Halloween Week

The weather is all over the place, it's nice to experience a vast array in a week! The predicted rain storm of the decade flopped majestically, we got plain rain instead of hurricane strength winds and horizontal rain. One morning we woke up to a mystical fog! The weather cleared and warmed up a bit in time for Halloween weekend. One rainy morning I sewed, stuffed, and decorated more cute pumpkins. This batch I used lace fabric over colored knit! You may think, "enough with the pumpkins" it's never enough! Once placed around the main floor seems like I might just need a few more. Maybe next year. 

We had our bi-annual dental cleanings this week. Everett and Mia walked away with clean records. Phillip, Evelyn, and Josie all have small cavities forming. Phillip needs sealants on 7 teeth which of course our insurance will not cover. There goes another $700 flying out the window, buh-bye. I have a stupid cavity forming between my crown and the rest of that tooth, it's impossible to ensure a perfect fit. The only recourse is to cut through the crown and replace it. Botheration! That experience was quite uncomfortable the first time and I am not keen to recreate it or the cost. My kids brush their teeth twice a day, it is annoying to still fight cavities! I'm blaming genetics. If I lived in the middle ages my teeth would all be gone, I'd be a slobbering, toothless hag. 

Tuesday Evelyn had a notable tantrum, she was chasing her siblings around screaming and hitting. Her consequence was she had to attend a boring meeting with Justin and I while the other kids got to watch "how-to-draw" videos at home. Justin and I met with the Bishop and the Salas family to help create a support system for them. The kids created some really cute halloween drawings while we were gone. Josie is really talented at copying art! Phillip made a cute fold-out pumpkin, when expanded the pumpkin had a pug inside. 

Thursday the kids got to dress for school. Amelia wore her fun Mabel outfit to school. After working on her sweatshirt all weekend using fabric paint for the star, the paint never fully cured so it stuck it itself when she accidentally folded it. I covered the paint with a knit applique that I sewed on, it looked much better and solved the problem. Her friend dressed up as Wendy from the same show! Phillip was a dud, he did not wear a costume to school, he lives in one hoodie most of the week. It's hard to tell if he changes shirts. Evelyn and Josie spent an hour Wednesday night making sure they wore clothes that fit under their costumes and that they could put on their costumes without assistance. The elementary kids could put on their costumes for the last part of the day. Everett could not wear his Among Us costume because the zipper broke, as he wore it around the house several seams also ripped apart. I was quite annoyed, had to sew the costume multiple times. 

I enjoyed a morning of shopping at Hobby Lobby. I needed a zipper for Everett's costume. I let Sara know where I was in case I lost track of time and money. Justin didn't answer his phone, probably best he didn't know where I was. I was a good girl and only got several items plus the zipper. Phillip and Everett were in severe need of pants and my winter coat situation was rather bleak so I went to Burlington Coat across the street. I found a fun green coat plus lots of pants for the boys. Right after that I ran home to finish making a Halloween snack for Evelyn's class (witch's brooms made with cheese sticks and pretzel rods). I dropped of the treat then gathered with other parents for the Kiss the Pig contest. The teacher who gathered the most monetary donations got to kiss a real live pig. The kiddos wore their costumes for the event and had a cute little Halloween parade around the track. The teacher who won put on lipstick before kissing the pig, that was cute. Josie was dancing around the track making Ladybug moves as she skipped about. It was so cute. Evelyn walked next to another girl in her class dressed as Ladybug, she looked so cool in her Queen Bee costume. Everett wore his sloth onesie because of his zipper issue and we weren't sure he could wear an inflatable costume at school. He grew taller over the past year, his skinny ankles were peeking out above his costume. The younger kids came home with treats from their classroom Halloween parties, lots of candy too. Phillip was pretty bummed his school was lame and did not hand out candy. 

Friday we enjoyed a day off from school. Justin worked from home so we were all at home during the week! The kids willingly completed their chores after Justin suggested lunch at Chik-fil-a. Yum! He drove in a separate car so the rest of us could pick out pumpkins to carve. Amelia got a new coat from Burlington since it was close to Chik-fil-a, she badly needed a coat with the cold mornings. We grabbed pumpkins from the dwindling supply at Walmart. The kids set to carving their pumpkins at home outside on the plastic table. I helped the little girls scrape and carve their designs. Everett needed a little help scraping out the insides, he was gagging too much. Josie wanted me to carve and intricate koala, she settled for a kitty face with a crown. Evelyn designed a face that I carved out for her. Everett made a crazy face pumpkin. Phillip turned his pumpkin sideways and carved a shark with a gaping mouth! Amelia made a house for a smaller gourd named Fred, it even had a welcome mat! 

