Trunk or Treat and Halloween

This year the entire family got into the costume craze. We started the planning somewhat early this year. A lot of ideas were passed around from going as: the Incredibles, as farmers with vegetables or animals, or the Cat in the Hat with Thing 1 and Thing 2 and the goldfish or Nick and Sally.

In the end we went with a Bee theme.

It took a little convincing of all those involved. We were worried that Noah was a little too old to dress up as a bee, but he was more than willing and even really excited to go as our bee hive.

Dan designed his costume. I felt a little bad for him as some kept calling him a robot.

Jack's costume was really easy to find, there were a million choices on eBay.

The hard part was getting it on the cheap, I can't believe how much some are willing to spend on costumes.

Grandma was kind enough to buy Zoe's costume for her.

She made a pretty "Queen Bee". We had to stress this aspect of it. She was originally disappointed that her costume didn't have a stinger, we informed her that real queen bees don't have stingers either. We pointed out that Jack's costume didn't have a stinger. I thought she'd be more disappointed that she didn't have wings, who knew a stinger was so important?

Dan and I decided to go as Bee Keepers. (sorry, no individual shots of us)

I made our hats, I even sewed bees on to the netting. Then we just wore gloves and disposable painter coveralls.

This year our ward combined with the other Fernley Ward for Trunk or Treating. It was so much fun. I loved seeing all the different costumes. Plus the kids got a ton of candy with very little effort. I think the best part was that there were prizes given out this year.

They awarded a 1st and 2nd place for best "Family Costume". I think it was originally supposed to be an individual award, but two families really got into it this year. There was a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize for the chili cook-off. They awarded prizes for the best pumpkin drawings. A very clever idea to keep the kids occupied while food was being set out. Last, but not least, they handed out a prize for the best decorated vehicle. All in all it made for some good competition.

Our Family took 1st place in the Family Costume Category. Our prized included this crazy Afro Wig and a $10 gift card to Chili's. We can't wait to go get dessert. The kids were so excited to run up and get our prize.

The second place family was from the other ward, I can't think of their name, but their little boy is in Noah's 1st grade class. They dressed up as Scooby Doo. The mom and dad were dressed up as Fred and Daphne, the kids were Velma and Shaggy (who carried a stuffed Scooby-Doo). I'm not sure what their prize was, but I thought there costumes were amazing. They even took it one step farther and decorated their van as the "Mystery Machine" and handed out Scooby Snacks.

Dan took 2nd place in the chili cook-off for his Pumpkin Chipotle Chili. Our ward managed to sweep this event. I hope we combine next year. Everyone seems to have had lots of fun, the only ones who might disagree are the ones who were in charge of the activity.

As if school parties and Trunk or Treating weren't enough the kids had to go Trick or Treating on the actual day as well. Dan was surprised they tired so quickly. He was willing to another street, but Noah was done. They came home with a ton of candy and then had fun passing out candy to the neighbor kids. We had a lot of kids this year. We weren't that prepared, but my kids were very willing to give out the candy they received at Trunk or Treating when we ran out. According to them they had more than enough and I would have to agree with that. I made sure we kept their good candy and handed out the less desirable kind.

Here is a picture of Jack going through his loot. I've never seen such a little kid so excited about candy. More proof that he loves this holiday.

Got to love the toothpaste in one hand and the M&M's in the other hand. He would not let it out of his hands or sight. He was too afraid we'd take it from him.

The kids kept things separated for about a day or two, then it all got combined. A day after that we went through and sorted it. We bagged up all the Tootsie Rolls to give to Grandma Sandi, the Bottle Caps to give to Auntie Tiffany, and the M&M's to send to Cousin Garrett (who is in the MTC and couldn't go Trick or Treating).

We are already thinking of ideas for next year's costumes.

Jack o Lanterns

Noah and Zoe had fun carving pumpkins with Daddy this year. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get pictures of their pumpkins.

Here is the Jack o Lantern they carved for Jack.

Jack got so excited when they placed it on his tray.

He giggled, clapped his hands, and waved his arms around like crazy. Then he got the biggest smile on his face every time he looked at it.

I think Halloween could be Jack's favorite holiday.

Family Pictures Preview

So Dan decided to take Nevada Day off this year. He figured it was a good excuse to take a day off, since Noah would be out of school. We decided to take advantage of the bonus day together and attempt some Family Pictures. Our friends, the Pastos, have access to this beautiful property, so we headed out there. Circle was kind enough to snap a few shots and just let us take our time exploring different options. Things didn't go as smoothly as we would have liked, Jack was not in a very good mood.

