Halloween

We had a great Halloween. We went on the Crawford Farms (our neighborhood) hayride. They also had some hay out for us to take pictures on. Then we visited Gavin’s teacher, Mrs. Logsdon. She had a special treat for Gavin. Then Sam took the kids trick-or-treating on our street. I stayed home to pass out popcorn balls.

Carter was a dinosaur. I made the costume for Gavin but Gavin hated it and would cry every time I made him wear it. Carter loved it and would even growl for the neighbors. Renée was a fairy. The costume might look familiar because she wore it two years ago when she was one! She brought it out when I got out the Halloween bins. It fit, so I let her wear it. We did have to add the leggings or it would have been way to short. Renée screamed and threw a fit while I was doing her hair because she didn’t want it to be curly. Then when her hair was finished, she loved it. I even let her wear glitter and makeup! Gavin was batman. I don’t know how I missed getting his picture by himself.

The candy was all from our street. We must have nice neighbors. We let them eat as much as they wanted when they got back and they had a great time. Carter bit into several things and let them on the table.

Nursery Rhyme Parade

Gavin got to be in the Nursery Rhyme parade at school. They don’t just let them dress up for Halloween, they had to be something from a nursery rhyme. Gavin was the spider from Little Miss Muffit. Mandy gave me the idea to just pin balloons to him, but they didn’t come in black, so I had to stuff them in pantyhose. Sam tide them together so they would stick out when he raised his arms. He wore the suit from his batman costume because it was the only all black thing he had. Isn’t he the cutest spider you ever saw?

Maryn's Shower

I hosted a baby shower for my friend Maryn. I served cheesecake Sundays and punch. Susan and I made this diaper cake because I wanted it for a decoration and Susan was nice enough to give the diapers as her gift and help me. We had a great time and Maryn was given some really cute things for baby McKay, who will be born on Wednesday.

Running Club

Both Gavin and Renée participate in Running Club, which is an after school program and Eagle Ridge Elementary. The kids do laps in a field and each time they do a lap they get a mark on their hand. 6 laps make a mile and they both completed 10 laps last time. We meet on Thursdays and because Gavin is in kindergarten I have to be there with him. Carter rides in the stroller, but the field is bumpy, so I can’t do more that walk briskly, which is kind like running for Renée. I never thought that my kids would volunteer to run but Gavin loves it. I think it is because he has watched me do so many races.

Political Talk

Gavin: “Who do you want for President?”
Sam: “I’m not really sure.”
Gavin: “I like Bama.”
Renée: “I like princess and fairies.”
Gavin: “You want a fairy for president!”

Homework Time

Sam was helping Gavin with his homework. I guess Renée felt left out.

Yummy Bread

Now that Carter figured out that he can move around the kitchen chairs to reach things, my life has gotten a bit harder and messier. He likes to take all the silverware out of the drawers or get into whatever is on the counters. This time it was bread. I didn’t see him do it but noticed a Carter sized bite mark and found him munching.

Pumpkin Carving

We carved pumpkins for Family Home Evening. Gavin wanted a bat on his pumpkin, so I helped him with that. Renée wanted a horse on hers. (I know you are shocked.) Sam helped Renée and even made horse on the back to reflect light onto our house. Carter ran around beating pumpkins with his spoon and making a mess. After the kids went to bed, Sam carved two more pumpkins. I was upstairs making a diaper cake with Susan when I heard the drill going. I guess he enjoyed himself.

Primary Program

Today was the Primary Program. Both Renée and Gavin did a great job. Renée’s part was, “My name is Renée and I am a child of God.” Gavin’s was, “I can pray to him.” Gavin also gave his first talk in Primary.

Carving with our Neighbors

Our neighbors had a block Halloween party. Gavin wanted the pirate symbol, so I ended up being the last one carving. We had a great time although my kids were still tired from camping. Renée just laid down on a chair. This is Gavin with one of his best friends from school, Grant.

A Camping We Did Go

We took our first camping trip since we had children to Lake Ray Roberts, which is about an hour away. It was the ward campout and since I am not nursing or pregnant we thought we would try it again. Carter is two now, so how bad could it be? The kids loved the experience and were so excited to be there. Sam and I weren’t so excited for several reasons.

#1 We only car camp where you pull up to your spot and can throw all your gear out the car. We pulled up to our camp and had to hike in about a quarter of a mile. A quarter mile doesn’t seem like it is that far until you have to hull all your stuff including your kids.

#2 We got a great new tent that has a divider to separate the tent into two rooms. That sounds nice except that Renée and Carter ended up in the sleeping bags that Sam zipped together for the two of us. Carter never sleeps with us, but we were afraid he was going to wake up the whole campground. Then it was like sleeping with a wild animal. Sam and I didn’t get any sleep!

I thought I would have more numbers but the two together were pretty rough. We did enjoy sharing our site with the Thurmans. They got in late and brought a wagon, because I called and told them how horrible the campsite was. We had a great time sitting around the fire, making smores, and talking (after the kids went to bed). I guess we were a little loud because the park police came and told us to quiet down.

The next morning we made a great breakfast. I even made eggs over the fire. I guess those summers of girls camp came in handy. Will we go again? Probably, but we are going to bring Dymetapp for Carter.