Halloween '11

Halloween is here and is kicked off on the Friday before with the

first of four activities . . .

Friday morning was the Award Assembly at school and kindergarten carnival. Christian was chosen to receive the Teacher's Choice Award (a.k.a. the teacher's pet award as John calls it). He was so excited. On his award said he "is a well rounded young man. He does well academically, is fun to be around, and he is a great friend." Can't get better than that! Good job Christian!

The kindergartners are the only ones who dress up and each year have a Carnival. They get to parade into the assembly room to show off their costumes for the rest of the school. It is totally darling. Ashlyn was Rapunzel this year and was beyond ecstatic with her wig.

At the Carnival, I was in charge of the cookie decorating station. I can't believe Ashlyn is now participating in the carnival, she has been there twice before; first as a little pumpkin baby, then helping me when Christian was in K. Now it's her turn, and my last!!

On Friday night, Brooke had a daddy-daughter Activity Days night Halloween dinner. They got to dress up; John came up with an impromptu Bob the Builder and Brooke is the Mad Hatter. They had a great time!

The next night, we were invited to the Zdenek's annual Halloween party which Madison and Brooke were enlisted to help. Lisa Zdenek is Ashlyn's kindergarten teacher, and has had all the Merrill kids.

Here she is with her darling family. When she was Madison's teacher, she just got married and now she has three cute boys. I love the lake in their backyard - such a beautiful setting.

Look, Ashlyn really does have eyelashes! A little mascara made her feel pretty grown up.

The candy house table! M&B were in charge of helping kids with decorating the houses.

Lots of sprinkles, lots of frosting, lots of sticky.

Super fun night!!!!

Then the next night we carved our pumpkins! It's funny how the kids beg and beg to do it, and we put it off, knowing how messy and difficult it can be. Then half way through they complain that it's messy and difficult. ha!

But they turned out darling. Madison donated her cleaned-out shell to me to use for our traditional pumpkin stew for Halloween night. Thank you Maddy! It saved me from having to clean out one!

Halloween day: the after school snack was pumpkin smoothies. YUM!!!

Everyone's dressed up and ready to trick or treat throughout the neighborhood.

And I mean everyone! Even I donned a costume for the first time this year.

They all got their fill of loot; enough to keep dentists in business for the year.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Time

Halloween on a Sunday is a different experience for us, but luckily with school activities and an awesome tri-ward trunk-or-treat on Saturday night, it was all good and the candy count high!

Ashlyn got to dress up for preschool and was so excited to wear her cute ladybug costume.

The cutest part was watching her play baseball in it . . . running the bases in a fluffy, bouncy tutu is too cute!!

It's pumpkin carving time! Or let's make the biggest mess of the kitchen time!

The Jack-o-Lanterns all lit up and on display before they find their spot outside.

I love how Brooke's pumpkin, on the far left, was lopsided so she made hers have a goofy face to match.

Ready for the trunk-or-treat madness!

A storm trooper, Greek Goddesses (Athena and Artemis to be precise) and a little ladybug!

Ashlyn was so excited when her cousin Chelsea showed up!

Sorting the loot, making trades, enjoying the moment!

Busy as a Bee

The holiday season has officially begun and we are all buzzing about with various activities. Good thing we are made to keep up with the buzz!

Ashlyn's preschool Halloween party - a cute kitty cat and a bee!

The annual trip to Underwood Farms with the Preschool! I think I've been doing this every year for 8 years. This time, cousins were there! It was great to be with Chelsea, who is in Ashlyn's class, but Kate and Ashley were visiting from the Netherlands and got to come along, too! What's the deal with the pumpkin patch being so commercialized now, too? Isn't it crazy that there are rides and games and every other method of squeezing more cash out of families. I love Fresh and Easy - good sized pumpkins for $2.48! That's half what Albertson's charged, and a fraction of the pumpkin patch scam.

Our ding-dong-ditching this year was a real "boo"! Ghost and goblin cupcake pops - Yum!

What's Halloween without carving a pumpkin?

We had fun as a family carving some new designs - a first for going beyond the basic triangles for me. Roasting the seeds is always a treat and the kids loved it.

On Friday morning, we had a special treat with both Christian and Brooke receiving an award at school. I like it when they combine them like that! Only the kindergarten dresses up for Halloween and they parade for the rest of the school at the awards assembly. It's way cute.

Afterwards was the kindergarten carnival which I got to help with making Goblin Goo, then I helped with Brooke's class party. I think I'm still sore from playing dodge ball!

I was at the school from 8:30 - 2:00. I think someone should put me on the payroll.

After four different Halloween parties, it is now time for the official night of Trick-or-Treating!

Christian really wanted to be a pirate, but a good one, he said. Not a mean or bad one. He didn't want any beard drawn on, or fake hair. He was thrilled with his simplistic costume (that we borrowed) and so was I! Brooke is reading the Pippi books and wanted to be Pippi Longstocking. How great is that??? What a super easy and fun costume where all we had to do is get hair color and a wire coat hanger! Done! The results were fabulous. Although we did have to take her hair out during one of the parties as she wanted to go on the trampoline and it became a hazard! Madison and Ashlyn were my darling little bees. We made Madison's costume and all had fun tying on the individual strips of material to make her tutu. She even made her own antennae out of pipe cleaners she was playing with during a recent visit to Aunt Lisa's.

We also can't go without my traditional pumpkin stew! It was extra delish this year and a nice treat to have friends stop in and have a nice warm bowl of wholesome stew while the littles canvassed the cul-de-sac.

The Merrill kids and a trick-or-treating friend getting their good fill before junk fill.

The house is ready! While I took the kids throughout our neighborhood with other friends that joined us, too, John stayed home to pass out candy. Can't leave this guy alone for too long! I wish I had a picture, but he set up a chair on the porch and sat in it, hiding under a dark sheet, with the giant tray of candy on his lap. As a kid would go to take a candy bar (full-size here!), he would jump and pop out of the sheet wearing a huge black afro wig. He even got our own kids and totally had them screaming! It was hilarious. I think it's even funnier that he was setting up bishopric-type appointments (to extend callings), all while under the sheet. He's a multi-tasker!

We had a few visitors after the trick-or-treating madness. That's always fun when friends drop by and the kids can see each other's costumes. We attempted to go to the Graveyard, but the kids were way too scared to go in this year. Seeing the outside of it was more than enough, even though they initially begged to go!

Brooke, Anna Bolen and Madison

Stewart and Christian, always ready to be Jedi Knights, and little George-Yoda in the background.

Because of daylight savings, the kids were all up way too early on Sunday morning and had plenty of time to get into their candy before our 9:00 church. Madison did really well refraining because it was Fast Sunday.

Let the sorting/bartering/trading begin!!!

Christian made a self-portrait candy man.

We already miss our friends the Johnsons after one week in our new wards, so we had them over for Break the Fast breakfast dinner! Fun times! Cute little Gwen said church just wasn't the same without the Merrills! This will be an adjustment!

Next up for November: Faith in God Stake activity (mother/son luau), Stake Auxiliary training, Priesthood Preview dinner and program, John in NYC for 10 days, all the Primary Sacrament programs, the last games of soccer, Thanksgiving, and Great Grandma and Aunt Dale come to visit. It's going to be a great month!! What am I missing? Oh, time to start Christmas shopping! When?? Yikes!