Halloween Highlights

 1.  Preschool:  All sorts of fun in teeny costumes...pass the pumpkin was especially fun, ask Micah would rather dance to the music than pay attention to passing the pumpkin.  Costume lasted for approximately 30 seconds.

 2.  Volunteering in Joshy's room:  This was the year that Josh was the robber and Kai was the cop.  But that didn't lend itself well to being a school costume, which the kids wear ALL DAY (not a fan, can you tell?).  Josh came home the night before Halloween and told us he wasn't going to wear a costume to school.  I felt badly, feeling like I didn't plan well enough to help him experience full Halloween joy (parent guilt is the WORST), but later playing catch, Josh told me the reason he wasn't wanting to wear a costume was because his friend, John, was Russian and didn't celebrate Halloween.  He didn't want John to be the only one without a costume.  (insert shocked, proud mother look right here)  Well, I'll skip all of the anxiety that he had the morning of school--should he dress up?  shouldn't he?  if he wore his soccer uniform it might LOOK like he's dressed up?--and will fast-forward to his party that I showed up to help with...I was met with questions from kids: why doesn't our family celebrate Halloween?  Huh?  Well, apparently Josh thought the situation too complicated (or too personal) to explain with the truth, and just told kids an easy explanation as to why he wasn't dressed up:  His family doesn't celebrate Halloween.  Ah, the tangled Halloween web our sweet boy spun...😂

 3:  Jeff taking the boys to Trick or Treat grandmas:  Grace had a piano party on Halloween, so Jeff used this time to go trick-or-treat those sweet great-grandmas...

 4:  Grace's Piano Party:  a mini-performance opportunity fell on this lesson day, and Grace got to play in her Hogwarts robes.

 5:  Trick-or-Treating in our Neighborhood with our Besties:  The Vans came this way and we waltzed around our neighborhood after a shared dinner.  Jeff took the girls for the extended route while Heidi and I took exhausted boys home after our block was circled.

 6.  Sorting into the wee hours of the night:  An hour of piling and trading and gifting happened on our carpet.

And this is how we all felt at the end of the night.  :)  What fun!

Every Dress-Up Bin Should Have a Bob Ross Wig.

Am I right?!?

Halloween Parade at G'ma and Papa's

 This year Bob Ross and a couple of Pugs made a special appearance.

 And the kids opened G'ma Joan and Papa Greg's Halloween presents...creepy stuffed preciousness.

The Book Fairy

We had a generous book fairy buy each of our kids THREE BOOKS in the last book order.  Melissa came in on a Thursday morning and asked if I'd document this Christmas-like morning in our room.  #thisisjusthalfofourkidsBECAUSEWEHAVE30

The boys.

 This year I've been able to volunteer once a month in the big kids' classrooms.  I think the teachers like it, but my kids really love having me there, which is reason enough to do it.  I got to eat lunch with Josh this last time around and he was all huggy.  (#readthispostwhenhe'sateenandwantsnothingtodowithme)

And after preschool, Micah and I went to Target on some errand...he was convinced he could move those concrete balls...

In fact, this picture sort of captures the "Creature of All Knowledge" Phase Micah's experiencing as of late.  True conversation:
Micah:  Mom, I'm tickling you in your elbow.
Mom:  No, that's my armpit.  THIS is my elbow.
Micah: No, that's your WEENIS.
(Mom's mind:  Thanks, Dad, for teaching him this word.  So helpful at ALL the right times.)
Mom:  Well, the whole area is your elbow and the little flappy skin is called your weenis.
Micah:  Nope.

Mommy Micah Mondays

We found these awesome mask books at the library!  What a hoot.  They also have hats, beards, and teeth books like this for kids.

 I love the sun that comes through the window at 2:00pm.  Half the week I never see it, but it's a good day if I can sit in it with tea in my hand.

 Micah is a good helper.

Madeline's in between soccer games

Fall Colors

G'ma and Papa All to Themselves

This was the second year that Mead Schools held their elementary conferences in October--earlier than my school's November conferences.  So the kids had 2 1/2 days without school while Jeff and I had to work.  Enter G'ma Joan and Papa Greg...to the rescue!  We took the kids to the farm Wednesday night and they stayed two nights and then we met Mom and Dad on Friday night in Colfax for dinner--at (Fast) Eddy's.  It also happened to be their 44th Wedding Anniversary!

 G'ma Joan found pumpkin patches for them to see, and let each of them carve their own pumpkins!

And Jeff and I attended conferences for our kids.  Both had wonderful reports to give, which always makes us proud.  My favorite memento from Joshy's conference was his self-reflection--apparently he has a book problem.

River joins the family

Debbie and Randy got a puppy!!! They named him River and came to show him off the weekend they picked him up!  (And Micah had to try out his pedal bike while they were here--first time with pedals!)

Schneringers Fall Visit

Our dear friends, the Schneringers, came to visit in October.  We asked Scott and Colleen if we could park their trailer in our driveway for the weekend so that we could have a spot for them to stay, as our basement is still torn apart in project-phase.  The first night, the kids begged to let them have a sleepover with the kids in their rooms...it worked okay, but the next night the Schneringer kids were happy to lay out in the basement for some quality sleep.  :)

Our kids caught up on everything important very quickly:  Dogman, Star Wars theme songs on the piano, and locating every Mickey Mouse in the house for Ethan.

We made our annual trip to Greenbluff, and pumpkin donuts were really desired, so we went to the Harvest House, much to my chagrin.  :)  Poor Joel and Troy experienced me LOSING IT over the commercialism of harvest while in the immense line for donuts...

 ...next was Hanson's which is where we take this pic every year and roam the orchard looking for the characters that are hiding.  Our kids had soccer games that we planned around--Josh in the morning and Grace in the afternoon.

And of course, the visit wouldn't be complete without CALZONE NIGHT.  The dads always take over this meal and it's always delicious.  Something they used to do in college, now made fun with their spouses and kids...