Hallowe'en Party 2016

The morning of the party started fairly early for me but I do need the time to make the mac and cheese and get everything else done outside.  The sun rise was beautiful!  

Thankfully I walked out early past the bounce house. I never cover it the first night and I apparently should have.  The place where the kids go inside was covered in bird poop, giant bird poop!!  I got it blowing up while I went inside to get stuff to clean it up.  It came off easy and I rinsed it well.  I did have to dry it off a bit but no one would have known by the time the guests started to arrive.  

Before the party selfie with Mom and Baylor.  I must remember next year to start it at noon. No one shows up until then anyway.  

Baylor did a few games while he was waiting for friends to arrive.  I added a clothes pin drop and the Candy Corn toss this year. I bought a small fish bowl and a shot glass at the thrift shop to do a penny drop but I did not feel like getting the pennies together this time.  

The leaves are thinning but still here for the party. 

 I actually had a costume this year. I was a Snapchat filter.   

Ryder bobbed for apples with the ladles.  A few kids did not read the sign on how to play the game and walked around with wet faces and hair.  

Frankenstein was the first pinata we destroyed.  They were one of the few placed I had candy this year.  All the treat containers for the games were filled with toys and trinkets.  

Same rules applied this year, youngest get to go first.  We still went through two rounds of kids before it was destroyed.  It was pretty thick and I was worried it would take a bigger kid to get it open but these kids are getting bigger themselves and did a great job. 

And they had to search in the leaves for the goodies!  

Gloria's BFF and wife came and they caught up with Norman.  

Caught a photo with Tara!  So glad you could make it this year!!! We need to get together again soon, and just sit and chat!  

The second, and last, pinata was at 3:00 and I copped out and made it a spider egg.  I was just not that into making another fussy pinata.  I was originally going to make it a mummy and maybe I will for next year.  

He went down in a turn and half way though the second round. 

Baylor enjoyed a few after death whacks at it.  I think I will make one for his birthday this year.  

The party wound down around four and I did not take a lot of photos, especially off all the friends who made it.   The boys had turned this into a fort with Nerf guns and bullets.  Lucas even joined in the fun!! 

I had a lot of help with the clean up and it was quickly nearing the end of a beautiful day.  Tara stayed late, especially for the two hour ride home and Julie and Cullen arrived late due to a missed flight for her Aunt who was here helping to clean out Julie's mom's home.  But they stayed for a while and we had a nice visit.  Baylor ended up going to Ryder's to spend the night so poor Cullen had to sit with us!  

After they left I just could not get off the couch.  Then I noticed me feet were hurting so I soaked them in hot water.  And then I was too tired to get off the couch and watched TV until really late for me, 11:15!  But it was a great party, but now I have to start planning all the other good things that happen in the next two months!! 

Round Up

10-23

Today was much warmer than yesterday but we had a lot of plans today. One was Meme and Pap coming over for a visit. Pap had a few odd jobs and the furnace cleaning on him plan and Meme watched us carve our pumpkins (finally we carved pumpkins, it has been years!)  I don't like to carve them too early because they rot so quickly but a week away from Hallowe'en is OK.  For the most part he did the carving on his first one and on the second one, he did it all, even the lid.  

A few years ago all his pumpkins looked like acupuncture patients. But he drew out his faces and carved them with our collection of pumpkin saws.  I buy them after the holiday so we have a lot of them!  

Meme offered to separate the guts from the seeds for us.  Baylor would not clean out the guts, that is still my job.  And I cannot carve a pumpkin and toss all the seeds!  We carved four pumpkins and that was a lot of seeds.  

The trees a beautiful again this year.  They are still battling the bark beetles so I am not sure how many falls we will have these trees.  

After Pap's jobs were done they headed home and Baylor and I headed out to the Trunk or Treat at the church that has COF.  

We missed seeing Landon but Ryder was there with his family and they had a trunk this year, Ghost Busters.  I could not manage a trunk myself and but there was a nice enough turn out with other trunks.  

