Fall fun & Halloween 2017

We kept Halloween to 2 weekends + the actual day this year.

First, a trip to DC for Boo at the Zoo- at the National Zoo! And a Sunday trip to Cox Farms with our friends.

We went to DC on a Saturday, and it was quite warm and sunny.  After lunch with my cousin, her husband, and their baby, we drove over to the Lincoln Memorial, which I have actually never visited. I visited the Washington Monument several times as a kid, but never Lincoln. 

I was pleased because the boys know about Lincoln, but they also instantly recognized the steps as the place where Martin Luther King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. 

On our way into the Memorial

Asher took this picture

Selfie. I am in love with Charlotte's lips

Lincoln, looming

Reflecting

We looked at the Gettysburg Address, and I nobly tried to read it to Charlotte. 1/3 of the way through, I started crying and couldn't finish. The kids were astonished, and couldn't understand why I was crying. I tried to explain that I felt sad about the fact that our country still doesn't see people of color as equal, but I don't think they completely understood. Our visit was quite emotional for me, so I appreciated our moments reflecting by the pool.

We returned to the car, where Eric had parked in a place labeled "no stopping, no standing." We piled in and Eric turned the key. And, nothing. Eric had been sitting with the lights on and the air conditioning running but the engine off! We called AAA and the kids and I hopped in an Uber to meet our friends. It was a frenzied few minutes, but we got it together and enjoyed the rest of the night.

Our 5 kids at the zoo. Not a single picture with all 5 looking at the camera

Charlotte and a big, bad wolf

Boo at the Zoo in DC was a great time. They gave out tons of candy, and there were some creative costumes. We didn't get to see the pandas, but if you are a follower on this blog, that is par for the course for me there.

On Sunday, another warm and sunny day, we went to Cox Farms. We are old pros now, and maximized our time there.

Hay ride. Benjamin wouldn't go because there is a fake UFO and he is currently afraid of aliens

 We went on the hay ride, did the corn maze, saw the animals, ate ourselves sick on kettle corn (or maybe that was just me?), and ate apples.

The photo for their album cover

 Eric and I were hot and exhausted after our trip to Cox Farms, and we were so hopeful that the kids would fall asleep on the way home. Instead they stayed awake while we worked our way through 4 hours of traffic.

This past weekend I boldly took 3 kids to Sesame Place on a sunny Saturday. After running 10 miles in the morning. I knew I was crazy to do it, but our season passes end at the end of the year, and I wanted to get every ounce of fun out of them. It really wasn't the best idea- it was a sunny day, with rain predicted on Sunday, and the place was absolutely mobbed. We were hot in the sun, the lines were long, and they weren't giving out as much candy as the last time we went. So we hit up every candy spot, rode the roller coaster 2 times, and went home again.

Guess who was giving me attitude?

Some kind man offered to take this photo

On Sunday night, we had our annual Halloween party at our friends' house. She does a nice job of decorating and we have Halloween-themed food (I made "mummy dogs," which were like pigs in a blanket. Charlotte helped me wrap them, and she was excellent help). We played mummies, and Eric did a thorough job of mummifying Charlotte.

Mummy Charlotte

Finally, Halloween! This year I am a room parent in Asher's class. Also this year, they outlawed food at the school parties. The other room parent and I were tasked with planning a fun, 30 minute, non-food party. We came up with fun things to do, but the kids were all hyped up from their parade and let's face it, Mad Libs is not the same as a cupcake.

Benjamin as Jack Sparrow. I made him a goatee and lined his eyes

Benjamin in the parade. He was quite happy

Asher and our neighbor, who is also his classmate

Asher's back in the parade

After the parade and the parties, I took the boys to meet friends for lunch. We had a very noisy, messy lunch, and then got ready to host dinner at our house. We had our friends come join us for an early dinner, and then we hit the road to trick-or-treat! I really love Halloween, and running into friends and classmates all around the neighborhood. I love where we live, and especially with the boys in the elementary school, we know so many people and it truly feels like a community. 

The group of 8, plus our friend Ken

This year's pumpkin creations. On the left is "Tiggy," made for Benjamin

With friends. I am a cat.

Because I am an excellent mother, I didn't get a single picture of the kids together in their costumes. Oh, well. I would still say it was an overall success, and all 3 of my kids loved trick-or-treating, and have been sifting through and sorting their candy ever since.

Charlotte with an amazing lawn decoration

"Oh my gosh, I didn't get a picture of you guys! Quick, smile!"

Now it is November, 3 weeks until Thanksgiving. We are still having September weather, though, so it is hard to mentally move on. Charlotte is especially struggling- she asked me if Halloween would be this coming Tuesday, too.