Halloween Happenings

How can it be Halloween all ready?  Last time I blinked, school had just started.  I haven't really gotten into Halloween this year.  (Though to be honest, it isn't one of my favorite holidays...) Only Jillian and Ben are dressing up and I didn't make their costumes.  Jillian is making hers, but we went to Party City and bought Ben's.  I used to make costumes for my kids.  I don't know where I found the time.  It seemed like life was so busy when my kids were little, but now it's even busier!  The weeks fly past and I can barely finish with one thing before the next is upon me.  I don't like to procrastinate, but I'm only able to really focus on one major task at a time and they keep piling up on me, so I often end up putting things off until the last minute.

Anyway, we did get to the pumpkin patch last Saturday, another procrastination...we have a tradition of getting together with our friends the Kollodges and the missionaries to carve pumpkins together for family home evening the week before Halloween.  I called the Kollodges last Saturday to figure out our plans and we decided Sunday evening (the next day) would work best, so that meant running to the pumpkin patch in the 30 minutes between Kylie's soccer game and the time Brad and I had to leave to catch a ferry to go to the temple.  I had put off signing up to have the missionaries over for dinner (of course) and their calendar was full, so they didn't get to come this year. 

It ended up being only me, Jillian, and Ben picking the pumpkins this year. 

At first Ben wanted this really huge one, but then thankfully decided it was a little too big.

The one he picked was still too big for him to carry on his own!

Jillian picked two knuckle-head pumpkins.  They're a variety with warts all over them. 

Nate invited his friend, Emma, to carve pumpkins with us.

Jillian's knuckle-heads ended up being very tough-skinned!  They seemed more like a gourd than a pumpkin to carve, but she persevered and got the job done.

Ben did most of the work on his pumpkin this year! 

The carvers and their finished products.

And the obligatory dark picture.

So after the pumpkins were picked out and the carving was done, the next Halloween event was the costume parade at Ben's school.  I wasn't able to help out with his class party this year because of another commitment, but I did make it in time for the parade.  That's Ben in the scary skeleton costume. 

Next up on the Halloween agenda is the school carnival Saturday afternoon, and then the church Trunk-or-Treat and Halloween party Saturday evening.   We're skipping the traditional trick-or-treating in town since Halloween is on a Sunday this year, but we will stop by my sister's house to see her cute family in their costumes.  And then the next time I blink it will be Thanksgiving!