Happy Halloween!

To some, Halloween is just another holiday that comes and goes leaving behind a sugar buzz and pumpkin seeds. But not for me! Well, yes, definitely yes to the sugar buzz but not to the nonchalant coming and going. Halloween is anything but casual to me. It's a holiday I look forward to with great anticipation. It's occurs in October which welcomes the fall with brightly colored leaves, musky air, witches and spooks and cooler temperatures. I love this time of the year. It's the spring board for the rest of the year. I love the rest of the year! November's just great because I keep telling myself it's too early to start listening to Christmas music and then, half way thru the month when I can't take the anticipation any longer I break out Mariah Carey's Christmas album and jam out to "All I want for Christmas is yoooOOOu BABY!" I over indulge in a hefty Thanksgiving dinner with family and can't wait to wake up the next day to decorate for Christmas! December is my favorite Holliday. Yes, I consider the whole month a holiday, AND it's my favorite. First is starts off with my birthday, who doesn't love a birthday? Then it's Christmas cheer, and Joy to the World the rest of the month. Everyone seems to be more thoughtful and giving. We remember our Savior and our families. I love it. I love it! I love it!
So what did we do to exasperate my Halloween holiday this year? Well, we started off with a visit to the Cox's pumpkin patch. I sure wish that my camera was working. It died as I tried to snap the first memory. I would love to have shown you a picture of Marshall worming his finger through the pig pen to try and poke one of the 14 piglets sleeping in the corner. An even better picture would have been to show you his and Mitch's face as we rode on the hay wagon being pulled by the reliable old tractor or sliding down one of the many slides they had there. Marshall must have slid down each slide at least twice! You would have died in laughter if I were to show you the picture with Marshall's arm slung casually around a goat's shoulders as he fed him goat's food and then walked around the pen like best buds. Feeding the cows was the highlight. If my camera worked you would have seen us smiling and laughing as the cows tongues stretched inches past their lips making every effort to squeeze through the gate, trying to lick up the cow's food we purchased and tried sharing between all twenty of them. We swatted away bees as we gulped down fresh apple cider and then picked out three perfect pumpkins to take home. Too bad my camera stinks, and you get no visuals.
We also attended our ward "Spooktacular", which was fun. Marshall enjoyed the parade of costumes. We didn't stay for the candy, but what he doesn't know wont hurt him - or go to my hips.
We went to a nursing home with some of our friends and handed out homemade Halloween cards and had the kids hand them out in their costumes for FHE. The kids did great - it can be intimidating, but they really warmed up to the idea and had a great time passing out their art work. I think that the people their enjoyed the visit. I know I had a great time and will do it again next year.
Where my in-laws live in Pennsylvania they have trick-or-treating on the Thursday before Halloween. Since Mitch had to go out of town, Marshall and I drove up for a visit to 1) show off Marshall in his costume and 2) have him go trick-or-treating with his aunt Jenna. It was a great visit. We all had fun trick-or-treating with Jenna and her friends. It's a nice area and lots of people were out trick-or-treating. Marshall got some really great candy.
On Halloween night we all three stayed home, ate hot dogs and chips and handed out candy. We played hide and seek in the dark a million times. Marshall gives himself away every time though. He will quietly hide, and whomever is "IT" will count to ten, then say,"Hmmmm, I wonder where Marshall could be?" What does Marshall say? "I'm hiding under the table!" or "...in the closet" or "...behind the couch!"
The only picture I took of our Halloween Extravagnza is of Marshall in his adorable Buzz Lightyear costume at the Emerick's. Enjoy!