Am I A Man? Or Am I A Muppet?

Halloween was fun, as always.

I know for some Halloween is not their favorite holiday, and I get it...kinda. But...I think it is fun to dress up. It is the one time out of the year that you can dress up and be someone else and no one is going to try to commit you to the psych ward...although if they did you must really have a rocking costume.

Plus, for kids, I think this is probably the top holiday next to Christmas. A bunch of strangers give them candy, and they get to play dress up...AT SCHOOL. 

On Halloween everyone seems to be pretty laid back. 

I like it.   

So...I like to spread my Halloween Holiday Cheer.

The kids loved their costumes this year, especially Canon. I am not sure if it was the the round belly and material wedgie he had...or the little skinny legs...or the fact that everyone thought he made the cutest Kermit? Whatever it was he loved his costume the most, and wore it for the most amount of time.

For him it must be easy being green.

Since I am sure someone will ask...All of the costumes were made by me with the exception of Blake's clothes, my clothes, and Gavin's shirt. 

Party and Pumpkins

We had our annual Halloween party that we co-host with our friends the Wheelers. 

This year I was a little less "co-host"...and a lot more "just another person at the party."

April did a really good job with her Blood Bar.

We also had a cake walk that the kids really enjoyed.

And we got to guess the amount of candy in the jars.

We also voted on costumes.

The trophies for the costume contest came together well...not by me of course.

Canon brought the "best kid costume" one home...

Well...half of it anyways. He broke it before we even made it home.

Not terribly shocking.

We also managed to do my absolute least favorite thing...

carve pumpkins.

All the kids managed to get in on it.

Penny may have been a little over excited. 

Maybe I am just stating the obvious. 

But somehow along the way Blake ended up taking pictures and I ended up cleaning out the pumpkins.

I think I was ripped off.

Don't believe me? Look at my disgust riddled face.

We normally let the kids draw a picture on the pumpkin and then we carve it the way that they draw it. 

It makes for some interesting pumpkins.

Here they are in all of their lighted grandeur.

Canon didn't want to draw on his pumpkin this year but he did have very specific instructions on how he wanted it to look. It went something like this:

I want this mouth (pointing to some chevron patterned tape) with one tooth and I want his eyes to have one tooth in them too. Make him angry.

Voila. 

One-toothed-chevroned-mouthed-one-toothed-eye-angry-pumpkin.

Penny's (the one in the middle) was abstract.

Laney's was of course a princess, with some mighty fine blinkers.

Gavin's was "scared because he has a scar on his head."

We mean business here...

Scars are no laughing matter.

October

October turned out to be a very busy month. 

While I realize that every month is busy...it seemed that October had it out for me. 

In the interest of trying to make sure I got everything covered, here are a couple of tidbits that got missed along the way.

1. Blake went to a FEMA training for a long weekend. It wasn't too bad for me. Although trying to get Canon to his soccer game at 9:30, Laney to ballet at 10:15, and Gavin to his soccer game at 10:30 proved to be mildly challenging.

2. The kids had "Crazy Hat Day" at school. It wasn't super crazy for us. We just opened up the old Halloween costume buckets and viola...instant hats.

Even though Canon doesn't go to school with Laney and Gavin he couldn't help  in wanting to participate. 

3. Canon loves to eat cereal. Just not at breakfast. He likes to get it out of the cupboard later in the day as a snack. Sometimes he puts some in his pockets "for later." It is especially entertaining when he is snacking on Cookie Crisp, from his pocket, during church. Lately I have been finding boxes in the oddest spots such as: between the ottomans in the living room, in Blake's closet upstairs, down stairs in the family room behind the lamp and a personal favorite of mine...2 boxes of Mini Wheats in the upstairs bathroom.

4. Canon has also made a habit of helping himself to other things in the cupboard. One day he finished off 3 BOXES of fruit snacks by himself. Then the next day he had 3 suckers. We are working on it.

5. Grandma Dana sent us this card in the mail for Halloween. The kids loved it. Every time Penny would walk by it on the fridge she would say "Scary. Gama Dana. Not scary." 

6. The kids also did their Red Ribbon week this last week at school. They had, a luau day which was the only day I managed to get a picture. Not that this picture is anything to write home about. This is what happens when Blake takes the good camera to work and all I can find is our camera, that our kids mess with...and now can't figure out how to get it off of sepia.

Laney's coconut bra was made by yours truly. I thought she would think it was great...I had made it out of real coconut shells after all...she hated it.

7. Gavin discovered a talent. We are so proud.  

It Is a Rough Place

Bathing at our house is serious business.

You could get attacked by a shark.

So you need to make sure you have your protective eye wear.

Other strategies for eluding danger include:

A tongue out to aid in the thinking process

or lying in the water trying to blend in 

all the while chanting "Be the water."

Just know...that there are people that aren't afraid to splash you. 

And you most likely will end up with water in your eyes.

But anything is better then the threat of getting sprayed.

Except for maybe someone peeing in the bath. 

There really is nothing worse. 

Except drinking said bath water.

That is worse.

And I am sure it happens. 

At our house. 

Frequently.