we made it through halloween.

Our Halloween really started after school. We finally carved our little pumpkins from Mother Nature's Farm. They were actually hard to cut through, bummer. I ended up cleaning them all out for the kids while they looked on. We were able to get all three pumpkins done in about forty-five minutes.

 Ready for some tricks and treats! Out of the four times that the kids dressed up this year I would say this was the best night. We finally got their costumes right, adding a light stick helped keep Koltyn a happy cowboy.

 Usually, we have to go to the door with the kids and say trick or treat for them and prompt them to say thank you. This year, they did great on their own. Koltyn was actually the best at saying trick or treat (sometimes yelling it before the door was even open).

 There were more dark houses this year than ever before, so we were a little worried and even thought about taking the kids to the trunk or treat in town. By the time we got back to our house, their buckets were nearly filled!



Kevin just had to show the kids Garfield's Halloween Special. Apparently, he grew up watching it every year. I had never seen it, but was able to find it online. Thanks You Tube!



a stewart halloween



We missed Evelyn for our picture. Some one forgot to tell her mommy to come early. Oops!



Just a little arm wrestling between cowboys.

Cowboys shoot birds sitting in trees, right?

a johnson halloween

Saturday night was the annual Johnson family Halloween party. It is always a great time full of fun and laughter. First up was the traditional grandkids on the couch picture. They used to all fit on a bench, now they barely fit on the longest couch!

 After dinner the kids grabbed their buckets, ready to go trick or treating around the house. Each of the adults took a room, dressed up just a little bit and handed out the candy. The kids have really loved this new tradition. Kevin even helped this year (so that I could take pictures for everyone), dressing up as Bert and Ernie.







Another great Johnson family party!



costume trial run

Monday night we had a FHE Halloween party with my dad's family. The kids got to try on their costumes for the first time. We have a little work to do, to say the least.

Koltyn wore his cotume for about one minute, the candy was more important.

adventures at schnepf farms

We met up with the Johnson gang on Saturday afternoon at Schnepf Farms, not far from us here in Queen Creek. It has become a tradition of sorts and it is always a great time. There are so many things to do down on the farm- face painting, miniature golf, carousel rides, bike races, a petting zoo, tall slides, bumble bees and airplanes, and of course the pumpkin patch. We were determined to do as many things as possible and boy did we sure have fun doing it!

 

 Kevin's mom rented a private bon fire and ordered chili and hot dogs for us all. YUM!! We also turned it into a birthday celebration for his Grandma (number 85!). The kids loved being able to roast their dogs for dinner and marshmallows for smores. They kept saying thet it felt like we were camping.

It was lots of fun, until, after returning from a bathroom trip with Karter, I realized that Koltyn was no where to be seen. A few of us adults headed off in different directions, no one saw him walk away or knew how long he had been gone for. Luckily, a few nice people noticed him wondering and crying at the far end of the pumpkin patch and sat with him until we found him. Worst five minutes EVER!

 After dinner and smores (and Koltyn had been found), we headed back out to enjoy a few more rides before the fireworks started. Kimble loved riding the 'swinging ladybugs' and was determined to get on the roller coaster. Karter ended up getting dragged along for the ride and was totally freaked out by it. But Kimble was happy, she loves those kind of rides (unfortunately, my camera battery died, so we didn't get any pictures of that).

Once we made our way out to the parking lot Kevin's car was not wanting to start. So we hooked it up to the trail blazer and waited... and waited... and waited for the battery in the galant to charge. After nearly an hour we finally gave up, left a note (so it wouldn't get towed) and headed home. It was a long day and the kids were zonked out, but it was definitely worth all the drama.