Monday, October 31, 2011

Carving It Out

It's pumpkin carving time!!
I always love this night! Time to pick out the best patterns, light 'em up, and bake the seeds with butter and salt! This year, Gabe carved his out for the first time. Using the tools in the pumpkin carving kit we get every year (safe little miniature plastic saws and such)... I think he did a GREAT job on his phantom!


The kiddos were SOOOO excited to get going!


Daddy gets to work cutting off the tops of the pumpkins.


Asher pulls out the guts of his pumpkin ... ewwwww!


Ash tries to mimic the scary face of his jack-o-lantern.


Asher's pumpkin was by far the scariest.


Rhy's was the "cute flying cat." I can think of very little LESS cute than a flying cat, but it was the most innocent pattern in the book. :)


Gabe had the scary phantom face and he did it all by himself!


All of our merry pumpkins, twinkling in the dark!

Trick or Treating Down Town

The downtown businesses had an evening of trick-or-treating a few days before Halloween, where kids could come down and get free candy from outside all the quaint little shops and stores. there must have been a couple thousand people packed onto our scenic main street. It was INSANE! Here are just a few shots ... and yes, my dog is wearing a mask and a cape. I made it for him myself, at the last minute, using my handy dandy sewing machine. :)





Class Trip

This week, Asher's Kindergarten class (of five boys) went to a pumpkin farm. They had such a great time. The boys took a hayride, played in a corn maze, and got to pick some pumpkins. Rhylah and I tagged along for the fun of it!


Kale, Isaac, Ash and Rhy on the hayride.


Asher and Kaeden on the hay ride with Mrs. Kern, the teacher they ADORE!!


Isaac, Asher, Kaeden, Jared ... Kale's sister and Kale ... all with their pumpkins.


Rhylah and Asher ... so sweet!


Making music with instruments made out of gourds! Asher had SUCH a great time with this.


Making silly faces in front of the T-Rex! Five boys means a WHOLE lot of silliness!


Asher and Isaac on the hay ride.


Asher with his pumpkin.


Rhy with her pumpkin.

Hallow Him

Every year, Trinity Lutheran Church in town hosts an event called Hallow Him. It's a way to kick back and celebrate Halloween, keeping in mind that Christ is still front and center. We love it! There's hayrides, bouncy houses, face painting, and SOOO much yummy candy and pizza. What's not to love??


Outside, on the porch, before we leave for Hallow Him.




Rhy and her best buddy, Abigail.


Rhy got her face painted. We waited in line FOREVER for it, but she was stubborn and didn't want to go do anything else.




Rhy and Asher with the crafts they made.

Pumpkin Farm



Every year we drive around everywhere, looking for the perfect pumpkin farm. The idea of the "perfect" farm has been ingrained in our heads since we lived in Wisconsin, and actually DID go to a perfect farm every year. Medium sized, family oriented, cider and a craft barn, a hayride, and a cut-your-own-pumpkin field. We have yet to find that here. This year, we ended up at a small, road-side farm/stand. It was tiny, but after a day of hunting, we were more than ready to settle for small. And the kids didn't care. They still had fun picking out their pumpkins.








Asher finds his perfect pumpkin.


Gabe is so serious as he searches through the pumpkins.




So many to choose from!


THIS is the one!!

More Holter Visit ...


Abbie fell in love with our pooch, Lucca. And he snuggled right up to her every chance he got!






Cousins!


The Acorn Theater in Three Oaks ... I just love the sign.


Cousins, in order of height AND age.


Gabe and Seth, only about a year apart, had SUCH a blast on this visit!


Driers butcher shop in Three Oaks ... has the sawdust on the floor and everything! We love their mustard.

Visit with the Holters



Nate's sister Shea and her husband Mark and their kiddos, Abbie and Seth, came for a visit last weekend. We had SUCH a blast. On Saturday, we spent the afternoon in Three Oaks, shopping and wandering around town. Then it was on to Grand Mere State Park, where we went for a short hike. Mark got these awesome photos on his camera. Mine, which are much less stellar, will be on the next post. :)


Me and Seth check out the shells and rocks on the beach. He found an Indian bead, and I explained how my great-grandma used to collect those in the gravel after it rained. He was pretty thrilled with the stones and things he found!






Our troops, hiking over the dunes at Grand Mere.


Love this shot of my Rhy girl.


Abbie and Asher clown around in the water. Ash got soaked, of COURSE.


Abbie jumps a wave.


Awww ... uncles are a great place to rest your noggin when you're tired!