Spider and Pumpkins Outside...Christmas Tree Inside

 The tree is UP!! There are still Halloween decorations outside...but inside we are full on Christmas. It is interesting for me to see how many people do not like that I put up the Christmas decorations so early. They ask me why I skip Thanksgiving, I don't, it is just part of Christmas. I often wonder if they don't like it because the commercial aspect of Christmas is stressful...for me it is not about the commercial aspect at all. I love this time of year and the focus on helping others and finding ways to show love and kindness. 

The kids were so excited this year to put up the trees---yes trees. So the first trees that went up were the two in their bedrooms. Then we even roped in the neighbors into helping us decorate the tree in the living room! I think we may have started a new neighborhood tradition! 

We had several pumpkins left so I gave the kids hammers and allowed them to "smash" the pumpkins. Soon, the road was covered with pumpkin guts and slime. They had so much fun. I looked up at one point and saw that Koala Bear was covered in pumpkin guts and must have hit her own head with the hammer so she had frenzied hair, blood streaking down her face, and standing in the middle of the pumpkins. I asked her if she was OK, she said, "yes" and went back to smashing. All I could think was this girl is savage!! HAHA. I wish I would have taken a photo! 

Lucky Dragon made this gift...the first gift for the family this year. I loved that he even made the bow all by himself. 

Lady Hiva had the kids do a tradition of her own as well...they made 

The lights are now all aglow outside and the trees are warm and welcoming. 

Lucky Dragon wrote a story had a captive audience to listen to his book! They both love him so much, they were willing to listen. 

Halloween! Ending With Excitement!

 

Halloween week is the culmination of all of our efforts throughout the Autumn season. It makes it really fun to end this way. We had a trunk-or-treat for Koala Bear's preschool. It was so much fun to see them all enjoy the experience getting candy from all the parents parked around the park. 

Because I have been working from home, I was able to join in the fun. I loved that. Koala Bear told me that she was excited to see us. She yelled to her whole class "That's My dad!" It made me so happy...then she said just as loudly, "And he is BALD!!" She went off laughing manically! HAHA What a girl. 

We carved pumpkins a few days in a row and that, too, was fun. 

We spent our last few days of Cornbelly's going for a few hours. Lady Hiva and I were done with Cornbelly's having gone so many times...but we knew the kids would miss it. Sure enough, when we came home, Lucky Dragon wrote a "goodbye note" to Cornbelly's telling it that he was going to miss it. 

We have read Rhode Dahl books as a family this week. the BFG, The Witches, and George's Magical Medicine. It was fun to read together. Then we watched the BFG and The Witches. It was awesome to do that. I think Rhode Dahl has a really ODD sense of humor, but it was fun. We ate chili and soup with pumpkin bread bowls and "witch finger" breadsticks. 

Halloween day we had a neighborhood party and it was amazing! The kids all had so much fun!    

Koala Bear told Lady Hiva she was going to do her hair. It was so much fun to listen to her be the "hair-dresser-" 

The little Muggles found a dead butterfly and decided to bury it in the garden. I went out a few days later and saw that Lucky Dragon made a headstone for it.