Halloween

Like thousands of other bloggers around the country I am doing a blog post today on Halloween and how cute my darling was. Our first task of the day was carving the pumpkin. I had read in this post about reading the "Pumpkin Patch Parable" while carving and discussing it. I have had that book since Jake was little and read it to him many, many times but never thought to put it with carving the pumpkin. What a great idea and great tradition to start. I didn't go into the spiritual significance of each item in the book this year but hope I started a tradition that will give me the opportunity next year to bring up a few points from the book.

Since Halloween landed on a Saturday this year I thought it would be a piece of cake to find some sort of Halloween carnival/festival for us to attend. I knew vaguely of one going on in the area but couldn't find any details online about it or any others. We ended up deciding to go over to the arboretum near my parents house where they were doing a few activities. It wasn't quite what I was looking for but we had a fun time anyway. I had never walked down to the learning center building they have there so all the activities we did were new. They have a "please touch" green house full of fun plants to see and touch which Isabelle thoroughly enjoyed. She played with all the displays. And we were able to decorate a pumpkin with veggies. While they were fun for decorating she reiterated her objection to eating vegetables a couple times just in case we got any ideas. The gift shop also passed out apples to everyone in costume. We tried to get some good pictures of her in front of all the pumpkins but she would not sit still. Too excited about the day.

Then it was back home for trick or treating.

She and John went around the neighborhood getting candy and socializing while I enjoyed a few moments home alone reading a pile of fall magazines my mom had finished and passed on to me.

Jake on the other and passed a new milestone. He did not put a costume together. He hasn't really trick or treated for a couple years but has gone to parties or something requiring a costume. This year he had play rehearsal all day and then just wandered over to a friends afterward to hand out. Actually he did end up getting in costume as he was recruited to pass out candy while everyone else was preparing for the parents Halloween party, he created an impromptu ninja costume with a black shirt over his head and a sword. Then downstairs to watch movies and hang with the friends. And although he didn't personally trick or treat he did manage to eat more than half of his sisters candy yesterday when left alone too long with the candy bucket. Good thing she isn't old enough to notice yet!

All in all it was a nice weekend spent with John and Isabelle (Jake was also gone Friday night and then spent most of Sunday doing homework). I felt like I was able to relax a little (I finished a book), get the house picked up so that I can start Monday on the right foot, and even think ahead a little about my life and goals. Good stuff.