We enjoyed our usual Halloween festivities this year:
CARVING PUMPKINS
We were supposed to have a joint-family pumpkin carving at Grandpa Dennis and Grandma Susan's this year, but some of us had to catch a stomach bug and kindly share it with every member of the family.
It started with Winnie on the morning of Saturday, October 25. She barfed a couple times that morning. Then she was finished. She hadn't lost her lunch in 24 hours, so we figured we were safe to take her to church. We enjoyed our Primary's program (more on that later), went to classes and came home. Sunday night, Miriam started barfing. I felt barfy, but because of my irrational fear of throwing up, I managed to keep my stomach contents intact. Analee woke us up early the next morning to let us know she had thrown up in bed. The three of us spent a couple of days at home getting better.
We thought the two unscathed family were in the clear, but just when the rest of us were feeling pretty good, Bekah called me from school to let me know she needed to be picked up, and Seth IMed me from work to say that he'd been bowing to the porcelain throne at work. Gratefully, we all got it out of our systems before Halloween, but we were uninvited from the pumpkin carving before then. So we got the pumpkins Grandma and Grandpa had gotten for us and carved them at home.
Winnie decorated her pumpkin with Sharpies.
Rebekah carved her pumpkin by herself. She did, however, need some help getting the guts out.
Analee was a goober while Seth cleaned out/carved their pumpkin.
The girls behind their respective pumpkins.
Silly shot.
Some jack-o-lantern light art, and the girls' creations. Analee's is the won with the stitched up mouth. Miriam's is the girl. Rebekah's is the one with the silly face and the "Elvis hair."
HALLOWEEN PARTY
My awesome friend, Robyn, always hosts an awesome Halloween party. We're fortunate enough to be on the guest list. Seth stayed home with Winnie since we'd be out past her bedtime. The older girls and I had a blast.
Our group photo. Analee as a black bird. (Grandma Scott made the cloak years ago; Aunt Jessica fixed it up for Analee's wings. She also made the beak; it actually opened and closed as Analee talked.) Andrea as Kermit. Miriam as Sofia the First. (Aunt Jessica made her amulet.) Rebekah as a Newsie.
Rebekah with the whistle she won.
Analee with the cupcake she decorated.
Miriam with her treat bag and whistle.
The monster cupcake Analee decorated for me.
LIBRARY PARADE
Halloween morning, the big girls wore their costumes to school, and I took the little ones to the library for their story time/costume parade.
It's been years since we've done their daytime parade (between afternoon kindergartens and babies' morning nap schedules, I don't think we've gone since we only had two kids). I don't remember it being this big. Miriam and the Elsa right next to her ended up being best buddies by the end of the story.
On the library steps after the parade.
TRICK-OR-TREATING
After the big girls got home from school, I took them around to the family in the area. Then we came home, ate dinner, and sent them out (Bekah and Ana went by themselves for the first time; Seth took Miriam) to go trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.
Costume posing on the front porch and in the yard.
First stop: Grandpa Wirkus' house. He prepared an entire basket for us to take with us.
He also gave each of the girls a wooden canister he had carved out on the lathe years ago.
Second stop: Aunt Rachel's. We found Grandpa Dennis there as well; he asked us to hang around for a bit until Grandma Susan got there. The kids were happy to oblige since Netflix was on. Grandma supplied the candy after her arrival.
Bekah talks to Hudson while Grandpa holds him.
Third stop: Old Grandma's.
Uncle Doug let us in, and we played with toys until Grandma came back
from grocery shopping. Even though Uncle Doug had already given the
girls full-sized candy bars/granola bars, Grandma made us take even more
candy.
Gwendolen with the treat bag Grandma prepared.
To see more Halloweeny pictures, start here.