October

Macie's birthday was a good start to October. She turned two. We celebrated with balloons and party hats. We were still living in temporary housing and didn't have many kitchen tools available so we bought a cake from a local grocery store. The store's cakes are super cute, but when the kids didn't want to finish their pieces of cake, we learned they weren't as impressed by it's flavor.

Macie was so kind to do my hair for me. I would do my hair in the hallway each day because in England, you can't find outlets in the bathrooms.

When we were packing up our things to move, Koen was so greatly wanting to help carry our Halloween pumpkins to the car for us.

We found Costco about 45mins away. We do love Costco. They still have hot dogs and drinks for 1.50 (in pounds of course) as well as some additional food options. Though the biggest difference we noticed is the extremely long line for the food and how packed the eating area is. I will photograph it next time to share. We decided it wasn't worth waiting in the weaving line a second time to try out the gelato.  I thought this giant Lindor truffle looked rather scrumptious.

We found a neat tree-top trail that was good fun. The ramp kept rising higher to the tops of the trees and provided a nice view at the top. (I was missing my large camera and noticing some really beautiful photo-op areas.)

Finding this photo made me laugh and smile.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to look through Koen's window in the mornings. It often showcases a colorful morning sky or super foggy fields.

Hadley also had a birthday and turned four in October. Her day was made special by getting to put a coin into one of these riding machines at the grocery store.

 We also went bowling on Hadley's birthday.

My sister Danielle's game of putting stockings on your head (it was an un-played activity meant for our family celebrations earlier in the summer) still provided laughs and fun months later. :)

 Koen bought himself another train set.

 Koen's old school had a hat parade. Every student chose, or were assigned a word with which they had to create a hat to describe the meaning of that word.

Macie doesn't seem to be afraid of heights too much. 

Koen and Hadley had a big football/soccer match, which didn't start until after Koen sang our National Anthem. :)  (This little man seems to be a natural patriot.)

Halloween

Trick or Treating is a relatively new and growing tradition in the UK, so you sort of need to ask around to find out where to go for trick or treating. We participated in a trunk or treat on the base. The weather was enjoyable. Jon was actually feeling pretty crummy that day so he didn't dress up with us, but he came to pass out candy so I could walk with the kids to trick or treat.

THIS is the best part of a child's Halloween:

Pumpkin carving is always a last minute thought of mine. Thankfully, Koen makes sure to remind us. So we did our carving the night before Halloween, which was actually a pretty enjoyable Sunday activity. It was really just Koen and I with Macie "helping out" on the side. Hadley was watching Prince of Egypt with Jon. It all felt a little less stressful this year with Koen and I doing our pumpkins on our own.

Koen did all of the cutting of his pumpkin with the exception of the lid. It was a skull and it looked pretty good. 

We spent Halloween night at another American family's home in a nearby village which promised trick or treating. Our village is quite tiny and we weren't convinced anyone would come to our door. We had a good time with friends though. Jon was feeling much better so the dads walked with the kids while us moms passed out candy and enjoyed the warmth. It was a chilly and foggy night on Halloween... which felt fitting for the Holiday. One of our friends daughters painted Koen's and my face for us too. She did a pretty good job and Koen thought it was super great.

Hadley found these sparkly pink shoes at the thrift store for only $2. They're her new favorite shoe which she likes to wear constantly.

Macie made for an adorable witch. I debated between hats. The big one was too big so we went with the head banded option, but ultimately, neither won because she wanted to be accessory free.

Koen has some cool Spiderman skills.