I know I should be thinking of Thanksgiving and I am. I've already got my 20 pound turkey in the freezer.
However on... October 22nd, Sunday, our thoughts were on Halloween.
We were out the door at 7:45 for the 6K Trick or Treat Trot near Lake Michigan. Kids would be running a quarter mile. Although Art did get the t-shirt for the race because he'd registered before we came, he would not be running. Tif's friend, Jane would be running with Tiffany.
We weren't sure if our six year old granddaughter, KC would balk at running by herself. She'd done a couple of races before, but it was always with mom at her side encouraging her.
No problem.
She did great.
It was then time for Tif and Jane to run and KC could cheer them on.
KC was dressed as a princess (of course), Jane was dressed as Waldo (Where's Waldo) and Tiffany .... um... a witch fairy ballerina?
After the race, we drove home for Tif to shower and pick up our son-in-law who was resting after a very busy week of work with little sleep.
We drove to the mall where lots of booths and exhibits were set up for children.
KC got her face painted, learned about herbs and plants, trick or treated at stores, jumped around in the pumpkin balloon, got a free pumpkin, made a bird feeder, and did lots more activities.
After lunch Tiffany decided everybody should decorate the bushes with spider webs and little spiders. I have to tell you that Art and I were amazed at the energy level of our daughter.
After dinner Tif and Ed showed us this pumpkin carving kit they'd bought the year before from Target.
The kit even contained a stencil.
The little carving tools really made cutting into the pumpkin a LOT easier than using a kitchen knife like we did when the kids were little.
Art decided to forgo the stencil and created his own design. I wanted to try one just to see what it would be like.
Tif and Art had bought these HUGE, really GIGANTIC pumpkins for just $3.99 a piece at the veggie market. They almost bought five, but it wouldn't fit in the car.
We saved the seeds to try roasting them.
Tif also had little electric lights that she put into the pumpkins so they would be perfect for trick or treaters to see. The pumpkins were set out on Halloween because we knew the squirrels would be dining on them right away.
All in all, it was the perfect start to our Halloween season!
However on... October 22nd, Sunday, our thoughts were on Halloween.
We were out the door at 7:45 for the 6K Trick or Treat Trot near Lake Michigan. Kids would be running a quarter mile. Although Art did get the t-shirt for the race because he'd registered before we came, he would not be running. Tif's friend, Jane would be running with Tiffany.
We weren't sure if our six year old granddaughter, KC would balk at running by herself. She'd done a couple of races before, but it was always with mom at her side encouraging her.
No problem.
She did great.
It was then time for Tif and Jane to run and KC could cheer them on.
KC was dressed as a princess (of course), Jane was dressed as Waldo (Where's Waldo) and Tiffany .... um... a witch fairy ballerina?
After the race, we drove home for Tif to shower and pick up our son-in-law who was resting after a very busy week of work with little sleep.
We drove to the mall where lots of booths and exhibits were set up for children.
KC got her face painted, learned about herbs and plants, trick or treated at stores, jumped around in the pumpkin balloon, got a free pumpkin, made a bird feeder, and did lots more activities.
After lunch Tiffany decided everybody should decorate the bushes with spider webs and little spiders. I have to tell you that Art and I were amazed at the energy level of our daughter.
After dinner Tif and Ed showed us this pumpkin carving kit they'd bought the year before from Target.
The kit even contained a stencil.
The little carving tools really made cutting into the pumpkin a LOT easier than using a kitchen knife like we did when the kids were little.
Art decided to forgo the stencil and created his own design. I wanted to try one just to see what it would be like.
Tif and Art had bought these HUGE, really GIGANTIC pumpkins for just $3.99 a piece at the veggie market. They almost bought five, but it wouldn't fit in the car.
We saved the seeds to try roasting them.
Tif also had little electric lights that she put into the pumpkins so they would be perfect for trick or treaters to see. The pumpkins were set out on Halloween because we knew the squirrels would be dining on them right away.
All in all, it was the perfect start to our Halloween season!
How wonderful to see such talent! KC looks so sweet, she's growing up so fast, Kay. And the pumpkins turned out great! :-)
ReplyDeletebeautiful pumpkins and such a beautiful family, you are an inspiration,
ReplyDeletehow fun, tools to help you carve-good idea!
ReplyDeleteI love the picture of KC taking a pic of all the adults carving pumpkins.
ReplyDeleteI love this kind of family fun, and it's great to see your jack-o-lanterns now after all of ours are long gone. They are wonderful!
ReplyDeleteDoes KC ever get tired? What a celebration! Excellent pumpkin family. I think TIf's energy is genetic. You and Art complete a ton of projects on your house, remember? I still have my carving kit from years ago. They're much safer and are easier to carve more details. And how does Tif, the wicked running fairy, resolve all of the candy collected? Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteDrumMajor
It's true about KC. She had a ton more energy than me. It was pretty incredible. The funny thing is KC doesn't much care for candy. She has a few she likes, but she gives her daddy the Kit Kats. The rest of the candy gets recycled elsewhere.
DeleteOur kids carved fancy pumpkins to light up the night, too. I can attest that at seventy I'm over it. Pumpkin carving, that is.
ReplyDeleteoh what fun!
ReplyDeleteOh what a great time you and your family had. That is what Halloween is all about.. SO much fun!!!!! Love your pumpkin decorations. CUTE!!!!! (I remember those days when the kids were little and we decorated a pumpkin every year.)
ReplyDeleteThe Trick or Tweet Trot looked like so much fun ---and that exercise is always so good for us!!!!!
Love your 'spider webs' too…. Oh --I just love this post…
Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
Hugs,
Betsy
Thank you, Betsy. We haven't celebrated Halloween this way in 6 years so it was really loads of fun.
DeleteSuper good job with the jack-o-lanterns. I have never been good with that sort of thing and just leave our pumpkin whole. Yours made for great decorations for the trick or treaters.
ReplyDeleteThose pumpkins are really awesome. Well done by the whole clan. That looks like fun. Maybe next year.
ReplyDeleteI can't decided who had the best pumpkin
ReplyDeleteAround here rabbits and squirrels like pumpkin. I like your Jack'O'Lantern best.
ReplyDeleteDid you know pumpkins come from the Americas and decorating them is an American thing? Apparently, the Europeans used turnips to make 'lanterns', but that seems difficult to me. They tied them to the ends of poles and on All Souls Day (the pagan Samhain) when they made their way to the graveyard to visit the dead, you could see the little lights bobbing around the cemetery. Must have been spooky!!
No, I didn't know that. So pumpkins and turkeys came from the "new world"?
DeleteAnd how do you hollow out a turnip?
DeleteThis is a great Halloween post Kay. Your pumpkins looked great!
ReplyDeleteAmazing creations.
ReplyDelete