Halloween

It seems to be the going trend for Halloween festivities to be putting up a pretty good competition with the celebration of Christmas. We skipped out on a several events and still got our fair share of the holiday. Thank goodness for nostalgia, Aaron and Olivia wanted to wear their pirate costumes I made for them last year. Pretty close to being way too small but they worked. (They even said they wanted them again next year... I think I'll have to come up with something new.)

Thursday, the 29th we attended the Candlelighters Halloween event. It was fantastic, as usual. This time was extra great because Daddy and Aaron got to come along. They had fun carnival games, tons of trick-or-treating (in the bottom floor of a hotel behind the strip, each room's entry was decorated

and had people in costume handing out candy), wonderful choices of food and desserts along with plenty of hot cocoa. The split second Bill and I were checking in to get our wrist bands someone brought both kids cotton candy! Talk about service. Aaron wasted no time tearing into his. We had to convince him to get rid of it so he could have dinner. Livi's favorite thing this year, as well as last, was the horse riding. Although I think the hot chocolate was a close 2nd. Aaron LOVED the horse ride as well and was so excited he couldn't sit still for the digital camera. He also loved ALL THE CANDY!

This guy was great. He just sat there staring at the kids. They didn't even notice and then all of a sudden out of his bowl jumped a mechanical hand! OOHHH those were some good screams!

Our friends, the Shiblaq's, whom we've met because their daughter was diagnosed 2 weeks before Livi, were at the event also and graciously gave us tickets to the hockey game that night. Las Vegas was stomped on by Utah. Ziad is the branch manager of the Pepsi plant in town and gave us access to their suite. We were the only ones there but it was great to see part of the game. Only Bill has ever been to a hockey game live before. It was crazy to me what the ref's allowed as far as "fighting". The kids enjoyed it as well.

Friday was "Nevada Day" so no school. A lot of time counting and organizing candy.

Friday night we joined our friends/"cousins" the McMillans for dinner and pumpkin carving. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I will never again "wait" to buy a pumpkin! Why couldn't I buy the huge beautiful pumpkin for $7. at Smith's the prior week? Why did it end up costing me $8. for a pumpkin half its size at the dang pumpkin patch?! Smith's of course was out of pumpkins... it's a conspiracy. I think the pumpkin patch people go snatch them all up!!! Anywho... It was a fantastic evening with great friends. They made chicken chili/soup and scones for dinner! I brought some gooey pumpkin bars that didn't quite turn out how I remembered them. But overall, great night.

On Halloween Livi went to a friends birthday party. I had been sewing a skirt for her to wear to church the following day and at 1:30 Bill asks me, "What time was that party?" Oh crud! "AT ONE!" Hurry and get Livi out of the street, she, Aaron and the neighbor had been making goodie bags for neighbors, get her dressed in costume and get her to the party. Only 45 min. late! She was a great sport about it. When your day starts off that much behind, you never catch up. We had invited two families over for our traditional "Rigaboney" Halloween dinner. They arrived as I put the pasta in the oven... yes, still running behind. (Everything worked out okay in the end.) So there were 6 adults and 9 kids and 1 infant in our house for the meal. It was fantastic. Bill made yummy "witch's brew" (orange cream ice cream and 7 up), and our friends brought salad and bread. With easily 10 lbs of main dish who could ask for anything more!

Afterwards we all went trick-or-treating in a neighborhood at the back of our community. It was so much fun. Lots of houses, close together, lots of people living there that we knew from church and great decorations on the houses. At one friends' house we were invited in for scones! Yumm-O! Thank you Mulliners. That was 2 nights in a row for us!!!

Our last stop for the evening was our neighbor's house down the street. When the kids knocked on the door a friend of theirs' answered and was letting them pick from their bowl of candy. Becky stole the bowl out of their hands and said, "No no no. Not for our special friends!..."

HOLY CHOCOLATE!

Happy Halloween!