Lead Up to Halloween

I'm going to take us back in time and post what I should have posted before yesterday.

Two weeks ago, I took the kids to Half Moon Bay to the pumpkin patch. I realize there are tons and tons of pumpkin patches a lot closer to Sunnyvale, but this one has become our tradition. The one we go to is nothing particularly fancy, as far as decorations or rides are concerned, but they have a huge selection of pumpkins and, because it's so much simpler than other patches in the area, it kind of takes you back to a time when things really were less complicated. If you're wondering, it's the 4-C's, which is the first one on the left as you head into HMB from San Mateo.

I had forgotten to bring my camera, so I took pictures with my phone, which has a delay. So, it was frustrating when I had a really cute shot of Asher, touched the button, and lost the shot because of the delay.

Can you find Asher?

Unlike last year's 55° and overcast weather, this year it was a cloudless 80° day. Beautiful, but it made me sweat hauling those pumpkins in the wheelbarrow.

Strike a pose!

Can he get any cuter? Actually, yes, he can.

Asher loved riding in the wheelbarrow.

Darn that delay! Asher was looking at me two seconds earlier.

So, this year, I severely procrastinated, and anyone who knew me in school knows I am a master procrastinator, and I barely got stuff done in time.

I was going to make Akiko's whole costume for Red Riding Hood, got all the material, and failed horribly when I tried to make the dress. I found a nerdy website that had instructions to make a lady's chemise, but I didn't read the part where it said that it was perfect for the "off the shoulder wench look." Oops!

So, I tried adding a yoke at the top to cover her shoulders and it ended up looking more like ghetto 'Little House on the Prairie' and less like Bavarian fairy tale. Then I remembered she already had the perfect dress for Red.

Oh well, lesson learned: Rifle through daughters wardrobe before buying fabric. The plus side is that I have tons of really cute fabric to make something else. I think I'm going to try making a purse, actually.

The cloak pattern was also found on a nerdy role-playing costume website and it turned out perfect. I was able to do it in about two and a half hours from first cut to finish. I'm super pleased with the result. As soon as it was done, which was last Thursday, Akiko didn't take it off all weekend long.

Friday was the school Halloween parade. So I dressed up the boys and we watched Akiko skip around the playground in the parade.

At first I thought that there was too much backlight, so I tried again...

... then the sun was in his eyes.

Little Red ready for the show!

All lined up and ready to go.

She's having fun!

So, the student body council was passing out slips of paper for "most creative," "best homemade," "funniest," and so on. I was bummed Akiko didn't get one for "best homemade." I guess my handiwork is just too good.

Looks like Red caught the "Little Cute Wolf."

I was supposed to be Grandma, but didn't get my costume in time.

Face painting wasn't allowed, so I didn't draw Moses' beard. I later learned that it was "scary" face painting that wasn't allowed. I wish they'd been more specific in the note they sent home from school. "Weapons of any kind" were also not allowed at the school, though I considered the ax more a tool than a weapon. I suppose it was ultimately used as one in the story. Whatever.

I don't know which picture is cuter. This one...

... or this one.

Really, how much cuter can this guy get? Wait till you see him in his beard.

Saturday was our ward party, trunk-or-treat, and parade.

In the car and ready to go.

My little sweethearts!

Akiko helped me pass out candy after she was done making the rounds.

Getting ready for the parade.

Oh! The little wolf succeeded in swiping the basket of goodies!

My camera started acting funny. It died on Monday right before trick-or-treating commenced. Sorry for the fuzzy.

This picture just kills me!

Moses won the "scariest costume" award in the 0-4 year old category. I honestly don't know how Moses could be scary in any way. He got a mini pumpkin for a prize. He kept saying he won "first place" because it happened to be the first prize that was given out.

Sometime between trunk-or-treat and the parade, Akiko started not feeling well. You can see it in her face in the "getting ready for the parade" picture above. When we got home she had a fever. I felt bad for her. I stayed home from church with her the next day.

The last time we went to a ward party, last Christmas, Akiko started not feeling well in the middle of that one, too. She ended up having strep. This time, however, it was just a 24-hour thing and nothing more than a fever. She was better by Sunday evening and went to school and trick-or-treating on Monday.

I'm going to stop this post here and talk about Halloween day later. I've got a robot birthday party to plan for this weekend. Somebody in our family is having a birthday on Sunday!