Halloween 2012

So Halloween isn't my favorite holiday, but once the school parties, costume parades, and potlucks are over, and everyone has eaten dinner and is dressed in their costumes, I do enjoy the evening of Halloween. The kids love being dressed up, and there is a pleasant, community feel as we Trick or Treat and say high to neighbors. Other adults seem to have so much fun dressing up that Travis and I say, "We really ought to try that some time." But it never lasts past that night, and in the end, we just aren't much fun. 

This Halloween the weather was warm and lovely. Anna didn't want to dress up--or at least she wanted to want to dress up and always wished she had after the fact--but she had fun carrying Lucy most of the night. Lucy clutched her plastic pumpkin the entire night and had as much fun as everyone else--until the end of the night. Sarah was sprinting the first half, and ended up in the stroller the second. Michael has been dressing up in his costume for months. Our neighbor is a pilot in the Air Force, and he lent Michael his real captain's hat and aviator sunglasses. 

A Crawler and a Climber

This was actually Lucy's first climb up the stairs. She made it up both of the wooden steps that go from our living room to our kitchen, and then crawled through the music room and kept going up the carpeted staircase. I wish I could peak into that little mind when she realized she could do it! This is our first house with stairs, unless we count the basement stairs in Minnesota, but we could block those by closing the door. Lucy's siblings have been extra vigilant for a few days, but I can tell their concern is wearing off. Instead of running to rescue her themselves, they yell, "Mom, Lucy's upstairs again."  

Cougar Pumpkin

For the past two Halloweens we have carved pumpkins with Mike and Heather Thatcher. Heather is Travis's cousin, and she and her husband Mike are our dear friends. They are serious pumpkin carvers with all of the right tools and books full of templates. They also have incredible patience to let each of our kids design their own pumpkin and go at their own pace. We were so sad to learn that Mike's mom died suddenly the week before Halloween. We can't imagine such an unexpected loss like that.  There just aren't words for it. We're thinking of them and looking forward to resuming our tradition next year. We had pumpkins for Anna, Michael, and Sarah to carve in addition to all of our fun Cinderella pumpkins and jack-be-little pumpkins that we grew in our garden. Sarah and the other young neighborhood kids keep a baby paired with each big pumpkin. I love it. I didn't have the courage to tackle three pumpkins without Travis's help, and he didn't return home from work until 7:30. We decided to just carve one altogether using Travis's design. We Cougar fans have to make a statement in our Ute stronghold. Travis tries to not be a contentious fan, as a member of the bishopric and a doctor with a variety of patients to relate to, so this is a strong  public statement for him. Inside our home there is no tempering his loyalty to the Cougars