giddy and wired with excitement. I was a chef.

And Sam was Mr. Clean.

We also went trick-or-treating around our neighborhood with some friends.

Bria and Kennedy quickly got a hang of things, running up and grabbing candy, then immediately shouting "NEXT HOUSE!" Eli just liked to play it cool.
Afterward they inspected their loot, and some up-late, hopped-up-on-sugar fits kicked in. In fact, those sugar fits lingered for several days until I finally just threw away all the candy. The next day when I was in a serious sugar withdrawal I kind of regretted it, but I think it really was better for everyone.

Last Comic Standing

I found my camera! Which also means I found this great video I took at the beginning of September. Bria has two jokes, which I got her to record for prosperity. The first is a classic, and the second isn't really a joke, it just sounds funny. We ask her "what does a pickle say?" and she replies, "I used to be a cucumber!"
So, without further ado, enjoy the cuteness:

Bria Appleseed

Last month we reprised our role as apple-pickers. We headed out to the same farm as last year, Crooked Run Orchard in Purcelville, about an hour and a half north west of us.

We stopped at Marc and Jenn's house on our way out to pick up Myles and Colin. Bria's enjoyment of an activity increases exponentially if any of her cousins are involved.
The pickings were actually quite slim. Can you tell there are no apples in those trees?
We even climbed some trees trying to find fruit at the top.
Our efforts were fruitless. Ha.
So we called it a day and just bought some pre-picked apples.
We also picked up some pumpkins and freshly-pressed cider.

A fun way to appreciate the beautiful harvest season.