Halloween happenings

Halloween was fun and busy this year. Emma had a marvelous time at her preschool party. I think it's so cute that she's holding her friends' hands. :)


I love attending the preschool Halloween parades. The kids are so cute and the teachers come up with some great costume ideas. Emma was the leader of her class this day! What a beautiful Princess Strawberry Shortcake!

Lizzie wanted me to take a picture of her as we were waiting for the parade to start. She was wearing her Strawberry Shortcake outift--"just like Emma." She kept telling me that they matched. She's darling.


Friday afternoon, we headed over to the Elementary school for their parade. Since it was raining (and had been for a month, it seems), we were inside along the hallways and into the gym. Carter was Paul McCartney and actually received extra candy for knowing who Paul was from more than one candy-giver.


Friday evening we began the pumpkin cleaning and carving. Steve took over the seasoning of the seeds and added some butter. I prepare them in a less fattening way; however, I do have to admit they were delicious. There just weren't enough!! Emma and Lizzie loved every part of the pumpkin. They had tons of fun getting "messy."

Here are the finished products. Emma's was a cat. Lizzie's was wanting the roasted marshmallows above him. Braxton's was a scary traditional jack-o-lantern...that he carved HIMSELF (1st time ever)! Carter's was a pirate skeleton. Evan's was homegrown and taken to school for pumpkin science, but then he decided to throw it away in the compost pile, so he didn't get to carve his own. {He's hating consequences right now}. Emma's and Lizzie's pumpkins were also grown in our own garden--a fun moment of pride for our little family!


These cookies are Steve's family's tradition. They are giant ginger cookies with orange-flavored frosting decorated into faces using chocolate chips and candy corns. I can safely say that I've perfected making these. They are really delicious. Steve keeps asking me when I'm making another batch. Just like the pumpkin seeds, there are never enough. Plus, they make my house smell wonderful!

Halloween night finally came! Steve was walking in the door with the boys from carving pinewood derby cars when our cute new neighbor, Sydney, was saying "trick-or-treat" at our front door. My girls were begging to go with her. Steve took them along so that I could supervise getting the boys ready with their costumes. It was quite chilly, so the girls didn't last very long. The three of them warmed up in the house and played while Steve then took the boys around the block.

Emma was practicing her curtsey for her door approach. :)
Lizzie's nose, hands, and feet were red and freezing!

At my boys' ages, this is now a fun time to dress up, but it's also a serious night to acquire as much candy as their parents will allow. Due to the temperature and their wish to not cover up their costumes, they did not last much longer than an hour either. We have PLENTY of candy, though. I tried to put a little education into it, and we counted every piece and weighed our bags. Carter, because of those extra pieces given to him after hearing who he was, received the maximum amount with over 100 pieces of candy.

A few days before Halloween the girls were wearing matching outfits and too cute to resist! It wasn't raining, the leaves were everywhere, so I took them into the backyard and we played for a bit. I just love how excited they are for everything! Life is much more fun with them!