Halloween Fun!

Halloween is quite the affair around our house.  It isn't because we are huge "Halloween people", but there just seems to be a ton of things going on around this time, and we celebrate it in 100 different ways.  It's always a great time for the kids, but Mom is generally never sorry to see November 1...  

Here is a look at some of our festivities from Halloween 2013:

Prepping for Hannah's school pumpkin contest

This year she chose to decorate her pumpkin as Lightning McQueen

Incidentally, do you know how hard it is to turn a pumpkin into a racecar?

Next to the competition (and no, we didn't win - we never win, but it isn't for lack of trying)

Megan's annual two seconds spent helping to clean out the pumpkins - gee, thanks Meg!

This year they wanted Lalaloopsy pumpkins, which happened to match their costumes (coincidence?  not when left in the hands of this Momma)

Annual Halloween get-together with Haley & Mikayla

...and "the sisters" in their matching Halloween vests

Jewel Sparkles is ready to trick-or-treat!

No, like she is reeeeally ready

Jewel Sparkles and Pillow Featherbed

The wigs turned out to be a major pain in the rear AND it was raining, so we ditched them and got on with our business

Our neighbors spooky garage - Megan is still talking about this months later

Love Pillow's pajama costume - perfect for our Hannah

Trick-or-treating with her little boyfriend, Nico

Sorting the loot - very important to keep an eye on Daddy during this process

Hannah quickly figured out it was a lot less effort to just steal candy right from OUR bowl

Halloween Party - First-Grade Style

 

We have lots of good things to say about Megan's school, but one of my non-academic favorites is the fact that they throw a great Halloween party - and not one of those lame-o "Harvest" Parties, but a good ol-fashioned Halloween party.  They do it up right, complete with classroom parties and a schoolwide Halloween parade.

 

Parading

In line with the rest of her class
 

Even the princpal got into it, dressing up as Princess Fiona from Shrek

Time to party in her classroom
 

Enjoying a snack and a Halloween wordsearch

A happy Halloweener

Mummified Hershey bars were in their favor bags

They each got a candy-filled jack-o-lantern at their desk

Ghost bananas and strawberries

They got to play a game where they "fished" for a book - there was a brand-new Halloween book for everyone to take home.  Lucky kids!

Pumpkin Patch

The time has arrived for our annual visit to Schwallier's Country Basket, our favorite pumpkin patch in town.  We pushed this off to one of the last possible weekends before Halloween, and found them to be fresh out of decent pumpkins. Nevertheless, we had our fall fun there and picked up some pumpkins at a roadside stand on the way home.

Pumpkin patch!

Assessing the possibilities

Hmmm...where did all the good pumpkins go?

The famous corn kernel sandbox

This girl could live here

Time for Hay Bale Mountain

Rubber ducky water race

Petting the mama goat

...and the baby goat

Lovin' on baby goat

Donut time

Included for no other reason than I find them to be an adorable couple

Don't forget Little Miss and her donut

Another year of pumpkin patch tradition in the books

There's an explanation for this...

...though I have long since forgotten what it is (despite the fact that it occurred just a few hours ago).

The moral of this story is that If You Give a Hannah a Cupcake...she will immediately eat it (with a spoon???)...even if she is naked as a jaybird and fresh out of the bath.

Crazy, random facial expressions are part of everyday life with our silly girl.