Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Rest of the Halloweening

There always seems to be so much Halloweening, and I run out of energy to make each activity a separate post, so I'm lumping together all the rest of the Halloween things here.

Sundays continue to be a struggle to find Sabbath appropriate activities that don't involve screen time and still help people be happy.  Blythe Pined a whole bunch of Halloween decoration ideas and wanted to create spooky things, and so, two days before Halloween, we made packaging tape ghosts using the children as models.  First, you wrap the body part that needs to be ghostified with plastic wrap.  Then you wrap clear packaging tap over the plastic wrap.  Then you carefully cut the tape away from the body, tape the cut closed, and Voila! ghost part.  It's a bit trickier than that, and I don't know how well we did, but I did wrap and tape the children (sounds like I was preparing them for mailing).  Then we wrapped and tape a Styrofoam head I've had in the Halloween decorations, and then we taped it all together.  Brandt's looks better than Blythe's because we didn't bother with arms or hands or legs, just a head and torso, so it was easier.  But all in all, on Halloween, they looked okay.  We put small strings of lights into them and placed Blythe's in the tree and Brandt's coming out of the shrubbery, and they were both happy.  Especially Blythe.

I say Blythe was especially happy, but from this picture, you wouldn't know it.
It was tight around her body and she didn't like that part.  
End result, however, was more than acceptable.



These pictures were taken first with flash and then without flash.
As I said, they look okay, but not brilliant.
But good enough.
They went in the trash the next day. 
 

Monday night, for Family Home Evening, we carved our pumpkins.  Brandt and Blythe had both been begging us to do it before, but I hate the idea that they'll get all gross and moldy if we do it too soon, so we waited.  We had spiffy carving tools, including a small electric saw that made the actual cutting quite easy.  I also used a paint stirring took attached to the drill to clean out seeds, so the whole project went very quickly.  Well, faster than years past anyway.





Blythe did four pumpkins.
Well, two pumpkins and two squash.
One pumpkin was Pac-Man and the squash was a ghost chasing him.
The other was Frankenstein, complete with side-of-the-head bolts Kent found for her.
They all looked great on the front porch.

 
Bat and Two Face



Halloween brought a day of fun.  Brandt and Blythe both wore costumes, sort of.  Blythe had her last costume parade, but she went to school in regular clothes and then changed later.  I did help her get her hair and make-up prepared in the morning, and she went off looking very, very grown up.  How did our nine year old suddenly become someone who looks old enough to date?  NOT YET!!! TOO SOON!!! STOP GROWING UP!!!!


I thought Mikayla's kids would enjoy seeing the costume parade, so I invited her to come along.  Turns out, Cora did not like it at all.  But it was fun for the rest of us to see the kids come by all dressed up.  The fifth and sixth grades don't do the costume parade.  They can come to school in their costumes, but then they go roller skating at Classic Skating.  I'm pretty sure we did that when I was in elementary school, and at the very same place, too.  I have no pictures of this activity, but Brandt reported they had a great time.  I don't think he actually roller skated, but he jumped around and played arcade games.  Perfect for an eleven-year-old boy.




Cora is hiding her face.
She didn't want to see anyone.



After school, in the company of Mikayla and her kids, and Eugene and Sharae and their kids, we went up to Mom's office to trick-or-treat.  All throughout the Administration Building, in almost all of the offices, you can go get candy, and what kid doesn't want more candy?  Grandma Sue likes to have us come see her and show us off, and we obliged.


Here is Grandma with Collin, Brandt, Brick, Cora, Kal, Blythe, Makenna, and Luke.

The BYU Photo Lab is in the Administration Building, and on Halloween,
they will take pictures of anyone who comes in trick-or-treating.
They are pretty good pictures.
I asked to be in one of the pictures with the kids.
Brandt's costume cracks me up.
He's Dark Shadow, a villian from a movie he and Paul Moreland are making.
This costume is made up of stuff we've had lying around the house:
his sunglasses, a balaclava, a Darth Vader cape I made him several years ago, his grey jacket, a Ninja sword he got at Classic Skating today, a win from the arcade games.
That a sword-wielding Ninja would wear shorts and white socks with black shoes cracks me up.
But it required absolutely no effort on my part, so I'm 100% for it!


As we were wandering around the Administration Building, one office offered us a small cup of root beer, which set off an alarm.  I had volunteered to take homemade root beer to the Pugmire's house for the annual Halloween hot dog and nachos normally offered by the Hills but being taken care of by the Pugmires this year.  I totally forgot!!  I had promised root beer by 5:30 and it was after 4:00.  I gathered up my children and Mikayla's, we raced to the car, and then began a frantic search for dry ice.  Most grocery stores were out of it, but we did find some at the Macey's in Orem on 800 North, but getting there and back and making soda was something of a trick.  It was still bubbling away when we delivered it, and I felt like an idiot for forgetting.  Too much going on.  I did come through, however, and I'm glad for the small cup offered to passing children and parents.  The hot dog and nacho party was great, the Pugmire's backyard was perfect for it, and we had a nice time visiting with neighbors in the waning fall light around their fire pit.

Trick-or-treating got underway, and Kent and I stayed home dispersing candy while the children went out with friends collecting it.  Brandt went with Paul, not really dressed up and carrying his backpack on the wrong-way round to allow for easy access to the sweet goods.  Blythe went with Lilly and Emma Bradford, all three of them dressed up as vampires.  They were triplet vampire sisters, Nessa, Jessa, and Tessa.  They all checked in from time to time, assuring us they were well.  The weather has been very mild, so it wasn't a cold and miserable night.  Eugene and Sharae brought their kids up to our neighborhood to trick-or-treat, so everyone went out for a second round after the first round was over.  Kent and I visited with Eugene and Sharae as we dispersed candy, the house looked spooky, and the kids returned with bags stuffed with junk.  A good time was had by all!







Saturday, October 28, 2017

DeMartini Halloween Party

This evening was our DeMartini Family Halloween Party, held here at our house because we are uber decorated for Halloween.  We had the kids bring their costumes, we had lots of sweet treats including donuts on a string, and played a couple of games, including pumpkin balloon darts.  The kids had a great time running around together, playing in the front yard, and getting all sugared up.  They all looked darling in their costumes, and, if I might take a moment to brag, I was best at darts and got to eat the most Tootsie Rolls.  It's always a good time when we are together.

  
Power Ranger Brick

  
Transformer Collin and Foxy Luke

  
Kitty Makenna and Bat Lyla

Rowen was a monster, but with most monsters,
he wouldn't stop to let us take his picture.

Kal was a cow.
Of course.
Almost since the beginning of his short life, Cora has called him "Cow."
Brick has called her the "Pig," so a farm animal theme for Halloween costumes was born.
I think Mikayla and Guy should dress up like farmers and have Brick be a horse
and Kila be a sheep, because she's a "sheep" dog.
 




 


 
Brandt is Dark Shadow, a character he made up for a movie he and his buddy Paul are making. 
Ava is a minion.