Sara was in charge of the ward Halloween party this year. She planned for a chili cook-off, talent show, and trunk or treat. I set up my Halloween backdrop so folks could use it as a photo booth. The kids dressed up with all the frills for the party since Halloween was on Sunday this year. I took some fun photos of the kids before the party. Josie's wig was terribly itchy and only covered the front part of her head! She opted for ponytails and bows instead of the wig. Amelia spent quite some time glueing jewels to her face, the final touch for her costume as Mabel Pines of Gravity Falls. Phillip and Everett were Among Us characters, Everett was the imposter. Evelyn (Queen Bee) and Josie (Ladybug) dressed up as characters from Miraculous Ladybug. We had so much fun taking photos that as usual I lost track of time. Justin still had work to complete so we left him home for a bit. I grabbed my delicious chili...then decided as we were pulling out that our trunk needed some help. Amelia helped me grab some fall decor to throw into the trunk for the trunk or treat. Sister Finch made a very convincing Snow White, all the little girls flocked to her like we were at Disneyland! I loved how she crouched in front of the little girls just like a real Princess. My chili did not even make it to the top 3, it was probably too strange with cocoa powder and cloves as spices. Dustin won the chili contest. The talent show was so awesome! Sara literally kicked off the show with a clogging routine. Ambree and Evelyn sang their hearts out to "Stitches" with Josie dancing backup. Everett really wanted to do a card trick. To my lengthy shame I tried to talk him out of a card trick for weeks because it is hard to see and enjoy most card tricks from a distance. Whelp, he totally rocked it doing a trick that everyone could see and enjoy while up on the stage! He also played a piano song perfectly. Phillip and the Deacons did a funny lip-sync song to "Hello my Baby." Amelia sang "Fly me to the Moon" without any backup music! We saw lots of dancing, some jokes, and more singing. Josie told me, "This is the best party of my entire life!" She was dancing and prancing with all the music and dancers, and all the other little girls and boys. Right after the show the adults went to open up trunks for some fun treating. It was pitch black outside so my cute trunk decor was vastly unappreciated. My huge bag of candy went fast as I was pitching in handfuls of candy. I enjoyed asking for tricks instead of treats...most kids gave me a wide-eyed stare of confusion until I offered some options. I noticed most kids today don't really say anything just shove their bags out, I was demanding! We had such a fun Friday with a day off, lunch out, carving pumpkins, and the party. The kids ended the day by lighting up tea candle inside their pumpkins. I apologized to Everett for my lack of confidence, he accepted it and patted me saying, "Mom, I know you love me!" We helped clean up after the party was over. Evelyn had an accident because her costume took too long to remove, thankfully Everett left his pants in the van so she at least had pants and an undershirt to wear. I got whacked in the face with a broom, almost shattered my glasses. Ouch, that was not comfortable. 

Saturday morning I enjoyed 3 mini sessions with two new families I don't really know and the Holdens. Sara referred the Storms family to me and I met Hope while she was working on our floor. Hope was quite worried to ask if I would do photos since she is lesbian and married to a woman. Not to worry! People are people and all children of God. The Holden kids were so cute, Ophelia and Aiden very obviously love their new baby brother. Thayne was star of the session! Back at home I started prepping and painting the hutch to match the table. Justin and the kids worked on the backyard leaf situation. The hardest part was picking up dog bombs covered with leaves. We all ended up with disgusting poop on our shoes.  Amelia and Everett got to use the leaf blower to collect leaves into a pile. They may have enjoyed themselves!! Evelyn, Oliver, and Josie had a grand time playing in the large leaf pile. The smell of crunchy leaf piles is one-of-a-kind. Justin helped Josie make a leaf princess gown. Sara decided to try trick or treating in case anyone would hand out candy a day early. We were mostly turned down...a lot. The only folks who handed out candy were members of our ward. Everett looked hilarious waddling down the street in his costume. Phillip said his costume was too hard to get on so just walked around with us. Amelia quit after a few houses because her leg was aching. Her leg is aching more recently, she must be gearing up to grow a little taller. I spent a good hour organizing my material for singing time because the Primary Program is swiftly approaching. Amelia went with me to Albertson's and Walmart for candy, hot dogs, and buns. I forgot to buy candy for trick or treaters, we are usually out so have never been home to hand it out! Amelia found a cute plaid shirt...candy and plaid...sounds good to me. 

I got to take the entire hour for singing time on Sunday. Amelia and both Sara's helped me tape up all the music prompts to walls, boards, and such. I challenged the kids to listen to each song at least 3 times, if so the child could earn a prize. About half of the kids earned a squishy as a reward. The kids know the songs, just are unsure about a couple of spots. We are excited for our Primary Sunday meeting. Sara and Dusty provide hot dogs and hot chocolate on Halloween. This year was no different! She invited several ward families to come over and visit. I made baked beans and hat extra hot dogs and buns just in case. Evelyn and Josie were near tears to not trick or treat when they saw all their church friends going door to door. We made a choice to trick or treat just our street. The older kids were content to sit and visit with our ward friends. Thank goodness Halloween won't be on Sunday for quite some time. Josie dressed up as Elsa this time around! She was Alice in Wonderland when we went out on Saturday. That is part of the fun!