3 Girls and a Guy

HALLOWEEN of 2010 WAS SPOOKTACULAR!

My kids love decorating for the holidays. It's hard for me to keep up on life, let alone decorate. They complain because we don't have enough and they want our porch to be super scary. I promise I will work on it. I tell them it's either fall clothes and shoes or decorations. haha

Adri was going to be a pumpkin this year. She wore it to an Activity Day party and the wig bugged her. So she took out last year's costume. I was happy with that. She is a beautiful angel. I was hoping her costume would rub off on her. Kade was a pirate with a dirty face. He slept in his costume a couple of times in October. This is the first year Kade has not been a scary guy. I miss my cute toddler scary guy. I spent $8 on his costume. That I can handle.

Alex was an eighties chick and Abby was an 80's Aerobic chick. We had fun making up their costumes. We bought Alex the black tshirt to shred for $2.oo and $4 bucks for her leggins. Abby's costume accessories cost $10 also. We were into costumes $24.oo. It's not zero, but it's still pretty cheap. Don't you love the eighties girls. Alex plays the part so well. Crimped hair and all.

The school parade was Friday morning the 29th. Grammie always comes to see the kids. Abby walked with her friends in fifth grade since she is off track. Kade walked with Adri since he has afternoon kindergarten. They all had fun and walked too fast.

Friday afternoon, Kade had his Halloween party. I am the room mom. My cousin Jana had Ms. Taylor last year and so I think Ms. Taylor felt comfortable asking me to be room mom. I like to be instructed, not give instructions. Oh well it's only for one year. Next year I will help, I hope. Abby is off track and helped me so much. She helped me shop, plan the games, and the food all week. They played Halloween Bingo, Don't Eat Frank, made ghost suckers, frosted cookies, Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin, and musical Halloween chairs.

Abby did the game Don't Eat Frank all on her own. I loved her help. She also passed out the apples and caramels. One of the moms brought rootbeer with dry ice. The kids loved to stir it. We had at least 15 helpers. I didn't know what to have them do there were so many. Jana my cousin peeked in and we took a pic. I love seeing her around the school. I was so grateful when 2 p.m. rolled around. I took a break on my couch. Kade loved me being there and he will have a memory of me being a cool mom at least once.

Halloween was on a Sunday this year, so Utah had trick or treating on Saturday night. While all the neighbors were out decorating their yards for Halloween, Renn was putting up Christmas lights. We will be gone for two Saturdays in November, so he wanted to get it done while it was not snowing. He had lots of help. He is my hero for hanging lights every year even though he hates it. He does it because he knows how much it means to me. Nice Rennie.

Time to carve pumpkins. We are never all together it seems like lately. Everyone will be home except for one. So we carved pumpkins on Saturday afternoon. Kade would not put his hands in the pumpkin to get the guts out. He didn't want it on his hands. Finally after some teasing from me, he stuck his hands in and pulled out the guts. My kids are all starting to carve their own. I don't really like it. I'm okay with Alex, almost okay with Abby, but Adri and Kade scare me. Kade holds the knife like he is going to get cut. Renn and I managed to help them both. Kade loved loved his wart pumpkin this year. He had to have it and was so proud of it.

The finished product. Aren't they cute!! Last year we partied at the Brown's house. It's hard when I have four kids going four different directions not to be at home. We chose to stay home this year. We had homemade fettuccini, breadsticks and pumpkin seeds. It was a scrumptous dinner.

It was time. TRICK OR TREATING. Alex went with our neighborhood half the night and our old neighborhood the other half. Abby went with a few girls from our neighborhood all night. Adri went with the Cook girls and I didn't see her from 5 p.m. till 11 p.m. Thanks Nat for keeping her entertained all night. Kade, Renn and Zander went for a few hours. Renn had the coolest costume ever thanks to a white elephant from Lisa Trusty. Some people shook their heads and others laughed their heads off. Leave it to Renn. Grammie came just in time to send them off.

Kade was the first one home at 9 pm. He handed out candy for the rest of the night while I took a break on the couch. I sat on the porch most of the night wrapped in that big blanket. I have two neighbors just to the west of me that have the scariest houses. They go all out. I loved hearing everyone scream and cry next door. A couple of kids came to my porch crying. My house was the house of refuge. I made them feel better. Renn and I videocammed Kaden handing out candy. We told him to tell them "Merry Christmas." He did. It was free entertainment. He is so funny like his dad when he wants to be. He will do whatever we dare him to do. A little bit scary. We only got a picture of Kade's candy. Adri and Abby came home super late from friends and finally I told Alex I would pick her up in the morning before church because I was going to bed.

Sunday we chilled. We got in our comfy's watched movies, took a four mile walk, had breakfast for dinner, read, FHE, and decorated sugar cookies. Adri threw a fit right before decorating cookies so she never decorated one. I don't think she cared. It's been nice having Halloween on the weekends. Next year will be so different.

I love this time of year with all the fun Holidays, except now one of them is over. Can't wait for the rest to begin. I will cherish every moment because the dreaded winter (Jan, Feb) will be here and I'll need the memories.