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After this weekend, I think our kids could hold a light bulb and it would glow. I realize that there is no scientific data supporting the correlation between sugar and hyperactivity. However, the fact that eating sugar usually inspires excited behavior is enough to convince me that kids get a little crazy when surrounded by a lot of candy. On Saturday, we had a Trunk O' Treat with our ward and it was crazy, but the kids loved it. The boys sported their culinary costumes once again and pillaged the back of everyones' cars for treats. Today we let our boys visit a few neighbors in their costumes and they had a great time. We got a lot of comments about their costumes. To set the rumors straight, I did not make them (the hot dog was from Target and the hamburger was from Old Navy), though I'm flattered that some people thought it was a possibility (I'm actually a terrible seamstress though I do own a sewing machine).

James K. Polk, 11th President of the United States, was from Mecklenburg County and his presidential historic site is located in Pineville. (To brush up on history, Polk was elected in 1844, beating Henry Clay. He was the president who started the Mexican American War and enlisted the Mormon Batallion.) They celebrated his birthday this week with live exhibits and demonstrations at his home. The boys had a great time learning about wood working, weaving, cooking, black smithing, and playing with toys during that era. We felt like great parents exposing our kids to an educational opportunity :).

One of my dearest friends, Kristina, recently moved to Raleigh. While she still isn't as close as I would like her to be (I was hoping for the house next door), it is still feasible for us to meet halfway in Greensboro for the day. We met Kristina and her two cute kids, Nate and Tess, at the Greensboro Children's Museum. The kids had a great time playing while the moms enjoyed time catching up (and trying not to lose children in the meantime, which was pretty challenging as we were a little distracted with our conversation). Can't wait for our next visit!

Grab your ketchup and mustard because the Hot Dog and Hamburger are on parade! Davin and Rowan’s school had their costume parade today and they had a great time wearing costumes with all of their friends at school. The parade was led by the director, Ms. Jenny, who wears a costume every Friday, so she almost looked business as usual in her costume. Davin sported his statement for the season-- Hot Dog, while Rowan wore the complimentary Hamburger look. Apparently the family theme this year is food. It was Davin’s idea, though. He insisted that he wanted to be a hot dog! One of the best moments from the parade was this little guy. To justify, it was warm today, at least 83 and humid. Rowan was sweating in his fat suit and stripped it as soon as he could. This little guy apparently couldn’t wait, so he dropped his costume to his waist and went for the “hospital gown” look instead. Stunning! Loved it! “What Not to Wear”, watch out for this new look!

I love October! Perfect temperatures, golden sunshine, and silly boys in trees, that's fall bliss.

Looking for something to do, Chris suggested that we check out a corn maze. We've taken the boys to a "corn maze" before and it didn't take long to find our way out again. This maze was a little more of a challenge. It was seven acres long and took nearly two hours to complete. During orientation, we were given a blank map with numbers and we were instructed to find the pieces in order to complete the maze. Ignoring this advice we tried our own method to bulldoze our way to the finish--only to find ourselves back at the beginning. Obviously it was a little trickier than we thought and started again, this time to find the pieces to our map. Chris and Davin made it out in an hour and forty-five (Rowan faded out about fifteen minutes before we finished). It was a fun challenge, something we will definitely do again (and maybe just the two of us).

Our friends were good sports to come over for a Halloween costume party. This year's theme was "Dinner and a Movie", and everyone came dressed as a couple from a movie. We had dinner, gave out prizes, and played games. We had a great time!