Halloween 2011

This October was really fun, but also really busy.  I feel like that is the story of my life. :)  Anyway, I wanted to take a minute and post about the ways we, in the Lighten house, celebrated All Hallow's Eve. :)  Mawwwwww....

We started off the festivities with the Annual Lighten Family Halloween Party!  My kids look forward to this every year.  My super-nice in-laws throw this party at their beautiful home, and I am always amazed at that fact.  The reason being???  30+ some-odd grandkids!  All in one house, all decorating sugar cookies with frosting, and all doping up on sugar!  It gets pretty wild sometimes, but the kids love it! 
This year, Trev was on a fun guys' trip in Dallas with all his old college buddies watching the Cougars play.  So I went stag with all my 4 kids. :)  For that reason, I didn't get a single picture. :)  Too much going on, too many little hands to wipe, and the moments just flew by.  But I will mention all the fun things we did so that later on my kids will know how amazing and nice their grandparents are. :)  We had sugar cookie decorating, pumpkin bowling, bean bag tossing, apple bobbing, and ghost suckers making.  They also had a parade to show off costumes, yummy soup and bread dinner, and of course, trick-or-treating throughout the house!  So fun...thanks Gma and Gpa Lighten!

The next day was Saturday.  Trev was still gone, and so I decided I would clean my house and then do some fun things with the kids for Halloween.  It is always such a great feeling to have a clean house going into the Sabbath.  I really think it helps me feel the Spirit more on the Lord's day. :)  So once the house was clean, we headed to the store to get some supplies to make caramel apples!  Yummm...these are probably one of my most favorite treats in the world.  LOVE them!  While I dipped the apples, Abby and Morgan did a little Halloween craft.  Jake and Claire weren't so interested.

What a nice sister Morgan is...

Now onto Monday...HALLOWEEN!  We started the day off with the kids annual school costume parades and parties.  Which they were both REALLY excited about. :)  Again, no pictures.  Too much going on, but all the kids looked super-cute.  One kid was even the "UP" house...that's right, the cardboard house around him, and brightly colored balloons coming out the top!  Really creative. :)  Morgan was a bumblebee and Jake was a SWAT team guy.

After all the school festivities, I wanted to take the kids somewhere fun...mostly to kill time before dinner and trick-or-treating that night.  We decided to go see the Witches at Gardner Village.  We have done this every year, and this time Trev met us there after work.  I think it's becoming a tradition. :)  And guess, what...I actually got a picture this time...just one. :)

Next we headed home to Pizza and Salad for dinner...something easy and I knew they would eat before the massive candy-intake began...not the healthiest, but something of substance...hey, whatever. :)

Last, but certainly not least, TRICK-OR-TREATING!!!  Notice Morgan is no longer a Bumblebee?  She does this every year, by the time we go trick-or-treating, she wants a different costume. :)  Funny girl.

As you can see the weather was gorgeous!  My kids didn't even need jackets!  We got lucky however, because the next morning we woke up to a blanket of fresh snow on the ground. :)  In terms of candy, the kids CLEANED UP!  Most of which, we wound up selling back to their dentist the following day...he sends it all to the troops in Iraq.  Nice huh??  Plus Morgan had a lot of cavities this year...I think a win-win option. :)  In return, they each got a little prize, $2, and a new toothbrush kit. :)  This might become a tradition too...we'll see how long I can keep talking the kids into it. :)

Happy Halloween everybody!