Halloween Festivities

 October was just too much fun for our family.  

 This was right before going to our ward Halloween party where we played games and the kids got to do a trunk-or-treat.  These kiddos are the loves of my life.

 Blake made the cutest little lion.

My boy is a total Halloween fiend.  The whole month of October, he couldn't contain his excitement, and he actually started in with a stutter, which we attribute to the excitement, the week before Halloween.  Today, the day after Halloween, the stutter is beginning to go away.  

We had "Nightmare Before Christmas" on replay most of the day every day as per his request.  He even quoted Jack Skellington (from Nightmare Before Christmas) multiple times out loud during a baptism that we attended, and I had a hard time quieting him.  Every night when Daddy got home, he asked to play the "Halloween Game" (a cute little trick-or-treat game on the Playstation).  He carried his trick-or-treat bucket and his "Halloween House" from the dollar store around a lot of the days.  The "book of the month" for him was "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything", something that I bought at the beginning of the month.  I probably read it to him at least 40 times.  By the second time, he was quoting parts of it.   Every morning he'd wake up and tell me, "It's Halloween time!" 

We had a Halloween scene that I stuck up in our front window and lit with Halloween lights.  Blake wouldn't  ever let me unplug the lights.

 At the ward party.  They have become the best of friends (for the most part) lately.

 I was asked to bring the centerpiece for the food table at the ward party.

These yummy (mummy) things :) were part of the centerpiece.  I bought mini rice krispies and covered them in white chocolate, stuck on sixlets, and made them into suckers.  They were a hit.

 Our masterpiece pumpkins.  Rob did the Jack Skellington face, I did the Sally face (also from Nightmare Before Christmas) and Natalie did the cute happy face next to it.  And then I carved Jane's tiny pumpkin to look like her crying face.  It looks more accurate in the dark picture below.  I had to clean out my first pumpkin this year...I guess four pumpkins would have been too much for Rob, so he kindly informed me that I would be doing the dirty work for my own pumpkin this year while he helped the kids.  It was funny to watch Natalie's face while she tried to pull out the guts. She was absolutely disgusted by it (she takes after her mommy).

 This cute pumpkin is Natalie's sticker creation.  Each morning Natalie was so excited to change the countdown blocks (behind the pumpkin) because that meant Halloween was one day closer.

 Rob dressed up as the "Cyber Defender" for work.  I guess it's kind of an inside joke at his work.  The division that the interns work in is called "Cyber Defense", and this is what Rob always imagines when he hears that term.  I made him a red cape and then cut vinyl for the letters on his chest and helmet.  I thought he looked very heroic.  

 This is right before going trick-or-treating Halloween night.  The kids were almost literally "bouncing off walls"...instead they were bouncing off couches, chairs, and tables, running and rough-housing, and being extra silly.  Mommy couldn't wait to send them out the door.  Rob took them out this year.  I always look forward to doing it, but with a new nursing baby, it just wasn't going to work this year, and Rob was excited to do it. 

Halloween day was so much fun.  We started out the morning by eating pumpkin face pancakes.  Natalie only had school for a few hours since it was early out day.  When she got home, we read our Halloween books, watched Halloween movies on Netflix, and danced the Monster Mash.  

 Just a random cute picture of Blake from October.  He kept putting the glasses on upside down.

 Blake lately has been resisting his naps...so he'll fall asleep most days at around 5 pm in random places.  I've found him in tunnels, under the piano, and by the front door.  Each day I look forward to seeing what new place he'll finally drop.

 Natalie's school had a Fall Festival fundraiser that we attended.  Blake couldn't wait all day to get dressed up for the first time in his lion costume.  Sadly, Natalie's school had a rule where the kids couldn't wear their costumes on Halloween to school (which I was more than a little angry about...what is this world coming to?).  But at least they got to dress up for the festival.

 Daddy helping Blake shoot hoops at the festival.

This is another random picture, but I was asked by Natalie's school to make this sign.  I wanted it to be in the school color-maroon.  The school mascot is the meerkat, and once a week, the kids get to run what they call the "Meerkat Mile", which is seven laps around the school.  I wanted it all to be paint, so I had to cut out vinyl and punch out the letters, then stencil the words in through the negative spaces with paint.  I couldn't find a meerkat silhouette that would work, so I had to freehand that part.