Halloween Catch-Up

Yes, we realize Halloween news is 'so last month', but when you're pregnant everything moves a little slower (except your need to urinate, that speeds up). Anywho, here's what we did for fun:

Pumpkin Patching: After seeing Grandpa Vardell's meticulously carved pumpkin, which you can see on Jenny's blog (I'm told he did it under duress, and I'm sure he'd be embarrassed to admit this is what he was doing at a Scouts activity instead of hunting God's creatures.) the kids were ready to find their own perfect pumpkins to carve.

Off we were to an overwhelming pumpkin patch, most likely the same one Kristen and Shayn took Alpine to. And we thought we were off to a pretty good start when early on we found what Brian and I, and Taylor for that matter, considered Tay's perfect pumpkin. Later on down the row, though, Whitney convinced Taylor that there were others even better-looking, and Tay's pumpkin was traded a few times... Whitney was sure she had to see every pumpkin in the patch to know she was getting just the right one. (If this is indicative of her future, we may be in trouble...) She was very insistent on certain characteristics her pumpkin should have. We finally coached (not persuaded) her into finding one that worked. Unbeknownst to us, Taylor also grabbed two mini pumpkins on the way to the pay counter. It was so cute, and since they were like 70 cents each, we let him take them as well. So off we were with our four perfect pumpkins.

Then the Carving: We allowed creative license to the kids, although Tay's should have been first, because by the time Bri got to his, he was happy that it had eyes, nose, and mouth - didn't much care the size and shape. Whitney on the other hand (if you can imagine) was very adamant about exactly what her's would look like. She drew lines on the pumpkin where Brian was suppose to cut, and stood by, supervising the effort, and correcting any mistakes. He must have done a satisfactory job, because everyone smiled for the picture:

School Parade: It's just a little nostalgic to return to my old elementary to watch our little princess fairy parade around with her classmates. I guess more than anything, though, it makes me feel a little older than I should, and everything seems a little smaller than it was back when... Whitney was so cute in her costume, and this was no secret to our sassy first grader. Tay had mixed feelings about going to the school to watch his big sister, and at last minute decided he would put his costume on for Whitney to see! (In his defense, we did have to wake him up in order to go, and that's almost never a good thing.)

Treats and Tricks: As you can see, we had an adorable fairy and a huggable little Elmo, and all we were lacking was more candy! So, Brian took them around the neighborhood while I answered our door for other treaters, maybe four times. We also visited grandparents and a couple other lucky people so Whit and Tay could flash their charm for sugar. (I think this is the first time I have likened this tradition to exploitation of one sort or another.) Anywho, Taylor was so cute as he said all on his own, "Trick-or-treat", and Whitney informed us after sorting her candy that "Occasionally you can ask for a treat from my bag, and you can grab whatever you want out of Taylor's."!!