It's That Time of Year

Straight Faced

Cooper needed a new winter coat. Can you tell how he felt about the process of picking one out? He asked me to take all these pictures so he could see what he looked like. I guess the stoic expression was for consistency?

Furry Friend

Do you ever have those days where you discover that some of your kids think you are responsible for their homework and chores? And that they aren't responsible for getting those things done? Yeah, those aren't my favorite days.

In happier, unrelated news, Topher got to live out his dream of having a dog for about an hour this afternoon. He loved it. I think the dog loved it too.

Brusha, Brusha, Brusha

Topher sat very still and was cooperative at his first ever dentist appointment this morning. He did pause at one point while he was in the exam chair and said, "Mom, I have a question." I asked what he needed to tell me. He replied, "I don't like the dentist." I told him that was a statement rather than a question, then talked about my Grandpa who was a dentist. After the visit was over he reported that he did indeed like the dentist.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggitty-Jig

I had a very special, last minute trip this weekend. I'll write about it later this week, but here are a few pictures I took while I was away.

New Selfie Achievement Unlocked: Portrait Mode

A Place for the Important Stuff

Many years ago, in the early days of the blog, I decided to post my favorite pumpkin cookie/muffin recipe. I still used the original recipe from the cookbook I had taken with me to college, but it was fun to have it on the blog as well.

I discovered recently that a page was torn from that old cookbook. It's well-loved and well-worn, so it wasn't surprising. What was surprising was that the missing page held the beloved pumpkin cookie recipe. I had completely forgotten that I'd recorded the recipe digitally and simply mourned the loss of future pumpkin cookies. It wasn't until last Saturday night when I needed to make a snack to share with the ward choir that the thought jumped into my brain that maybe I still had it. I did a quick keyword search of the blog and there it was!

It's just one more reason I'm thankful for this digital journal.

Hooray for Brothers

Fallin'

We're Going on a Treat Hunt

The forecast for last night called for rain. It rained on and off throughout the day, nothing terribly heavy, just enough that the ground stayed kind of soggy. I didn't know if trick or treating was actually going to happen, but we behaved as if it would. Our little town sets trick or treating hours from 6-8 the night of Halloween (some townships in the area hold it on different days), so at 5:45 I started telling everyone to get ready. Poor Topher and Sophie were the only ones ready on time. We finally rolled out into a cloudy but dry evening at 6:30.

Peter and Cooper went with us. Cooper could pretty easily blend in, but Peter does not look like a little kid anymore. No one said anything to our faces about him, so I guess that's a win. We did hear a comment of a different kind though. There have been several Halloweens in years past where I've prepared for walking though dark neighborhoods by buying glow sticks for us and completely forgetting about them until after the holiday. Not this year! I bought a different color for each child and we made them into bracelets and necklaces. I didn't realize just how dark our neighborhood is until last night. Because of our glow sticks we were visible from a distance and multiple people told us how glad they were that they could see us coming. I overheard one dad we passed say, "They're like the glow stick family."

We made it through half as much of the neighborhood as I thought we would. Most of the homes had long driveways and paths up to the house. It was quite a change from our old neighborhood that had so many front doors so close to each other. I turned on my walking app to keep track of how far we went (nearly 2.5 miles) and all those driveways made for an odd looking map. Some of the people sat in chairs at the end of their driveways. I was thankful for those people. Well, I wasn't as thankful for the neighbor who, after handing the kids their candy at the end of his driveway, offered me the adult treat of some wine. I realized he had a whole selection of tiny bottles set up next to the candy. I declined graciously and wondered how many inebriated parents we would encounter. There were definitely grownups carrying open cans of alcohol, and a few that seemed extra giggly and excited, but maybe they just really love Halloween?

By the time we were heading toward home at a few minutes until 8, Phoebe was done wearing her wings, I carried them the final stretch. I was impressed she made it that long. She got several comments on those amazing wings. Topher also got a lot of comments. Most of the parents recognized Topher's Paw Patrol character and greeted him by saying the catchphrase, "Chase is on the case!" We ran into a little girl that had the same costume and a little boy that was dressed as one of the other Paw Patrol dogs. That may have been the highlight of the evening for all the kids dressed as pups. Topher would have gone home early if he had had the opportunity or if we'd been closer. For the last 15 minutes I carried two candy bags and Peter's spear while Peter carried Topher. Phoebe took the spear when I took her wings.

There was an unhappy part of the evening. Bryan had been gathering Halloween candy from work for several months. He gave away some of it at the Trunk or Treat last week, but had a lot left for last night. And then only twelve kids came to our door. He was pretty disappointed. There were many more than that out and on other streets, but we were the only house on our corner handing out candy, so maybe the kids that have been here for many years didn't expect to get candy in our section? We have an obscene amount of candy left over, and it's full size. The bright spot for Bryan was when one of the trick-or-treaters came to the door with a friend, got a giant candy bar, and announced, "You're neighborhood is rich!"

And after that whole adventure, I didn't take any pictures until we were at home, in part because it was dark and in part because I was focused on keeping Topher's hand in mine. Here the kids are, sorting through candy as they sit amidst piles of clean laundry (keeping it real) and watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.