Halloween Carnival Fun

Our playgroup hosted a HUGE Halloween carnival today, 10/23/08, and we had a blast! D and I had been planning out every detail for almost 2 months now and it went off so smoothly we couldn’t have asked for anything better. All the moms participated by helping set up, clean up and with donations. I was able to talk to the mall and got goodie bags from the Kidgits Club and Build a Bear. We ordered pizza for everyone and had 7 tables set up with stuff and then extra games and such all over the place. All the kids got prizes for EVERYTHING they did.

We had face painting, costume photos with hay and a scarecrow and pumpkins then placed on decorated frames, cupcake and cookie decorating, goodie bag decorating, coloring pages and ghost making, mini pumpkin painting, potato sack races, ring toss, bean bag toss, monster mash music game, mummy wrap (this is toilet papering each other), a costume contest, and trick or treating.

The kids had a BLAST and got to run around and gather goodies at every turn. The parents got to enjoy watching their child’s and their friends’ child’s faces light up with excitement with each new thing.

Storm Trooper Z

Decorating his goodie bag

pumpkin painting

Face painting - great job Ms. M!

Orange balloon brings such a big smile.

Now check out the ghost!

Mummy wrapped Z

Breaking out!

Trick or treat!

This is so easy and fun!

Fang face!

Again to pumpkin patch #2 so that makes it really #3 for the year.

SInce we had such a great time at the pumpkin patch near the house on 10/18/08, so we called a couple friends to meet us there again the very next day. So this time we joined D, J, and A as well as C, and J there. We had such a nice time. The kids played really well together and they also danced their tails off! Thanks for joining us!

Z and Mom

Even though Mom said no more pumpkins, I can still dream big!

Mom, C and D.

Shake it!

Z, A and J.

Pumpkin Patch #2

10/18/08 – Today we had plans to get together with Z’s cousins and Grandma C and spend the day carving pumpkins and playing with icing on cookies. So after everyone got to the house, we loaded up the car and went to a local pumpkin patch to pick up some pumpkins for carving. We sure had a nice relaxing time there! It wasn’t crowded and all the activities were FREE! They had a hay ride, face painting, family photos, games, a maze, a bounce house, live entertainment, a concession stand, and a pumpkin patch. We stayed a good hour and enjoyed just about everything there. We even got to see Z’s school teacher there since she was a volunteer. She even painted Z’s face. He was thrilled to see her there.

After we got pumpkins, I took a detour to the grocery store to pick up stuff for decorating cookies. We didn’t have time to bake them like I had hoped. Once we got home, we carved pumpkins and then went to dinner at a local Mexican Restaurant – YUMMY! Then back to the house for some cookie decorating and a chance to play some air hockey.

Daddy, Grandma C, Uncle R

Z, Dad, cousins, Uncle R, and Grandma C.

Ms. T facepainting a pumpkin for Z

Checking out the spider and pumpkin in the mirror

Great picture with Dad

Ms T and Z

Great picture with Mom

Mom and Z did this pumpkin. Took less than 5 minutes!

Z carving a pumpkin.

Grandma C and C

Dad being goofy!

Pumpkin made with Dad

Grandma C and Z

Cool headband from the Boo Bag C and C left on our front doorstep

Time for cookie decorating.

YUMMY!

Fun time playing air hockey!

School Picture Day

Well, I am a bit behind in my posting so I am going to try to catch you up really fast.

Z’s school had picture day on 10/17/08 and before he left for school, I took this photo. I can’t wait to get his school pictures back! He is just so grown up looking now!

Taken next to the scarecrow we made at the pumpkin patch last week.

Building with Dad

We have done a couple family night out activities at Chick-Fil-A and really enjoyed the one tonight. The kids got to build with real adult tools. They had to have their parent help them with whatever they chose to build. Z chose a ‘memory box’ to build. It was cute watching his stick out his tongue with the hammering of each nail. The end result was fabulous and we had a nice dinner with our friends D and A.

I am so excited to use a real hammer!

Watch your finger Dad!

Check out the tongue!

You have to blow the dust off after you sand the wood.

They were so proud to finish this together!

Pumpkin Patch Here We Come!

On 10-13-08 our playgroup took a trip to Sweetberry Farms and for some time with good friends and pumpkins. What fun we had! We got to pick out lots of pumpkins, paint pumpkins, ride a horse, take a super long hay ride, feed the goats, go through the corn maze, eat ice-cream, and stuff a HUGE scarecrow. And not to mention all the photo opportunities along the way! We had a great day, even though it did rain for a little bit. No worries though, we spent that time under trees eating our picnic lunches! We were at the farm from 10:30am to 3:30pm. WOW, what a day!

Pose for mom

Being silly.

This is the pumpkin I want mom!

Mini tractor

Picking the perfect pumpkin to paint.

Here we are all painting our pumpkins.

 

My artwork!

Z and M during lunchtime.

Z and Mom before getting on the horse.

Waving for my annoying mother with the camera!

Going on a hay ride. That is Z with R and D.

This is our whole group on the LONG hayride!

AKA...corn maze.

Eat the food not my hand!

Picking out the clothes for the scarecrow.

Stuffing the scarecrow head.

Playing in the hay with J and A.

HOLY COW! This thing is bigger than me!

Checking out the creek

Hubby, Z and I went to the park with our friends D and A on 10-12-08. We brought fishing nets for the kids to catch stuff in the creek there. Those kids, and hubby, had a blast while us moms sat on a blanket watching. The thing most caught was “horse apples” that they would throw in the water then fish out. However, hubby caught a craw-fish with one pincher. The kids left that place dirty, muddy, and smelling nasty! But it was all in a fun afternoon at the park! We finished off the evening with both our families eating at a local Mexican Restaurant. YUMMY!

Scooping up a horse apple

I am going to get it one way or another!

Going for who knows what this time!

Do a little dance.....be a little goofy....

All of them exploring.

And this is a grass hopper I caught in the bug vac.

Daddy with the craw-fish. Watch out he pinches.

He was HUGE! Good thing he only had one pincher.

Parent Wise Magazine Celeb!

I had submitted 5 pictures to a local magazine and Z was selected as one of the photos on the back of the magazine they call “The Fridge”. He was so proud of this! He couldn’t wait to take the magazine to school to show his teachers. Can you pick out which one he is? Hint: the boy in red with his tools and I have posted the picture in a previous blog entry.

 

Picture People

I took Z to Picture People at the Mall and planned on getting mainly pictures in one of his costumes but I did bring a change of clothes. So of course, I got caught up in the moment and before I knew it we had 36 pictures to choose from. Here are just a few for you to enjoy!

Ready for Halloween!

Z is so looking forward to Halloween this year! He is pretty set on going as a “storm trooper” from Star Wars, but that may change as we get closer to Halloween. We have decorated the house with some fun stuff. I have purchased some cool Halloween cookies and platters. We have a HUGE Halloween Carnival planned for our neighborhood playgroup and we are headed to the pumpkin patch a few times this month. We are going to carve pumpkins next weekend. And I have even purchased a couple Halloween t-shirts for myself. Speaking of t-shirts, Z has a ZILLION of them that I bought super cheap last year and I have gotten them all washed and ready to go!

Here are a couple fun pictures we took before school on Friday.

Yes, this jacket glows in the dark!

Seriously, we can not take pictures without Z sticking out his tongue!