Halloween 2015

• This past week was a fun one! The kids dressed up Thursday and Friday for preschool, had a Halloween parade through a cemetery, and collected their first pieces of candy. (!!) For kids that have only ever done really half-assed trunk or treats courtesy of the Army, they thought this was pretty spectacular.

SuperSam and Wonder Woman - they strike the poses, I take the pictures.

Wonder Woman, underwhelmed

So meme-worthy

Post-nap sleepies

• Some light bedtime reading

I *LOVE* it when Steve reads the bedtime stories.

• Friday night was also another home game for the local football team. We made sure to bundle up and show our support for the band.

• The kids had an absolute blast despite the chilly temperatures. We once again left at halftime (along with most of the folks in the stands) and came home for quick bedtimes!

No joke, there are something like 400+ people in this band. They take up the entire field.

• The next morning brought Halloween! We never got carving pumpkins, so we figured we'd hit up a new-to-us pumpkin patch and spend the morning outdoors since the weather was gorgeous. This farm (Wynnorr Farms) isn't as popular as the other one we went to (Linvilla Orchards), but that proved to work in our favor with no lines and no crowds. First up: apple slingshot and corn cannon.

The kids had pretty weak sauce slingshot skills, despite Sam's awesome form.

Parental assistance seemed to make the apples fly further.

Corn cannon!

Time for a hayride to the pumpkin patch!

In search of the perfect pumpkin.... you can't even hear the whining!

Bump in the patch

Found it! Well, Steve and Sam did. I succeeded in talking Molly down from her crazy, which is an accomplishment in and of itself.

Isn't this place gorgeous??? I am kicking myself for not bringing my camera.

You can sense Molly's excitement from here, can't you??!!

After picking pumpkins, we rode the hayride all over the farm. The farmer's tshirt said established in 1864 so that is about the extent of the research done here, but just to give you a timeframe..... you're welcome.

This was much prettier in person. You'll have to take my word for it. Cell phone did not like all that sunlight.

Since Molly crapped out at the pumpkin patch, we stopped to pick out a second pumpkin to carve. And maybe some oatmeal cream pies..... mmmmyumyumyum....

• Then we tried to take a cute photo...

• So much fail. Also, I tend to take at least ten pictures of the same thing when the kids are involved because I feel like one of them will turn up as a winner. And then sometimes they don't. To think that I am still shocked when my phone is all, "out of storage!"

Still can't believe this place isn't more popular.

The kids LOVED these go carts. Although they couldn't pedal them (because they seemed a little, well, WORN, and the track was mostly mud. Luckily Steve pushed them and I think that was the best part of their day up until that point.

• After lunch and naps, we took to the backyard to carve pumpkins. Steve carved one and the kids drilled holes in the other. No one wanted to stick their arm in the pumpkins and pull guts out. Little weirdos!

Boom. Done. Finito.

• After dinner, we got dressed (but not without a bit of wailing and gnashing of teeth- lookin' at you and that short nap, MYER) and headed over to our new neighborhood to trick or treat and hang out with our neighbors at their Halloween party.

• Oh my gooooooshhhhh they loved it. They loved ringing doorbells, they loved saying "trick or treat!" and they loved it every time someone gave them candy. Sam got a little ballsy at the last house and said, "Umm... are there nuts in here?" Don't you ask about the nuts, son. I will do the sorting later and will handle all the nut products for you. IT'S MY JOB. (He only collected 2 Reeses by the way. How disappointing!)

Super Odie lost her cape as soon as we got back to my in-laws' house, but she had a great time out with us collecting pats and scratches.

The haul after all the nut candy had been removed (about half!)

• Once again, Sam was really upset about not receiving Communion at Mass. We even talked about it on the way to church and he gave us a really peppy "OK!" As soon as we turn around, we see the tears and the sour face and he starts sniffling about how he really just wants to take Communion. Poor sweet boy. He pepped up a little bit when I told him he could have a piece of Halloween candy instead. And during that really quiet part of mass where he farted LOUDLY onto the hard wooden pew. That made him smile pretty big.

• So far today, Steve and I spent about three hours trying to hang some floating shelves in our kitchen and after three hours, all we had was a few holes in the wall, some blood near the holes, and zero shelves hung. Ah well. There's always tomorrow, right? We get to go see our slab of countertop tonight before they cut it and then we are told they will come and actually place it IN OUR KITCHEN on Saturday. So it looks like my in-laws will be free of us soon. Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise. Cross your fingers for us all.