TRICK-OR-TREAT, SMELL MY FEET...

We joined the Hancocks again this year for a hayride (without the hay) trick-or-treat adventure around the Camelot/Lakeside neighborhood. It was less busy than I remembered (but maybe last year's trip up to Chambers street just gave me a different perspective), but there were still a good number of trailers packed with kids, plenty of trick-or-treaters (including a few friends they bumped into throughout the night), and more than enough candy...

 (There was no stopping this song - they were almost unbelievably hyper as we trucked it up to the trick-or-treating neighborhood, but obviously they'd had a good amount of sugar already at their school Halloween parties...)

 (We had a pretty sunset)

 Not a lot of big decorations out this year, but this particular house always does it up a bit!

SCHOOL HALLOWEEN PARTIES

I volunteered to help with both kids' school Halloween parties, so I took a couple hours of leave today (after our own work Halloween party) and went over to the school to help lead a craft and serve treats. ALL the kids were pumped and couldn't wait to get out of there to go have fun trick-or-treating, but I was still really impressed with their behavior. (And since I helped more in Cora's class and visited more in James', I really had a chance to see how his class works, which was fun.)

James' class did a LOT of crafts! We got through one in Cora's class - a popsicle stick "ghost window" that turned out pretty cute (and I especially liked that some kids wanted to do things their own way, like cartoon character ghosts instead of tracing their hands, or ghosts drawn on OUTSIDE the window while they used their paper to creative an indoor scene).

 When we got home from school, the kids knocked out their homework outside (because it was "too nice to work inside" according to Cora) before we got changed and headed out to trick-or-treat.

WE SURVIVED!

My friend Dawn and I attended Valhalla's Frightmare tonight. (It's a haunted house here in town put on by the Warren Central High School "Big Blue" band students as their big fundraiser of the year.) She used to work the Haunted Trail in Natchez and loves all things scary, so she was my shield. Freddy followed us throughout every twist and turn, so he owed me a picture at the end!

ART ROCKS!

The kids got to work on their "You Be You" rocks in art this week, which they've been excitedly waiting for since before school even started (they were asked to bring their smooth rock to Back to School Night in anticipation of this project). Every student at Bowmar will be painting a rock to add to a rock garden at the school that will demonstrate the uniqueness of each student.

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

Dr. Seuss

TWO HAPPY PUMPKINS

We didn't forget to carve the pumpkins, but it was last minute and a pretty much solo effort for the kids. They did a good job (and we ate all the pumpkin seeds within 2 days...)

CURRY FARMS 2017

We were all tired from yesterday's party, but there was no other day to make it to Curry Farms this month, so today was the day! A little extra coffee and a little extra incentive (buying fish in Monroe afterward for Jay's reconstructed tank), and we were off. The weather was beautiful (and cool!) and we all had a nice time playing at the farm.

Starting things off with a hay ride and the corn maze (shaped this year like a heart, with the center filled with Zinnia and Sunflowers):

 Then it was time to let the kids run wild around the hay barn, tire climb, slides, swings, bounce pillow, duck race, spiderweb rope climb, rat races, pedal cars, the corn bin, and more...

 (He bounced up from that tumble and said "Oh man mama, you have GOT to put that on Facebook!" And then he tried again. And again.)

 There were baby goats at the La GoataInn this year, and Jay couldn't have been happier! That is, until they jumped out of the fence and he had the chance to pet them and hold them. His smile was SO BIG. Someday I might have to cave and get him one of his very own...

Before we went to pick out pumpkins, I asked the kids to pose for a few pictures by the Christmas trees, and I love them all!

HALLOWEEN BASH 2017

A view of some of the decor before the party...

 Getting in the Halloween spirit with new skeleton pajamas:

 A firepit upgrade worthy of the side deck and some extra seating and fancy lights:

 Party candids:

 Scavenger Hunt instructions by Grunkle Stan (which was a hit again this year - we used 12 little pumpkins filled with clues, their faces painted with glow paint so the kids could use blacklights to find them in the dark):

Elle, Cara Beth, and Cora during the hunt:

 Time for the costume awards!

Bad Hatter and The Red Queen (winners of Kid Queen and Most Original)

A Fermenting Family (winner of Highest Creation Effort)

Moonrise Kingdom (winner of Most Obscure - Christine had to change out of her pink dress earlier in the night because the temp had dropped into the mid-30s!)

That 50s Family (winner of Best Theme)

Dawn and her girls, who had retreated to the warmth of the couch

 Late night Hammerschlagen!

Documenting our fancy headgear before Christina had to skeedaddle!

Moving the Rowe's propane heater over to the side deck firepit for the last-standers. We were outside until 11:30pm with the Delta Brews members talking and sampling the special brews everyone brought to share (we had already killed the Oktoberfest keg and gone through about half the Chai Stout keg!)

And now for the Green Screen fun! Unfortunately, the auto focus was turned off early in the evening. Next year we'll use a point-and-shoot, we think. So not high resolution, but still awesome!

(These first two are from my phone camera and the Green Screen app)

 Gravity Falls: Grunkle Stan, Mabel, Dipper, and Bill Cypher

Alice in Wonderland: The Red Queen, the Bad Hatter, a gargoyle, and the Mad Hatter - the Whittington family

 Biker Babe(s) - Lisa and Fred

 George and the Pre Visla of Deathwatch/Mandalore - Jamie and James

 A Ghostly Forest: LED stick woman, knight, and a friendly ghost - Alison and her boys, Henry and Garrett

 Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach - The Britton family

 Moonrise Kingdom (Suzy and Sam) - Christine and Lawrence

 Frozen: Olaf and Anna - Rohan and Keri

 Wendy and Captain Hook, and a pirate, dancer, and Cub Scout - The Rice family

 Rainbow Dash - Candice

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? Daphne, Scooby, Shaggy, and Velma - The Hearn family

The Fermenting Family - The Marshals

 (and the Special Reserve)

 That 50s Family - The Sherwins

 The Original Monsters: a Mad Scientist, a vampire, a witch, and an assassin - The Rowes

 Trolls! Including Princess Poppy and Guy Diamond (and a ninja) - The Kennedys

 The Twin Velmas - Velma Cara Beth and Velma Heather with Sammy the Scooby

 Zombie Elle!