{Weekend Wrap-up // Halloween, A Reunion, & Hockey}

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you had the best weekend. We sure did...though, like always, it went by way too fast. Isn’t it funny how that happens? Even with both Nate and I off on Friday, it still felt like the weekend zipped right past us. We were originally supposed to have doctor appointments that morning, but our doctor had a family emergency and had to cancel. So instead, we decided to use the unexpected free day to get a few things done and spend some quality time together as a family. Here’s a little peek at what our weekend looked like…

{Weekend Wrap-Up // Hockey, Family, and Fall Fun}

Hi friends! Life has been so full lately that I feel like I’ve barely had a moment to catch my breath... but I’ve missed sharing in this space, so I’m playing a little catch-up here. Let’s start with a weekend wrap-up! I’m actually kicking things off on Thursday because that’s when it felt like our weekend officially began.

{Texas Tuesday // Haunted Spots & Ghost Stories in Texas}

October in Texas brings cool evenings, pumpkin patches, and the perfect excuse to dive into a few ghost stories. And let’s be honest—Texas has no shortage of them! From historic ghost towns to eerie hotels and campfire legends that have been passed down for generations, there’s plenty to make your spine tingle this spooky season. So grab a blanket, a cup of cider, and let’s explore some of the haunted spots and ghost stories that give Texas its chilling charm.

{Halloween // 2023}

 This year, for Halloween, we decided to switch things up and join our friends for some good old-fashioned trick-or-treating in their neighborhood. From the moment we arrived, we could tell it was going to be a memorable night. The neighborhood was buzzing with excitement, and the atmosphere was filled with the sound of laughter, chatter, and the occasional creak of a skeleton in the yard.

{Halloween Party with the Family}

 We had the most wonderful little family gathering for Halloween, and it was filled with so much fun and laughter. It’s always special to spend time with loved ones, and this year we really made the most of the holiday by creating some great memories.

{TRICK OR TREAT THE SQUARE // 2023}

Mason joined his Nana and his cousins for trick or treating on the historic downtown square. I had to work and was not able to join. I'm thankful for Nana to help carry on this sweet little Halloween-time tradition. 

{SCREAMS HALLOWEEN PARK // 2023}

Nate and I took Mason and two friends to our local Halloween Park for a night of scares and fun! These boys were hilarious to watch and so much fun. We had VIP passes so we were able to skip long lines and enjoy the haunted houses as many times as we wanted. 

{Halloween Bucketlist 2022 // Final Update}

  We checked off all of the things on our Halloween Bucketlist for 2022. And, we had so much fun doing so! I love the month of October and this season and all of the fun things we do together as a family. I just wish Texas would get the "hey it's fall" memo and cool the temps for us. It just doesn't feel right doing all the fall things in the 90-degree weather! We made the most of it, though! Here's a look at the last two items on our Halloween bucket list. 

  

{Halloween Party at Midtowne // 2022}

Immediately following our Trick or Treat on the Square event, we went to Nathan's Grandmother's assisted living for a Halloween party!! It was so precious and fun. They had the place decorated so cute, candy for the residents to pass out to the kiddos, games, popcorn, treats, punch, etc. It was a beautiful time with the family!! 

{TRICK OR TREATING THE TOWN SQUARE// 2022}

Every year our town puts on a trick-or-treat event on the town square. Most of the businesses on the square, the city hall, local businesses not on the square, the police/sheriff dept,  etc. all set up tables around the square and pass out candy to the kiddos. It's such a fun time with the most beautiful setting. I may be biased, but I truly believe we have one of the cutest town squares and an amazing old courthouse! It truly is a beautiful thing to see all of these businesses come together for the kids. They pass out so much candy. Mason had a fairly large bag and it was filled to the brim!!   

{Halloween Spooktacular Camping Weekend at Great Escapes // 2022}

Our Halloween Spooktacular camping weekend at Great Escapes was such a blast! It was the best of both worlds for me because I had my in-laws, my parents, and my sister & her family there! I love it when we can get both sides of the family together. We were able to get campsites right next to each other and it made my heart so happy! We've definitely got to do this more often. Here's a look at our spooktacular weekend...

 

{Halloween Spooktacular Camping By the Numbers // 2022}

 Anytime we go on a trip I like to document the trip by numbers. I'm not sure why, but these posts always intrigue me. Here's a look at our Halloween Spooktacular camping trip in numbers.  

{Mason's 2022 Halloween Costume}

We finally found Mason's costume for this Halloween!! We had been looking online for a couple of weeks and everywhere was sold out of his size with no signs of it coming back in stock. We were starting to get worried. I mean, if you can't find something on Amazon it's basically non-existent, right?!?! We saw online that this particular costume was available in some Spirit Halloween stores, so we went out on the search! I'm so happy to report that after searching a couple of Spirit stores we found it, and in his size!!

Introducing Mason's 2022 Halloween costume...

{Boo Baskets // 2022}

 Making Boo Baskets/Bags each Halloween season brings me so much joy! I love creating little bags or baskets of all things Halloween to surprise our favorite people with.  I started putting together some Boo Baskets recently and I am loving how they are coming out. I can't wait to pass these out. 

{Halloween 2022 Bucketlist Update // Carve Pumpkins, Hocus Pocus Movie Night, & Haunted House}

 I know we're still a few weeks away from Halloween, but we've already put a good dent in our Halloween Bucketlist for 2022! It has been such a fun and sweet season so far! I'm soaking up these moments with my boy before he's too "big" for all these Halloween and fall traditions! I pray I still have a few more years of this! 

{Annual Hocus Pocus Night // 2022}

This little Hocus Pocus tradition that Mason and I have has easily become one of my favorite nights in October! I always look forward to it and he tells me that he does too! We got a bonus Hocus Pocus night this year and we're not mad about it! We love it so much!! Of course, ours was much more low-key! 

{Autumn Bucketlist 2022 / carve pumpkins, college football, pumpkin coffee, decorate the porch, pumpkin for chickens}

The weather has been so glorious lately (in the mornings and evenings) and I am soaking up every minute of it. We are chipping away at our autumn bucket list and have already done so many fun fall things! Here's a look at the things we've done so far!

{Spooky Shirley Temple // Halloween 2022}

Shirley Temples...but make them spooky! 

{Ghost Malone}

 I was scrolling either Facebook or Instagram when I ran across this shirt. I immediately went to Etsy to see if  there was an SVG for it and there was!!! It was an instant purchase/download. I like to make my own so that I can pick out the type of sweatshirt I put it on! So what was it???

 

{SCREAMS HAUNTED HOUSES // 2022}

  I won a 4 pack of tickets to Screams -  a big Haunted House park out here in Waxahachie. It's the same grounds they use for the Scarborough Faire! There are 5 haunted houses, food, pubs & taverns, side activities, a show, etc. Ellis County Living Magazine did a contest and I was one of the winners! Mason didn't want to go so we invited our friends Keri & Michael to come with our other two tickets!! We had so much fun!