Ryder's Grandma was Slimer and needed a drink.  They only way she could was through her nose, which was completely hilarious! 

Our Jacks, all lit up.  Baylor drew all the faces and I did the cat and jack one.  I carved the small Jack and he did the large ones.  The big gaping mouth started out with fangs but something happened and he cut them out.  

10-24

I found time to roast the pumpkin seeds in the morning. One was salt and pepper and the other cinnamon sugar.  

Snapchatting while trying to do home work is really not a good idea but I get so bored and he is easily distracted.  And he is so cute! 

The early nights can be so pretty. 

So much for a photo of the two of us. 

10-25

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning 

And sunny afternoon 

The out look for the weekend was starting to look better by Wednesday. I will take 65 and cloudy over the mid 50s and rainy forecast that was showing earlier in the week. 

10-26

I was off work today but had signed up to volunteer at the school.  They had said about an hour usually but I ended up being there for over three hours!  I worked through two of the three classrooms helping the kids paint paper plates for an upcoming project.  I had three at a time painting the backs of the plates and then laying them out in the hall to dry. I started in with the third class but was advised they had Library in eight minutes. Not one to back down, I asked for the first three in her class and got them finished before Library.  I guess another Mom will have to finish that class. 

It was a nice Fall day to work in the garage getting ready for the party on Saturday.  

Still holding on to the leaves. 

10-27

Mom and Dad came over in the morning to help me out.  I had to get the tables and chairs out of the attic and they helped cut the veggies and stem the grapes.  I had a dentist appointment at 2:40 so they did not stay all day but I had made a yummy lunch for us: standing rib roast, sauteed Brussels sprouts, and roasted smashed red pototoes.  Yummy!  I sent Mom a photo of my cleaned teeth! 

Joey picked Baylor up from COF and I headed over around 5:00.  Landon was an Army man, he put on his hat with his usual attire.  

Baylor was an Arcader.  He had packed his walkie talkies and while they were playing another voice came over them. Mom panic set in but Joey and I monitored what they were saying and when I had enough, I asked them to shut them off.  Then I had a talk about never giving your real name and real location to anyone over them.  It was alarming to me as the guy came across as nice enough but that is how those people work.  

The rest of the night was fun and Ryder showed up about 15 minutes after we started walking around.  

We walked around for an hour and when the firetrucks arrived with the pizza we all enjoyed a slice and then headed home.  

10-28

This morning's forecast was even better and I could not be happier!  Perfect for an outdoor party. 

The day was just beautiful to be decorating the garage. 

Around 1:30 the bounce house arrived!  Totally worth the money. 

But at 2:20 I had to head to the school for the Hallowe'en party and of course I was stopped by the train.  Love you train!  

We helped the kids get dressed and then went on the parade for the other parents out in the play ground.  Ryder's mom and Kartikey's dad were there that I saw but I stayed by the door's this year instead of out walking with the kids.  They are second graders after all. 

Class photo, minus the teacher as she was taking a photo beside me.  The teachers were pirates and the principal was the head pirate.  

Then they changed and had snack.  I brought an amazing bag of pretzels and candy corn.  Not my usual but the other mom's snagged up the fun stuff first.  

Baylor loved the candy corn shaped rice crispy treats. 

But they did like the pretzel fangs.  

One selfie was required.  We played games and had crafts.  I brought the Witch Pitch and Candy Corn toss with stuffed candy corn and prizes for each. I made a candy corn craft and there was an owl craft as well.  The kids were kept busy and seemed to have a good time. I did as well.  When we were shooed out I put my stuff in the van and went back to stand in line to pick him up at 3:30.  

He found the bounce house right away and the girls came over to play with him.  Or on the bounce house. Not sure which was more of the call to come over.  

I had also invited Kartikey to come over because he was not going to be able to make it to the party.  This weekend was Diwali, their New Year, and they were going to visit her sisters in NJ to celebrate as a family.  So he was able to play with Baylor by himself for a nice long time. 

They even ate dinner out there together.  

So good to see them together. 

Sadly his dad came for him around 7:00 but it was a great time for both of them.