Halloween Preparations

We've been building up to Halloween. The excitement is intense. The two younger children and I attended story time each Wednesday where the action is packed with songs, finger plays, and YES, stories.
If you think libraries are a place where librarians run around saying SH... you haven't been to ours. Sometimes the roof nearly lifts off in the noise as a room full of children yell, "BOO!!" ,

as they participate with Sharon as she read them a ghostly story.
But today was a special day as the little ones dressed up and gathered
together to celebrate Halloween. Me thinks the costumes turned out cute. It is amazing how little it takes to make kids happy. I have learned that it isn't in the having but in the journey that makes holidays fun. The kids sat on the bed oowing and awing as I put together their costumes. Our daughters had spent a weekend together in Colorado and shopped, completing the list of supplies I needed to make two cats and a mouse. Best of all the little girls got to decide what they wanted to be and help design the costumes parlty by deciding where the spots went and picking out cat collars that we will eventually will use on baby goats. This is so much more fun than just picking out a costume off the rack and having to be what ever the manufactures decided was the in thing to be. Besides, the fake fleece lined jackets will be un-spotted and turn back into jackets, the head bands will loose their felt ears and just be headbands once more. And the pants will continue to warm cute little tooshes this winter. A bit like Cinderella's costume at the stroke of midnight. How much more economical and wise.

Of course this journey towards Halloween included carving pumpkins that the girls first drew on to give Kirk and I an idea how they needed to be carved.

And the girls put on one of Grandpa's old work t-shirts in preparation of scooping out the seeds and pulp. For some reason they love donning Grandpa's shirts.

If this Grandma were so inclined and had way more energy, we could party at least once a day from now until Halloween but we are going to choose to enjoy some down time too. That is if you can call making pumpkin shaped sugar cookies down time. Yup, that's what is in store for tomorrow after school. Awe, yes, the holidays are upon us.