Happy Halloween!

Our pumkins. We got them carved (decorated) just in time for Halloween. I was the only one who wanted to cut and gut the pumpkin. My girly-girls were too disgusted.

Hannah Montana! When we got to school Kara's teacher laughed. She told me that Kara has been drawing herself with blonde hair all week, preparing for Halloween. Kara even acted the part at home, wildly singing into the mic.
Asia wanted to be a giraffe! She spent the day explaining to everyone that giraffes eat leaves.

When it came time for trick or treating the kids were so excited! Both went out, but after about a half an hour Asia came back. She was tired and cold. She spent the rest of the evening handing out candy with me. Whenever someone came to the door with a scary costume she would glare at them and refuse to give them candy.

Tired Asia

After Halloween....

I call these days Seattle Days. Where the sky is dark with thick clouds and only the hint of rain in the air. I welcome the calm. My children have disappeared. I can hear them singing and playing in the corners of the house. So, I find peace in the mundane house work… mopping floors, laundry, organizing closets. Between each task I can curl up with my favorite book and steal a piece of enjoyment. Every hour or so the children resurface and we get a snack, solve an argument, or sing a song together, then they are off again. I try not to think of the mess I will be coaxing them to clean up later. Tyler is on call at the hospital. If the timing is right, later today we can go see him and the kids can eat at the hospital. They love it; even if the only thing they eat is cheetos. Happy Seattle Day!

Yesterday was fun… but lets start the night before the day before Halloween. I admire my mother and because of that, I try to do a lot of things the way she would do them. My mother made all of our Halloween costumes. I must follow in the same tradition. It is a lot harder than thought. I gave up and bought Asia’s costume, but I was determined this year with Kara. She wanted to be Hannah Montana. She had never seen the show until a week ago. While watching it, she kept yelling at me that the show was not coming on. She did not understand that Miley and Hannah Montana are the same person. Even at the end when “Hannah Montana” showed up she wanted to know why she wasn’t singing. I tried to talk her out of the costume, thinking that every girl her age would be wearing it, but there was no point. Every store we went to had huge posters, backpacks, shirts, purses, belts, hats…etc of Hannah Montana. And with every store Kara was more convinced that this was her every dream!

So I started early. I bought the fabric 3 weeks before Halloween. I bought the wig and the microphone early as well. I quickly made the shirt and thought this is too easy. I waited a week to start the pants. Unfortunately I had the wrong fabric and the pants were so tight Asia couldn’t even wear them. Then I decided to modify a pajama pant pattern. Instead of Hannah Montana pants I got pants from the Jetsons. Grudingly I let Kara try it on. I could tell by the look on her face that she was very disappointed. “Mom, but where is the jacket. Hannah Montana always wears a jacket.” This was the night before the day before Halloween. I went to bed and did not sleep. I toss and turned trying to figure an easy way to get a jacket to go with the bright purple fabric.

The next day, as soon as Kara was at school I ran to the fabric store and picked out some purple denim. The whole day was spent furiously deciphering a pattern for a Hannah Montana jacket. I only got up to feed the kids and check on them every hour or so. Tyler came home, seeing the house a wreck, bless his heart even though he was not in the best of moods, feed the kids dinner and got them to bed. At 9pm I finished the jacket. Then I again remembered my mother and the many times that she stayed up most of the night to work on my costume or prom dress. I think I appreciate her much more now. Needless to say, I did not dress up. But Halloween was lots of fun and Kara and Asia had a blast in their costumes!