Back At It

I admit that it was a little tough to make the transition back to my everyday grind when I got home from my trip. Something about having to see to others' needs again...constantly...or something. Ha! It was so good to see Rophone and the kids, though. And, luckily, the weather was still warm enough for a couple of hikes. Edith sure is a good hiking companion.

Thank goodness we can grab a drink of the "Energy Water" to boost our stamina.

I really love this picture Edith drew. I'm amazed at the detail she includes in her drawings at only 4 years of age. 

Edith's Halloween costume arrived, so of course she had to try it on. Adorable!

I took the 3 youngest on a hike, trying to squeeze at least one more in before the weather got too cold. It was a beautiful day. Maybe even a little too sunny and bright. 

I wanted to be sure Bud came along so he could see the layout of the city from above. He loved it like I knew he would.

That afternoon, it was time to carve pumpkins! Everyone really was much more excited about it than they appear in the photos. 

You can probably tell that reaching in to grab the guts isn't Edith's favorite part. 

Bud and Big both carved their own pumpkins start to finish this year. So awesome. They did a great job. I should have taken a photo of the jack 'o lanterns with my real camera  for clarity's sake, but I was feeling lazy. You get the idea anyway. Bud's is the bat, Big's is the cyclops, and Edith chose an owl to match her costume. 

While all of this Halloween stuff was going on, the kids' Kickstarter campaign was still active and they were busy working on the game.

Pen gathered some stuff from around the house to create the costume she wore to work the morning shift on Halloween. You wouldn't think that Wednesday Addams would be a friendly bagger...

...until you see her laugh and do jazz hands. Then you can see that her customer service skills may not be that lacking after all.

Just don't mess up her neatly fronted shelves.

Ginger had a little trouble deciding on a costume this year, but ended up with something perfect. One of the friends she was going to hang out with that night was planning on dressing as Santa, and every Santa needs a reindeer. So cute!

Bud went as a mad scientist. One of my favorite trick-or-treating stops was at the home of an elderly friend-- she provided a little commentary about the costumes as she was handing out the candy. "Another Star Wars costume on Big...Oh, and Edith aren't you a beautiful bird!...and Bud is a scientist." When we corrected her and said, "Actually, he's a MAD scientist." she muttered, "Well, aren't they all." in the funniest little way. You probably had to be there, but she has an awesome sense of humor. 

Big is just a wee bit Star Wars obsessed right now (like everyone else), so it only seemed right that he dress as a clone trooper. 

Edith was a totally adorable, super fluffy owl. We just wanted to hug and squeeze her constantly because her costume was so soft. 

Pen went out to a masquerade party that night, but I didn't get a chance to snap any photos because she went to a friend's house to get ready. Totally bummed. Ginger went with us to my mom's house before her party so I got a photo of everyone dressed up-- even my mom! I don't think I've ever, not once in my whole life, seen my mom dress up for Halloween. It was weird! Fun, but weird! Ha!

It was a really great Halloween. Everyone had fun and was happy with their costumes, so I call it a win!