Halloween Is Coming
I found this old broom that I used as prop in my booth at the Mad Hatter Vintage Flea Market. It makes a perfect witches broom. I told the girls to look witchy...this is what I got. Ha!
Remember all my posts about how I love celebrating the holidays and that it is important to me to make things fun and festive? Well, moderation in all things I guess. This year it is like...Halloween schmalloween. I got nothin'. This has happened a time or two before. There have been years when Halloween approached and I just didn't care. It even happened one Christmas. I was pregnant for all of them. Well, I'm not pregnant...thank goodness... but I just don't really care this year. I haven't even decorated unless you count putting a few pumpkins here and there...they are also rejects from my booth. My kids aren't loving it but that's how we're rolling this year.
I do have costumes ready for the kids. I bought Bryn's online in September. Hallelujah. Ailey is wearing something from the costume box and she isn't thrilled about it. She wanted to be a genie but over the years half of the genie costume got lost. (REILLY!!) Kameron wanted some kind of fancy mask but got a cheap one from Walmart. So...yeah.
My traditional Halloween dinner is usually held the Sunday before Halloween but it didn't happen and won't happen on Halloween either. We did go to Greenbluff and got pumpkins but I doubt we will have time to actually carve them. TOO MANY ACTIVITIES. I am thrilled that XC has finally ended. Hopefully things can calm down around here but church and band activities have just amped up. Swell. So this Halloween season is going to be somewhat quiet and subdued and I am all for it. Despite the frantic pace of life these days we have been having some fun.
This kid!! He ended his XC season with a personal record at Finals. We are so darn proud of this boy. He has worked so hard and it has been so awesome to watch. I am glad that he ended his season on a high note.
We celebrated his season with a celebratory lunch before we headed up to Green Bluff to get pumpkins. Yes, we managed to squeeze it in...barely...the minute Finals ended.
It was really weird to be there without Reilly. I know that technically she didn't come with us last year but she still went and got a pumpkin and did the things we normally do just with her boyfriend. It is really strange to celebrate Halloween without her,
This doesn't feel that long ago...
Such little sweethearts!! Although I have to say that as much as I loved them at this age they are so much more fun and entertaining now. I don't think I would go back if I could. Maybe just for a few more cuddles and kisses. (I am told by my older mom friends that although having older kids is different it just gets better and better as your kids grow and mature. I am holding onto that promise. So far so good!)
These two girls had a ball picking out just out just the right pumpkins.
This guy thought he was too old for pumpkins. I think he ended up kind of regretting that decision.
It was freezing cold this year!!
This year the girls wanted little pumpkins and the pumpkin carving master...aka Tyler...was thrilled. No gigantic pumpkin for him to clean out. (That was always the choice of Reilly and Kam.) Not one of our children can stand touching pumpkin guts. They get that from their mother. :)
They also think being hauled around by Tyler in the wagon is the best part of the whole day. It was funny to watch Tyler and Kameron try to out man each other with who could drag them around the longest and the fastest. Ha ha.
Then Ailey and Bryn each wanted their own picture...Ailey for her Instagram account and Bryn for my blog. Ha ha. They chose their own particular poses and settings. So funny. Kameron wanted no part of it. Party Pooper.
The jaunty foot on the pumpkin pose was very important to Bryn. She thought that looked pretty cool.
I managed to sweet talk Kameron into one and only one picture. It was not easy. Teenagers. Bryn still has her foot on the pumpkin.
We also had the Primary Program. It was darling. Ailey had a bigger part as it is her last Primary program. How is that possible?! She and Bryn did great!! Tyler was up on the stage trying to reign in his class. It was quite entertaining. He has some WILD kids. Ailey and Bryn invited Elle to be their special guest. The girls were thrilled to have her come. Bryn was introducing her to everyone. So cute.
Kameron had his first high school band concert and got to wear his first tux. Snazzy. What is not snazzy is how expensive band is...with all the fees and trips and tux and all the other outfits and his instrument and fees for jazz band too... he has surpassed Reilly and her expenses with choir and dance team combined. I can't believe it. I didn't think that was possible.
