Halloween 2023

 Halloween isn't the same as your kids grow up. Victoria's not being home was different, especially at the Ward party where some of her younger friends were. Kade carved pumpkins with Sister Nelson, whom we call SisNel, a week earlier. She is his best friend in our ward and yes, is a 50-year-old woman with the heart of a teenager. Since that was not at our home, Austin and Erik didn't get around to carving their pumpkins till way later- on Halloween. And Austin decided he didn't want to carve one anymore because he had to get ready for the party he was going to. It's funny because he's the one who I bought a special pumpkin carving kit for about 5 years ago. I didn't want him to feel badly about not carving a pumpkin, so I asked him if it was okay that we didn't make a better opportunity for that and he reminded me that this was the year he didn't have a birthday party either, so I guess it's just been a "grown-up" year for him.

Kade didn't get to go to the marching band trunk-or-treat because the orchestra concert was that night. I was a little peeved about the fact that the music teachers couldn't coordinate that better. There's a fair amount of kids who are in marching band/color guard and orchestra/choir, so they all either had to rush, or miss the trunk-or-treat. Last year was almost the same problem, but they changed the trunk-or-treat last minute to a different night. I don't know what happened this year. However, Kade invited some friends over on Halloween night to go trick-or-treating in our neighborhood, including his best friend CJ who has moved an hour away. That was also different this year, Kade trick-or-treated in our neighborhood. He hasn't done that in probably 7 years. He used to always go to Olivia's neighborhood for that.

Austin went to a party and then trick-or-treated afterward with the teens there. Erik went to a nearby neighborhood where some of his friends live, and then came back 1 1/2 hours later to go another hour in ours. Austin and Erik got so much candy and we didn't give away hardly any, due to the fact that it was about 40 degrees colder than just a few days earlier, so we have a lot left over. That means- we have too much candy here! Austin weighed his bag and it came to about 11 pounds. Yikes!

Jason and I gave out candy to the about 10 people who came here and we enjoyed standing on Bernie's driveway next door near the fire pit and chatting with him. His wife, Cathy, was on grandma duty, so we missed her as well this year.

We were going to go as a cowboy and cow to the ward party, but when Nebraska did so well on their game that day, we bumped it up to the Nebraska Super Star level!

Musical chairs. We have so many teens in our ward compared to Primary kids that they participated and some of those poor little guys were sad when they lost their chairs.

Erik didn't dress up till the end of the party because he was very committed to his role in the Spook Alley.

Austin's buddies.

If you noticed at the party, Austin was an MIB (Men in Black), however for trick-or-treating he went as MIB on Zoom day.

Erik's pumpkin is on the left, Kade's on the right.

Erik and his buddies. 

Kade and his buddies.

Victoria was a vampire!

Now the decorations are all down and we're ready for Thanksgiving!