Halloween Preview Week

Our pumpkins 2008

Last week was our warm-up for Halloween this week. Just about every night last week involved something to do with Halloween. Monday night for FHE (Family Home Evening) we decorated pumpkins. The kids had a great time and Jeff really got into carving this year. He did a great job on the scary monster the kids picked out to put on the pumpkin. The cat design was also picked out by the kids and was a new, fun option instead of carving. The kids hammered in little pegs in the design of a cats face and then the pegs light up once a light is placed inside. Really easy and something the kids could all do easily.

Wednesday I had Faith in God Girls. We decorated posters for the Branch Fall Festival which took place on Friday night. The girls had a great time and came up with some very interesting designs for the posters. While I am thinking about it, last Sunday I received a new calling in our branch. I am know the primary chorister. I am a little shocked that I was chosen given my relative lack of experience with music, but I am very excited. It is a fun calling that will definitely challenge me in a new and exciting way!

Thursday night was the Fall Festival at Bayley's school. It is their school's big fundraiser for the year and is a huge event. I felt like the entire month leading up to it they were constantly asking for donations of items to be used at the event. In the end it was a nice event and I am sure the school made LOTS of money. We left Jeff and Trey at home, while the girls and I spent about 1 hour at the event. They had a good time playing a couple of games as well as riding on the hayride.

Kendal and Bayley waiting for the hayride to start

As mentioned earlier, Friday was our Branch Fall Festival. The kids had an awesome time playing all of the games and hanging out with friends. The highlights of the evening for our family had to be the pumpkin carving contest (we won 2 out of 3 awards...great, but I think there was only one other family that entered), the cake walk, the spooky tunnel, and of course donut on a string. The kids loved all of the sweets and got enough to last quite a while.

Saturday Jeff and I focused some much needed attention on our yard. While Jeff was gone moving a new family into our branch, I started the process of trimming our out of control bushes. He finished up later that afternoon while I attended a baby shower. And then once I returned home I mowed the lawn for hopefully the last time this year. Saturday night Bayley had a Halloween Birthday Party at one of her friend's house. She had a great time, but we were all beat by the time we picked her up at 9 p.m.

I loved all the festivities of the last week and the opportunity for the kids to wear their costumes more than once this year. Kendal loves her chicken costume, Trey's lion costume has grown on him (when we first showed it to him he insisted he was going to be a doggy not a lion because he is somewhat scared of lions and lion ROARS!), and Bayley is making good use of a old dance costume by dressing as a Snow Princess. This week however is not quite as busy, which is just fine with us as we gear up for Friday night and Trick-or Treating!