Saturday, October 31, 2009

Trick or Treat 2009

The highlight of this years Halloween celebration, it was Emma's very first!!! So our little pumpkin went as a pumpkin.Collin cut the mask out of Kody's old screaming ghost costume and painted his face. Kody turned 13 this year and thought he was too old for trick or treat so he went to visit his granny.



Joseph is sure getting his dollars worth out of Collin's old pirate costume from Dollar Tree. He wanted to be a pirate again - go figure - it's year three for the crazy costume.


Baylyn wanted to be a fancy painted face vampire.


So we are off with Amber (a cousin)pushing Emma in the stroller to collect candy and see the sights. As you can see Our little pumpkin isn't impressed with anything except her nighttime meal.


Along the way we saw scary pumpkins


and friendly pumpkins. The weather was wonderful, the crowd was great, the candy was delicious, and the memories are forever.

Happy Halloween 2009

Happy Halloween
from our coven to yours.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Trick or Treat 2004



What do you get with a $5.00 package of toilet paper and hand me down Clifford and Spiderman costumes? One big mummy,one Clifford impersonator,



another little mummy,




and a baby Spiderman.



Oh yea, one want-to-be big Clifford (aka. a man losing his mind.)



After all the running, trotting, walking, and strolling it's time to check over the treasured booty. Notice the kid with the sticky fingers to the left? Keep you eye out for him.




Well, Collin's stash is accounted for.



Baylyn gets busted in the act by Kody.




The face of the guilty - a candy thief. String him up boys!!!


Halloween Party 2004

This was one of our simpler parties, in our early years there were a few and as time went on they became more festive and involved.


The menu is Swamp Stew, bone bit, chocolate spider cake, spooky gingerbread house, witches hat cookies, and crunchy eyeballs.
Swamp Stew is just a basic home made stew.
Bone Bits are crackers.
Chocolate Spider Cake is a single layer 9-inch round cake and a ding dong with chocolate frosting, twizzler legs and peanut M&M eyes.
Spooky Gingerbread House was a box kit from Michael's Craft Store.
Witches Hat Cookies are flat chocolate covered cookies with a Hershey's kiss glued in the middle with left over frosting.
Crunchy Eyeballs are rice krispy treats shaped into a ball and a flat M&M poked in the middle.

Joseph is a BIG 2 this year. I know the cake looks horrid and I suppose it should it is a Halloween birthday party and Joseph wanted a spider cake - the boy likes bugs but YUCK!!


His one and only want and wish a Barney.

Baylyn and Ashley seemed to be having fun. Hey, that's that Candy Thief!!!

Pumpkins & Broom Riding 2004

Digging through the old attic I found a small wooden chest covered in dust and cobwebs, gingerly I brushed it clean and this is what I found...


Big brothers giving baby brother the absolutely needed pointers of the broom. What type to buy. Where to get the best one. What is the most reasonable price and of course how to fly on a broom. If all else fails make your own and wing it!


Joseph with his carved pumpkin with Papa's help of course,


Kody just wanted a traditional carved pumpkin,


and Collin wanted something creepy and scary. Well, it's definitely different.


Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Our Autumn Walk


I'd like to tell you that autumn with all her splendor is being enjoyed by all. The changing cool, crisp air is wonderful for our nature walks and the changing leaves are perfect for the boys collections. I'd like to tell you that the usual laughter around the annual lighting of the fire pit and traditional smores were a joyful night for all. I'd like to tell you that the brilliant blue sky of autumn with her migrating geese and the fluttering of the occasional late monarch cause a sense of awe in nature. However, that isn't happening at our house.
 
Kody has been at my mother's house for the since last Wednesday. Although I talk to him daily, I still miss him horribly and he is homesick, but he can't come home just yet. Collin and Joseph have the H1N1 Virus Flu. Last Wednesday we took Joseph to the emergency room with high fever, sore throat, and stomach pain. I was baffled by the stomach pain. I was informed that it was a symptom of the H1N1 Virus Flu. They kept him to get his temperature down and discussed what I was to watch for and to get a humidifier for his room and sent us home.
 
Needless to say we cut ourselves off form the rest of the world and have been home ever since. Hubby took his vacation. Collin was at my mother's at first by Sunday he started complaing about a headache and sore throat and would not eat so I had her send him home. Sure enough that night he began running high fever and coughing. He is still running fever off and on mildly during the day, but at night it just shoots back up. This runs in 7 day cycles so this is going to be a long and drug out process.
 
Joseph on the other hand ran fever about four days and and all of his symptoms are gone except for an occasional cough. Collin is having a very difficult time. You know a kid is sick what you have an ADHD child that lays around or sleeps all the time.
 
I have been baking muffins to stock up in the freezer, reading over our lesson plans, praying, watching Old Yeller, talking to Kody, making vegan Italian sausages, read Herriot's Treasury for Children, watching The Secret Garden, making vegetable soup, talking to Kody, reading The Light at Tern Rock, baking bread, watching Savage Sam, reading The House at Pooh Corner, watching the Beatrix Potter collection on VHS, praying, talking to Kody, watching A Little Princess, reading The Cabin Faced West, talking to Kody, making apple crisp, reading The Matchlock Gun. Oh yes, I do occasionally get to sleep.
 
Now the icing on the cake - Joseph is through his 7 days, Collin is 4 days into his 7 days and today I have developed a sore throat, cough and runny nose - oh joy. No actually this past week has really been a great blessing of bonding, sharing and caring for us.