More Scary Treats!

There's something about fall that makes me head into the kitchen, sometimes with odd results. Every year on Halloween I surprise the fam with an ooky feast of some sort. This year a pair of snakes showed up on our counter, complete with bloody dipping sauce! We also made some very cool Halloween cookies that the boys had a lot of fun decorating.

Craaazy pumpkins!

I don't think I've ever heard Blake giggle so hard as when we put ears, horns and wings on our jack-o-lanterns!

Happy Halloween!

We had such a fun Halloween! Blake dressed up as a Lego Bionicle figure and Andy donned his Conductor costume once again (the kid next to him is Benji). Andy was VERY excited about all the candy! They each got a big bagful by the time we were done trick-or-treating. Andy didn't quite understand the concept; he kept trying to go into people's houses!

These pancakes are driving me batty...

Blake's friend Benji spent the night before Halloween with us, so in the morning I decided to make a festive breakfast of orange-colored bat and pumpkin shaped chocolate chip pancakes. I'm pretty sure Benji thinks I'm a little weird...

Candy apples!

Blake loves caramel apples, so we decided to contine our tradition from last year and made some. Mmmmmm!

A rare occurrance...

Proof that they really do like one another!

The great arteest

Blake loves to get out his easel and paint, but having a 2-year-old little brother around makes it hard to concentrate (and makes Mommy nervous), so we decided to set him up outside for some plein air painting. He did some awesome Halloween pictures as well as the art that you'll see on our Christmas cards in a few weeks!

Trains!

The boys had so much fun examining and climbing on the various trains. Everyone thought Andy was pretty funny pretending to drive the trains in his "Mr. Conductor" suit!

The Railroad Museum

Every year around Halloween we do something fun and festive as a family. Since we were tired of battling crowds at the usual fall stuff near the city, we opted to drive to Golden this year to the Colorado Railroad Museum. They had a steam engine running and giving rides and the kids got to trick-or-treat there. We even saw Thomas amongst the model trains...Andy was VERY excited!

Andy Kynle

If Brother was going to get a close-up, Andy wanted one, too!

That's Some Crazy Hair!

Instead of dressing up for Halloween at Blake's school they have Crazy Hair Day. Instructions for Blake's 'do: go to bed with wet hair. Don't comb it in the morning. Spray it with white hairspray and dot with blue gel. Voila!

Literacy Night

Earlier this month, we had a literacy event at Blake's school which was a fun night coordinated around the book fair in the library. The kids could go buy books and then join us for stories and literacy-themed games. We also had a contest for the best literary character costume. Blake was just going to wear his Halloween costume (I think they make Bionicle books...), but it hadn't come in the mail yet so we had to do some quick thinking. He ended up going as Charlie Brown on Halloween. Think back to The Great Pumpkin and you'll remember that Charlie Brown has a "little trouble with the scissors" when he attempts to make a ghost costume and ends up with eye holes all over the place. I don't think most of the kids got it, but he ended up winning the best costume prize in his category because everyone thought he looked hilarious! I read a story about monsters that I wrote a long time ago to the kids, so I dressed up as the little girl who's the narrator. In the middle is Kara, the PTA president and on the other end is Ragan, the secretary.

Chatfield Corn Maze

On Saturday I took Blake and our neighbor Tristin to a big corn maze down in Littleton. It was very impressive! We wandered for about an hour through 8.5 acres of corn before we finally found our way out...pretty a"maze"ing (hee hee).

Nick's Fall Festival

After they tired of the bouncy castle they went to examine an old red tractor. Blake pointed out that it looked like Fergie and had a great time "driving" it. It was hitched to a hay wagon and they got to take a ride around the nursery in it. As you can see from the look on his face, Andy was a little unsure of the whole thing!

Nothing beats a bouncy castle!

We have a garden center right down that street that really decorates for fall and has a ton of fun stuff for the kids right before Halloween. I don't think I've ever seen the boys have so much fun! Blake's buddy Anthony happened to be there at the same time, and they made Andy laugh

his head off by "double bouncing" him and making him pop around like a jumping bean!

Blake and the Balloon Man

Rich, the boys and I went to Colorado Springs last weekend to visit Mammo and Papa. They were there because Dad was recently invited to display and sell his art at an awesome gallery there. The gallery was having a festival that weekend with lots of great art, music and, of course, a balloon artist. Blake and Andy were mesmerized and got to take home several cool balloon critters, including an alien on a motorcycle!

Good Buddies

Thorsten brought Anna to the party and for the first time, she and Andy acknowledged each other! They shared a good chuckle watching an episode of Blue's Clues.

Blake's Cake

Blake helped me make his Bionicle cake and was thrilled with the way it turned out. I can't believe he's seven already!

We had to keep Andy away from the cake table until it was time to eat it...he kept eyeballing it saying "that wooks yuuuuuummy!"

Blake's Birthday Party!

All his friends came over to help him celebrate! He had a Bionicle themed party in our backyard area with lots of games and general running around.

Benji, Christine, Blake and Tristin getting ready to three-legged race!

Blake had a Hot Wheels pinata at his party...the kids had a great time whacking at it!

More Bionicles!

Blake and his friend Noah