A Halloweeny Weekend

I'm still here. Sorry about being MIA last week. It was a rough week, to say the least. I received many blessings while working a weekend retreat for the high school youth of our church, but the one I wish I hadn't gotten was someone's cold. I was under the weather for most of the week, trying to keep up with all of the things that needed to get done in a very busy, over-scheduled week. But, I made it. I am still hanging on to the congestion from the cold, but feeling much better now.

One of last week's tasks included making Eli's Halloween costume. Eli has been talking about Halloween since mid-September. Originally, he decided he wanted to be an astronaut. I promptly found some impressive costumes (including the non-negotiable helmet) that came with an impressive price tag. The crafty side of me began daydreaming about ways to create this look for less. Fortunately, Eli changed his mind. He wanted to be a dragon or dinosaur. Again, I quickly Googled the costume idea and was disappointed with what was available. I was also saddened every time Eli said he wanted to be a dragon...he would say the word dragon in a very angry voice. I didn't want my boy to be a bad dragon! So, Mommy and Daddy decided he needed to be swayed. It was easy! Lately, Eli has enjoyed playing robot around the house using his toy containers and old diaper boxes as his make-shift costume. We cast the idea out there, and he bit. Yes! A costume we could make with a box and some odds and ends we collected from in and out of the house. And our ever-electrical Daddy even came up with a way to cut and rewire a string of Christmas lights to a battery pack so the costume would be complete with working lights. We stayed up late designing, painting, and creating the costume two nights last week to be sure it was ready in time for dress-up day at school, Thursday.

We were proud of our joint effort to create a one-of-a kind costume for Eli this Halloween. He loved it too.

With all that was happening going on last week, and my not feeling so great, I was seriously doubting that we were going to get to a pumpkin patch for any pictures this year. It broke my heart to think that we wouldn't get there as we have pictures of him with pumpkins every year so far. (All 2 of them, I know!) Eli had already been to the patch with his class for a field trip, but I didn't get to go with him, and therefore, no pictures! It rained some afternoons, I forgot a change of clothes another day, and then I heard the pumpkins were dwindling in the patches around town. OH NO! Finally, on Friday, Eli and I squeezed in a quick trip up to a patch that had just received a new shipment of pumpkins that afternoon. Grandma and Grandpap Carson had rolled into town a couple hours earlier, so Pap Pap accompanied us to the pumpkin patch for a few quick pics.

.....and my favorite of the bunch:

Pap Pap helped us pick a pumpkin that we brought home and carved Saturday morning.

Eli was NOT a fan of the goop and cleaning out the pumpkin, but he LOVED carving the face he helped design with his little pumpkin saw there. I adore the looks on his face as he works so hard and concentrates on carving the pumpkin's mouth.

Saturday afternoon, we had family over watching the Gators manhandle the Georgia Bulldogs, but had to leave at the half to meet up with our friends for trick-or-treating. Thankfully, we got scoring updates via texts while we were gone.

We had quite a crew this year.

....4 toddlers, 4 babies, all the parents, some dear friends, a dog, and Grandpa Snyder (not pictured due to being the photographer).

The kids knew what they were doing this year. It was so cute to watch them go door-to-door with excitement and anticipation.

Eli would yell "Trick or Treat" until the door opened and then he'd just stand there holding his pumpkin out for the treats. He would yell so loud that his friend Peter Pan, I mean, Kent would say, "Be quiet, Robot." Aren't kids hilarious? After a quick, barely audible, "Thank you," it was off to the next house.

We love trick or treating with friends each year. Our gang grows each year, in a wonderful way. Eli was tired when we got back to our house, but found enough energy to hit a few more houses in our neighborhood. Next year, we've decided our neighborhood is the place to be! And when I asked Eli what he wants to be next year, he said, "A robot!" as if, DUH, Mommy! We'll see.

So glad to have the Carsons here this weekend. Always a wonderful time visiting with them. Eli was very sad to say good-bye yesterday, but he knows that Thanksgiving is just around the corner.
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