But he looked and sounded good!!
Performing with the Jazz Band
This year the music department made these cool full color programs that list all the performing groups in band, choir, and orchestra and had pictures from last year's groups. It was fun to see Reilly's face grinning at us several times in the program. She was pretty thrilled too. Ha ha!
Tyler and I also had THE BEST date night!! Tyler wasn't too sure about it before we went but he ended up really enjoying it. As I mentioned in my last book review post; the author of the book Station Eleven was coming to Spokane to speak. We went and it was awesome!! I have had the opportunity to hear authors speak and present their books a couple of times and it is always fun and fascinating.
It really was so much fun!! I was in my element. The author, Emily St. John Mandel, was fantastic. She talked about her research for the book, how she came up with the idea, how she came up with the plot and characters, why she chose the setting etc. It was so interesting. After that there was an audience Q & A and some really great questions were asked. Tyler, who also read the book, and I had a great time and felt like Spokane represented itself well. Tyler was worried. Ha ha!! Only one inane question was asked. Sweet. I feel like I like her book better now after hearing her speak. She addressed a few of the problems I had with the book...not all...but I now have a better appreciation for her writing.
My sly picture of the author from the side since I didn't purchase her book to get it signed. I didn't like it THAT much!! :)
All in all, it was a great night downtown, mingling with interesting people and a few weirdos, and listening to a truly eloquent author speak. Tyler has promised that he will attend another event like this again. Woohoo. We celebrated with treats at Starbucks late that night. So fun and on a school night too!! Scandalous.
I guess the month turned out better than I anticipated despite how hectic and stressful it has been. I have had a lot of laughs with good friends, fun dates with Tyler, and fun times with the kids. Reilly cut her first male haircut. She begged her friend to just let her do a basic missionary cut on him but he went full hipster. She got an A on it and even got some extra credit and he was happy about it.
Ailey and Bryn finally carved their pumpkins. The weather DID NOT cooperate with my brilliant new tradition of last year which is having them carve pumpkins out on the deck. It was pouring rain so they ended up back in my kitchen.
Yes, they are wearing gardening gloves!!
The finished products. Bryn's is the bigger spooky pumpkin and Ailey did a baby pumpkin with an old binky of Bryn's that we found in my closet. It was a hit at trunk-or-treat!!
Kameron had to cook a Latin meal for his Spanish class. We have gotten to do quite a lot of interesting things with Kameron for this class. Tyler took on watching several hours of Telemundo with Kam and I helped him in the kitchen. I think I lucked out on that one.
Kameron decided to make a Cuban meal of picadillo, black beans and rice, and corn fritters from recipes I got from the owners of a Cuban restaurant that I used to work at while at BYU. Kameron chose a more adventurous meal than burritos and tacos and he did a great job!
When I was in college I worked at the best little Cuban restaurant on University Avenue called The Torch. The food was amazing and I still dream about eating it. (The Torch has since closed.) The husband and wife who owned it were very strict and slightly scary but I got a free meal every time I worked there which was a good thing because several of my paychecks from them bounced. Most nights I ate this meal. I love it!! Kameron did a spectacular job!! It tasted just like the Torch man's.
The finished product!! It was heavenly. If only I could've been slurping down one of the Torch man's secret recipe tropical shakes. They were divine!! But these were the only recipes I could ever get out of them. The husband used to make me stand far away from the bar area where he would create his amazing tropical fruit shakes. I had to stand with my back to him. If I turned around and was caught looking at him he would scream at me to stop watching and to get away from him!! Ha ha!! True story. But the man was a genius with food.
Some how Kameron and I were the last to get our flu shots...yet again. This has sadly become our little tradition. Tyler gets his super early. Reilly would get hers on her own. The little girls get the nasal mist from the pediatrician and Kameron and I are always left to suffer together. Kameron didn't even flinch this year. I am the last remaining chicken. We were told by the nurse giving us our shots that we should eat some sugar and that it has been medically proven to help release chemicals in the brain that help with pain. No worries there lady!! We were off to get vanilla bean and strawberry frappuccinos before she could finish her sentence.
Onto...Halloween
