The Grim Slinger and Black Witch

On Monday night, while playing in a neighbor's yard, Owen broke his arm! Apparently, he was involved in a game of chase and jumped off the slide to avoid being caught. Unfortunately, he jumped onto the swing where his momentum carried him forward, while the swing carried his feet backward, and he landed awkwardly on his arm. We took him to urgent care the next morning where they confirmed a break to the right distal radius. They gave him a splint and a sling for the next week and referred us to an orthopedic specialist, because they were concerned it might be comminuted (broken in multiple places). Fingers crossed that it's not and we can just get a cast for 3-4 weeks...

But this being Halloweek, there was not much rest for the weary! Pumpkins still had to be carved, World Series games lost (so close, Astros!), a field trip for Owen, and a field day (playing lots of games outside at school) for both all still took place, in addition to Halloween! And yes, Owen is right-handed, so he can't currently hold a pencil, throw a football, or tie his own shoes. I've been pleasantly surprised with his skill in feeding himself left-handed though! As for pumpkins, I did the carving, but I let the kids scoop most of the goop out. We got them done just in time.

Another unforeseen obstacle was how to trick-or-treat as the Grim Reaper with a scythe, candy bag, and one arm. Luckily, the sling was black, and we criss-crossed a black shopping bag over the other shoulder, which freed up his good hand to carry the scythe. Problem solved with minimal impact to the scare factor. Phew! And doesn't Hadley make a cute witch? We were all black this year! They both really liked their costumes; Owen kept saying how comfortable his costume was! As usual, the kids loved figuring out the porch decorations. Owen says we need way more skeletons...

This is our trick-or-treating group from the neighborhood. We're in all-black in the middle. It was actually kind of chilly (by Houston standards) that night, but nothing compared to our Idaho Halloweens. 

Looks like they got a decent haul! Candy sorting is always a perfect cap to the night. We'll see if the kids can be persuaded to sell some of their candy to the dentist and troops this year.