Hitting the Streets

  

Halloween was full of festivities and fun this year. We had our annual park day celebration earlier in the week complete with donuts on string. If you have never watched someone try to eat food from a string as it swings through the air, you really should. It was hilarious. The kiddos all tried so hard and worked for a long time on their donuts. Their techniques were so varied and ingenious. After the food frenzy, a few made owl pinecones, while others just ran around with friends. One of Eamon's friends took the top picture as they roamed the park. His mom found it on her camera along with photos of a whole host of random things. I think it came out so well.

Friday morning the kiddos woke up and immediately set to carve their pumpkins. Although we would love to carve them earlier, we have learned that with our heat, the pumpkins will rot before Halloween. This year each of the kiddos did their own carving. First they drew the design they wanted. I cut the tops for seed removal. Once the pumpkins were cleaned, each carved his own shapes even Benton.

Friday night we had friends join us for a potluck before hitting the streets to trick or treat. My youngest brother and his family joined us as well. The kiddos thought it was fantastic to have their cousins and friends with them. For costumes we hit the thrift shop a few weeks ago. Each had a definite idea about what they wanted to be. Eamon initially thought the headless horseman would be fantastic. His costume mock-up included a real carved pumpkin on his head. While shopping, he decided the logistics of a pumpkin on his head were flawed. It would be hot, smelly and heavy. His plan shifted to a steampunk character when he discovered a top hat. Aine knew all along that she wanted to be a cowgirl. After assembling her costume, we decided she was more of the strong arm of the law. Benton was a puppy until he chatted with his friend. When he discovered that she was going to be a ninja, he changed his mind.

The kiddos braved the neighborhood haunted house and trick or treated at most of the homes. We ended our walk at one of our friend's home enjoying popcorn and chili with one of their neighbors. We walked home with the cousins and discovered our candy bowl was not empty. The kiddos quickly divided what was left. It was a really nice night.

Welcoming Autumn, Our Way

Cooler temperatures have arrived here in Arizona. We are celebrating those 80 degree temperatures with loads of time outside. Each year to celebrate the arrival of fall and all things pumpkin, we head to the Desert Botanical Gardens for the annual Pumpkin Festival. This year we went with many of our friends. After a quick hayride, the kiddos set about finding pumpkins. Keeping with tradition, Aine and Benton picked large pumpkins. (The rule is that you must carry whatever pumpkin you pick back to the car). Eamon deviated from his past selections and chose the smallest one he could find. They each decorated their pumpkins and ran around the "field" for a bit.

There was a small petting zoo filled with goats, pigs and chickens. Eamon was enamored with the piglets. He made a very convincing case on the merits of buying one. I admit the babies were very cute, and the owner was quite convincing. We decided to wait and do a bit more research. Once home, Dave put a kabosh on that idea when he discovered the pig must live inside due to our urban address. Undeterred, Eamon is still working on adding more animals to our very small homestead.

Testing the new 'Hood

Halloween went fantastically well this year. Originally we had planned on hosting a party followed by trick or treating in our new neighborhood. As the events of the month unfolded the party quickly became much smaller until it didn't even exist. All our plans for treats, tricks and decorations quickly fell to the side. Eventually the kiddos and I decided to host a potluck followed by candy getting.

The excitement was palpable on Thursday afternoon. With their friends over, the kiddos ran around outside and in the park. Everyone had a chance to fill their bellies with the delicious food that was shared. Aine and one of the moms came up with ghoulish names for the dishes. Some of the names turned people off to the food I am sure.

As it became dark, the parents and kiddos headed out in our neighborhood. Eamon had a bit of trouble with his costume. Without a car to secure all the elements for his first elaborate costume idea, he had to resign himself to his backup costume - Jason Fox from Foxtrot. With a chameleon on his shoulder and black glasses, he soon tired of people asking just who he was. Aine's costume came together much easier. She knew she wanted to be an Indian maiden. We found the costume over a month ago at Goodwill. A quick bike trip to the local costume shop finished the outfit with a wig and fish for her hand-carved spear. Benton's costume was by far the easiest and just took a dip into our costume bin. He was the grim reaper complete with Eamon's scythe from last year.

We ended up at our friend's home where the kiddos sorted and traded candy on the front porch. They talked of the neighborhood haunted house run by youths in the area, which filled the streets with scary sounds and screams. They evaluated costumes they saw and shared ideas for next year. As we walked back home, we decided our new neighborhood is very active and perfect for trick or treating. Plans for next year are already underway and involve quite a party and costumes.

Happy Halloween

Designs were drawn
Pumpkins were carved
Costumes were excitedly donned
Masks were in place - The Grim Reaper, a Cowgirl and a Devil
The neighborhood was canvassed
Feet got tired
Sitting breaks were taken
Bellies were filled
Grandparents were gifted with their favorite treats
Bags were left for the Candy Fairy
Sleep came quickly

Happy Halloween

Shaun of the Dead, Puppy, Scarecrow and Princess

Nothing like the last minute

This morning was filled with a flurry of Halloween costume assembly. In years past, the kiddos have changed their minds up until the last minute. This year, they each remained strong about their costume ideas. We had the supplies for each costume, but some assembly was still required.

I pulled out a sewing machine (yes, I own more than one and love each of them). Benton and I worked on his design. He is a puppy this year. Some of you may remember when he was a dog a few years ago.

Halloween 2008 

This year we used black sweats coupled with a black knit hat. I added brown spots and ears. Benton showed me where to put his belly and decided his legs didn't need spots. I found the cat/dog tail in our dress-up bin and attached it to the ensemble. The whole assembly process took under 30 minutes.

The result:

Eamon's costume was a little trickier. He needed a scarecrow head. Burlap was his fabric of choice, but he decided felt was more practical when he felt the burlap on his face. He helped me fashion the hood. Paint was added and the whole outfit is rather macabre. We worked a bit more on it after he posed in the background for this shot.

Aine didn't need any help with her costume today. While the others were involved in a creative fashion, she pulled out the felt scraps to make a crown. She decorated it with paint, ribbon and buttons.

More photos later when we embark on our Halloween 2011 adventures.

The Perfect Pumpkin

Seeds

After our planting foray, we have talked a bit about seeds. Aine wants to grow some seeds in paper to see what happens. Benton wants to plant more and more seeds everyday. I thought pictures from seeds would be neat.

We had done seed mosaics several years ago. No one remembered, so we did them again. I pulled out different types of seeds and a big container of glue. The kiddos set to work. Each created a unique masterpiece. I even joined in the fun with a jack-o-lantern (Apparently I am a one trick mosaic pony, since I did a pumpkin last time too).

Spooky Pumpkins

We carved pumpkins today, since Dave was off work. The kids made designs, but were lured away from their ideas by images Daddy found on the web. Eamon did a vampire, Aine a ghost and Benton a silly face.

Happy Halloween

Eamon and Aine dressed as skeletons this year for Halloween. We had to paint pants for Eamon to match his skeleton shirt. He voted for painting over other methods. Each had their face painted and were delighted with the prospect of gobs of candy. Aine had a hard time not touching her face, whereas Eamon was upset with the skeleton mouth and absence of teeth.




Aine pranced from house to house giggling about getting more and more candy. Both were quite please with their loot as we headed for home. After picking a few pieces each, we set it out for the Halloween Fairy to take and leave a little money for a treat at the store. Tomorrow we will be shopping at Target.