Pumpkin Carving

Mitch is seriously just the best dad of girls. He just does and does, and goes with the flow. Whether its dance, tumbling piano, Fairy Tale Ball. Halloween is no exception. He indulges them so much. I said lets just get one pumpkin. They are a lot of work to clean and carve. But, no, he wouldn't have it. They each got their own. And the each got to pick their own design as well. Hattie had picked out some rubber sticky mice, so hers was simple. Just some circles for the mice to go in and out. Leah chose the witch, and Bug chose the cat. When those were done he even roasted the pumpkin seeds. We are spoiled indeed. I will say though, that Halloween is way more fun as a parent...seeing the kids all dressed up and excited for the events. The month and holiday do not disappoint. Looking forward to another fun holiday this weekend.

Scarecrow for Sale

I guess every year Mt. Grade School makes scarecrows to sell, and the money that they raise is donated to one of the local causes. Leah was very excited about it. I found some old jewelry, some badanas, some scraps of felt and sent it to school with her. On the day of construction they had parents that volunteered to come in and sew and hot glue them together. I wasn't able to attend because I was working in Lincoln, but Leah's friend Ella's mother was there. She sent me these pictures. Leah, Ella Phares and Mark Mavis were on a team together. The called this scarecrow the Rock Star Scarecrow. Leah loved it, she wanted me to buy it for our porch. Laura Phares beat me to it, darn ;)

Boo at the Zoo

It seems we have a lot of traditions that take place in October...I'm not going to complain. It's probably the prettiest month to be in Illinois. This one is definitely a favorite. Every year, Scovill Zoo host Boo at the Zoo. They have the zoo decorated for Halloween. There are tons of carved pumpkins that line the path. There are displays around every corner. When you enter the park, you get a pack of tickets. You turn in your ticket at different check points to get your treat. The kids love it!  We were super excited to have my cousin David, his wife Sanya, and their 2 kids Ryan and Lia join us this year. The kids had a great time, and I definitely enjoyed catching up with some family.

The highlight for my girls is definitely the talking pumpkin. You can see Hattie at the table talking to it in one of the pictures. She thought it was a hoot. Oh and the carousel ride. This year even some of the carousel animals had on their costumes. Always a good time!

Fire Station #1

So if you didn't know...October is Fire Safety and Prevention Month. That means trips to the local fire station. Luckily for me, Kiersten and Hattie were visiting on the same day. I got to pull double duty as a chaperone. I went back and forth from class to class. Both girls were happy and I got it all done in one day!

The routine is the same every year. They slide down pole, they get to spray the Fire hose, they get to meet Sparky the dog, and the firemen explain all the gear that they wear and explain what it does so the kids won't be afraid.

One of the best parts of our fire station is Fire Marshall Lyle. He is so fantastic with the kids. He does a puppet show and  a magic show and really gets them excited. He keeps them laughing for sure while teaching an important lesson. I've been enough times I think I have the show memorized. I only have 2 more years of fire house visits left...I will miss it when we are done.

The Great Pumpin Patch 2015

This past weekend we went to the Great Pumpkin Patch in Arthur. We love it, its our tradition. It was a bit chilly and a bit windy, but that didn't stop us from having a good time. For the first time, Kiersten went in the haunted house. Leah went in the last 2 years. Even Hattie went in this time. Of course she buried her head in Mitch's neck for most of it. It really wasn't that scary, so they did well.

Next up was the corn maze, uh...the small one. I'm not ready to venture into the big one with the kids yet. And we took in all the livestock. The girls loved seeing the goats, the pigs, the chickens and  what I think was a llama of some sort.

We went on the tractor/wagon ride, because we always do. We learned about the different kinds of pumpkins, and the pumpkin pie pumpkins and squash and gourds and what not. Its the same guide every year and he tries to keep it lively. After that Mitch took the girls on the real corn maze. They actually got through it quicker than I imagined.

Then we were off the fields...the guide warned us that the pumpkins had a rough year with all of the rain, but eventually with some persistance we found 3 perfect pumpkins. And of course we didn't leave without hitting up the Homestead Bakery for some cookies and bread. So good!!! Until next time, TGPP.