Here is a little preview, the rest need a little touching up.

I'm happy with the results. There are a lot of cute individual shots, small group shots, and cute pictures of Noah and Zoe together. Jack was our challenge of the day. We'll have to keep trying for the perfect Family Picture, if there is such a thing.

At least we weren't paying big bucks for a photographer. Now we just have to get them printed out.

Zoe's Preschool Parties

Zoe is involved in two preschools this year. A little group of friends that a few mom's run and then the community based COW Bus program. This meant twice the Halloween fun. I didn't want to risk having her ruin her actual Halloween Costume, since our family had a group theme this year, so I had her pick through her big box of dress up clothes.

She went as Tinkerbell to COW Bus.

Her hair has grown so much since she last dressed up as Tinkerbell that I was able to put it into a real bun. She loved it so much that she has worn it that way a couple of times since. For her COW Bus party she took Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes. They are so yummy and easy to make.

For her Friend Group preschool she dressed up as Super Girl.

She had a hard time deciding what to be for this party. Since I wasn't as prepared for this party she took Chocolate Animal Crackers to share. She had a lot of fun playing bingo and going on a scavenger hunt. She had two fun days of dressing up before we even got to Trunk or Treat, or the actual Holiday.

Noah's Nevada Day Celebration

Every year the state of Nevada celebrates the anniversary of when it became the 36th state in the union. The actual anniversary falls on Halloween, but in recent years the state has decided to observe it on the last Friday of the month.

Noah's elementary school, takes this holiday very seriously. They turn it into a big educational experience. The majority of the day is spent listening to presenters from all over the state and learning about Nevada's history. They learn about the mining industry, farming, railroads, wild life, wild horses, and wild burros just to name a few. Every kid comes home with a bunch of freebies. This year the loot included books, posters, key chains, coloring books, and pencils.

The kids are encouraged to dress up as something to do with Nevada. This could be occupations, historical figures, or industries. Noah's teacher suggested that they wrap themselves in tin foil and come as silver. He thought this was a pretty silly idea. The letters home to the parents are very vague when it comes to suggestions, or what actually qualifies as a "Nevada" costume. The one thing you cannot wear is a Halloween Costume. They don't do Halloween Costumes at Cottonwood.

Here was our very simple "Nevada" costume.

Noah went as a Cowboy. According to him this was a very popular costume.

I was lucky enough to find a hat at Dollar Tree and a cheap bandanna.

That afternoon when all the learning is done, each class holds their Halloween Party. That way they only waste one day of instruction and get all the festivities out of the way. I think it is pretty clever of them.

Noah thought it was a pretty fun day. He said it was so much better as a First Grader, since they got to see and participate in more activities.

Silly Boy

Jack will probably hate me for these pictures some day, but I couldn't resist.

He found this purse in the toy room and started carrying it around all morning.

You can tell he spends a lot of time around his Big Sister and his Mom, since he knew exactly how to hold it. I just wish the pictures were a little less fuzzy, I only had my phone handy and had to chase him around.

He was having all sorts of fun putting his toy cars in the purse and then taking them back out again.

It seems to have been a passing phase as I haven't seen him do it again since.

Memories

I just figured out how to download the pictures from my cell phone. Here is a quick trip down memory lane with the help of some of my favorite pictures:

This is the 1st picture I took on my phone. Noah and Zoe made these cute butterflies at the local library. (4/15/10)

Noah and Zoe at the beach. The "Thueson Family Reunion" (7/3/10)

Smores at the family reunion. Don't they look yummy?

Jackson Taylor McDonald. (9/19)
My two sons. (9/28)

Attending Noah's Stone Soup Celebration. After the fact I noticed this belongs on Ellen DeGeneres's "What's wrong with this Photo?" photos segment. (11/23/10)

Zoe's great sense of style. (12/1/10)
Just Jack (12/17)

The Tiki Room Disney Land December 2010 (12/27/10)

My Little Mousketeer. (12/27/10)

Just hanging out. (1/19/11)
Sitting...(3/3/11)

Driving! Just Kidding waiting for a Doctor Appointment (3/23/11)
The arrival of our new stove. (3/28) Spent too many months without an oven.

Jack sitting in a cart at Lowes. (3/28/11)

Free Slurpee Day. I would love a slurpee right now. (7/11/11)

My other favorites have been added to other posts. We had a lot of fun this past year!