Boo to you too!

I am excited for Halloween. My kids are both now at an age where this is fun for them, they kinda know what is going on. Lilly is much more interested in all of this than Max was at this same age. Thanks to a tip from my friend Mary Jane, we decorated pumpkins with these great kits from Walmart. They are such cute pumpkins and it held Max's attention much longer than carving would. They were quick and easy.
Last night, Max and I went out and "booed" some friends and neighbors. The plan was this: Max would quietly approach, leave the goodies and knock then run like the wind and dive into the van. The first house, we got caught. We were giggling so hard as I tried to drive away with the door still open. The person that caught us was a kid. Max explained that kids run fast when they hear the doorbell. "Curse _________!" He said. (I am leaving her name out just in case she didn't know it was us.) The third home we went to was in a cul-de-sac. Harder to escape from. So our plan was for Max to go up, like before, but this time he would jump off the porch, to the side, behind the bushes. He would wait for the target to get the gift, close the door, and then he would get in my car. Meanwhile, I was parked at the next home with my car off. It worked! Our target picked up the gift and said loudly into the night air "Thank you Halloween Ghost! Thank you for my treat!". He then went back into his house. Max ran to my van and we drove home. Max was so excited. "It worked! Plan "C" worked!" (I don't know what plan "B" had been?) Max said he was so tempted to say, in a ghostly voice "WOOOO, You're welcome" when our target thanked us. He held back though, wanting to keep it a secret. I highly recommend this activity. We giggled and giggled. It was everything Max loves. What a great memory for my little boy. I hope he looks back on his childhood and remembers this kind of stuff and not the Mommy that yells, frustrated at telling him the same thing for the 64th time.

My friend Jen had a very fun Halloween party in her back yard. She had 30 kids there, at least! All the Mom's kept looking at each other saying "I would never have this party at my house. Jen's amazing!" I wonder, now, if Jen is saying the same thing "Why did I have this party at my house?" The kids had so much fun, though. Donuts, pumpkin painting, bounce house, trampoline, cupcake decorating, face painting, etc... Max's friend Jacob, a budding artist, painted a snake on Max's face. Addison, Jen's daughter, painted a pumpkin on her Mom and did a darn fine job of it!