Halloween

What can I say... Halloween was a blast. Lots of fun parties, lots of delicious junk food and candy, lots of dress-up time, plus perfect weather and beautiful leaves. What's not to love about this time of year!

If I can remember back that far, I think all of the festivities started the Saturday before Halloween at the Yardley Halloween parade and town party. Then it went something like this:

- Monday night Family Home Evening at Styer Orchards for a hayride and pumpkin picking. Then to Yardley Pizza for dinner.

- Thursday, a visit from NYC friend Doug who came bearing the most delicious cupcakes from NYC. Doug and Ella made cement stones for the garden. Then we took him to Styer Orchard to pick apples and most importantly, to pick his very first pumpkin. Then we forced him to carve it that night, something this guy has never done before in his life. (Sorry, Doug. I just had to tell a few more people). =-)

- On Friday, Ella had her pre-school Halloween classroom party. Afterwards all of the kids, in their costumes, when trick-or-treating in the Boro. This is the best part of the holiday. It's so much fun and makes me LOVE living in the Boro even more!

- Friday afternoon we went to JW Tumbles for their Halloween party.

- Friday night Ella's pre-school had a movie night. Families were invited and the kids came in PJs, munched popcorn and watched a cute Halloween movie.

- Friday night the kids were exhausted.

- Saturday we FINALLY carved our pumpkins. I can't believe we waited so long this year, but there was just too much rain to get the pumpkins any sooner. Oh well. They all turned out great, but Brooklyn would NOT touch the pumpkin at all, and it took a lot of coercion to get Ella to stick her hand in hers.

- Saturday night we headed out early while there was still light outside. We were the first trick-or-treaters on Main Street, which means we got the best stuff. We went to about 10 houses and called it good. Ella and Brooklyn both loved knocking on doors and getting the goods. Of course Brooklyn wanted to eat it all the minute it hit her hand. What's a mom to do?!

I guess that was it. Now we're on to Thanksgiving, another great holiday! I'm looking forward to turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, pie, etc. Does anyone reading this want to come cook it all for me?

On the hayride to pick pumpkins. We love doing this every year.
Trying to find the perfect pumpkin. Ella usually takes all day, which is why it was kinda nice doing it at night. We had very little time before it got dark.
Good ole Doug. I torture this poor guy whenever he comes to visit me. Carving his first pumpkin may have put him over the edge. He's such a good sport.
Ella's best buds. Yes, that is a cemetery in background. How fitting for Halloween.
Ella's best bud.
This year, Ella designed her own pumpkin face and Ryan carved it out. She wanted hearts for the eyes and nose. Ryan tried, but hearts are pretty hard to do with a kitchen knife. Next year I might have to buy him a carving kit.
Aren't they great? Mine, Ella's, Ryan's and Brooklyn's.
Little Miss Brooklyn would only wear her fairy/angel (we're not really sure what she was) costume if Ryan put it on her. Weird, huh? I tried all week long and all I got were massive screams and endless crying. Ryan on the other hand got smiles, laughter and spins. Not fair.
Ella loved her costume. She was a Fairy Queen, in case you couldn't tell, and pulled together everything she's wearing from stuff we had around the house (ya, that was easy). She decided, after a year of wanting to be a ghost, that she wanted to be a Fairy Queen instead like Ann Estelle in the Mary Englebrite book, "The Queen of Halloween." This is EXACTLY the same pose Ann Estelle does in the book when she gets in her costume. You can't tell in the picture, but Ella is also saying tra la la, just like Ann Estelle, too.
We love Halloween!