Happy Halloween! Trick or Treat!

Another great year of ghouls, ghosts and goblins has pasted. Shayla had a great ghostly time and went to a couple events.

First we went to a costume parade at the Life Care Center. We met some friends there and got lots of candy. The kiddies would have gotten a lot more if we didn't stop them from going back to the same little old lady that came and sat in the lounge area where they got organized. She was offering candy to them over and over again, not realizing she had given them some already. Sad but comical when dealing with 2 year olds. 

Pumpkin Rowan, Kitty Miranda, Shayla the Ghost, Butterfly Gracie

Who needs Barney when you can have your very own pink dinosaur escort. At first Shayla was unsure, but she warmed up & made friends fast. Thanks to Jodie who also organized this event.

My good friend Nicole had her hands full too:

Part way through the parade the kids got to stop in the kitchen area for some cookies and juice..Whats a little more sugar.

These are yummy!

The staff and seniors were great. A fun time was had by all. Our next event was the Mall Halloween trick or treat. I think that was the busiest I have ever seen this mall. It's still nothing like having 500+ kids come through the door at Pearle in Southcenter but Shayla had fun.

A precious little ghost

Trick or treat!

Before we left we took part in the costume contest. What fun to see all the different costumes of all ages.

Was funny to see all the kids look for the picture.

Even saw our pink dinosaur friend & family

So much fun. The best part of Halloween was the finale. We went trick or treating with our friends. We met Miranda & her mom at Miranda's grandma's place and the girls were wired silly.

What a cute pair!

Off to Trick or Treat!!

Back at the house the girls helped hand out candy & had just as much fun. The kids coming to the door definitely hit the jackpot getting double treats!We even got a little photo op.

Precious

BOO1 Scared you!

Mom even snuck into one..or 2

Even stole a kiss from little ghost

I had a very tired but happy little ghost by the end of the day

Just resting

However she had just enough energy to dress the dog...

Two little ghosts

and be a little cheeky before bed!

Look at all this candy left for me, do I have 1 piece or 2.

Halloween was fun filled this year and we were glad Grandma & Grandpa were here to share it with us.

Pumpkin Carving

Pumpkin carving was a fun time this year. Since I am not that skilled at it and don't have a set of "pumpkin carving tools" I figured a simple old fashioned jack-o-lantern face would do. Easy enough right? My first mistake: was letting our wonderful neighbor Jo show Shayla her beautifully carved decorative dragonfly pumpkin. 

 Second mistake was how I asked her what she wanted on her pumpkin..I asked "what would you like on your pumpkin?" Instead of getting the response I was expecting "a happy face or a funny face" I got "a butterfly" and there was no changing her mind. Leave it to a toddler..So in a family effort we found several butterfly options, trying to make it as simple as possible..good luck making a pumpkin carved butterfly easy.. Daddy found a good template for us to use.

 

I like this one daddy

 Now the fun gooey part! Shayla had fun with this!

A little help from grandma!

Reach in:

What do I find ooey, gooey stringy stuff:

What fun we can have with this stuff:

How far do you think I can stretch it?

Daddy's turn next. Mommy will just cut herself if we let her try carve the pumpkin. So daddy gets out his handy carving tools..steak & paring knife and goes hard to work.

I'm taking notes dad

So much fun!

Finally a glowing butterfly pumpkin!

Mom even got her happy face pumpkin x 2!

Next year's plan is to actually invest in a pumpkin carving set!

Fall Leaves

Fall is a such a beautiful time of year which means our new annual ritual of playing in the leaves has begun! First we convince Grandma & Grandpa to help rake them into a nice big pile. Come on we need to get our vitamin D for the day!

You missed some over here Grandpa

Then we choose the biggest pile and jump in!

This is so fun! We have so many leaves and that's not counting the trees in the back and  just wait until all those new trees mom & dad planted this year grow big........

 

This is kinda relaxing

It's even more fun to throw the leaves around and watch everyone re-rake them!

We even had fun watching the Pileated Woodpecker make a hole in the tree at the back. What a noisy fella. It's even noisier when the dogs think they should chase after him.

 Such a vibrant red color 

Don't bother me, can't you see I'm busy

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful autumn day!

Playtime at the Park

Shayla loves to play with her friends. She especially loves when we get to meet them at the park on the beach. What a great time we had on a beautiful, sunny fall day.

Gotta go. I have energy to burn!

She is part monkey, she enjoys climbing and going through the tunnels.

I can get to the top this way!

Hurray! I'll meet you on the other side!

Her friend Isaiah had the right idea, the tunnels are for hiding out & relaxing.

Just a little snooze.

 They all love the swirly slide, even more fun going down all together!

 

What a cute bunch!

Look out down there here I come!

Mikyah loves her new look!

Watcha doin' under here?

All the kids had a blast, the moms had a good visit and a nice break.Such a great place to relax, have fun and enjoy the view!