Oh my goodness, October is long gone, but we did do some stuff worth noting. The first was a family day at the art museum where we made some sculptures out of scrap wood in a study of symmetry.
We also took advantage of the leaf piles in the street on a sunny day bike ride. The second picture is how everyone reads at Barnes & Noble, right?
Right up there with the pumpkin patch in fall traditions is the corn maze. We explored the mid-level maze and solved the farm scene crime (animal/weapon/location eliminated at stations along the way) with friends. I love how kids just run with abandon with no idea where they are going in a maze. I always wonder what would happen if they were in there without adults checking the map?
Once the maze was conquered, we took in the extras like a zip line and corn cannon. The corn maze moved its location closer to our house this year, so it was a lot of fun and not as long of a time commitment! Woohoo!
In the spirit of college football, we tailgated with some Montana State friends at the Idaho State game. Pretty amazing to get 2nd row tickets for four the night before for less than what we are used to paying for the price of one ticket.
A few days before Halloween, the kids' school hosted a trunk or treat, which means they had volunteers line the parking lot with their cars' trunks all decked out to pass out candy to costumed kids. They also had hot chocolate and a few carnival games.
The three first grade teachers had a car with a theme from the movie Hocus Pocus. Hadley took a picture with her teacher, Mrs. Johnson.
On Halloween eve, we carved our pumpkins. The kids drew their own faces on them and scraped out most of the gunk themselves! I just helped with the sharp knife and some stubborn gooey innards. Turned out pretty well, I'd say!
Then it was finally time for the real deal! First, class parties.
Then the first grade put on a Halloween program with songs and poems in costume. Hadley is on the right side, second row from the top. Of course, the tallest kid in her class somehow stood right in front of her, so I couldn't see her most of the time! But other than that annoyance, it was a pretty cute show!
To finish up the longest Wednesday ever, we walked down the street for our annual gathering of friends. It was fun, but the big group got broken up into much smaller groups as the kids dispersed into the dusky darkness. Hadley went around with a group of 3 other girls from her class and nearly filled her bucket. It was cold though, so everyone was ready to be done after going around a couple of blocks.
Owen actually went out with the bigger kids this year. He was so excited to be with the older friends, but I think he was a little disappointed in their super-short excursion. (They returned early to eat candy and play video games while the rest of us were collecting more candy.) Hadley definitely had more candy to sell back to the dentist this year!
