Halloween Traditions

I love our family Halloween Traditions.  I also love the Phoenix Halloween traditions that I'm becoming accustomed to.

After having chemo 2 weeks ago I went home with a mask over my face and in a wheelchair.

I felt awful on that plane ride.  Surprisingly I'm not feeling that bad today.  It was so nice to go home to see the fall colors even though when I first got there, the leaves were all on the tree and still slightly green which is rare for the 3rd week in October.

Mom has been sending me updated pictures of the tree because she knows how much I love it this time of year.  Thanks mom.

 And today dad started raking up all the leaves.  I wish they would stay around for another few weeks until I go home, but that's not happening.  I told mom to have the kids go over and take pictures of them jumping in the leaves.  That's the best part of the leaves.

Friday afternoon we went to the pumpkin patch.  It was the perfect afternoon and even maybe a little warm.  I liked going in the afternoon over the evening.  Of course the highlight is this crazy slide that all the kids love and the hayride which takes us to find the perfect pumpkin.  At the end of our time we always have donuts and apple juice in the parking lot.  Such a fun tradition.

Saturday I made a pot of pumpkin chili for our evening party, watched college football and read Go Set A Watchman, which I might add was fabulous. That evening we had our annual Young Family Halloween Party.  This was the first year that we didn't have it at my grandparents.  It was kind of sad and I missed seeing grandpa standing at the door watching the fun.  But we had a fabulous time at my cousin Reads.  It was the second perfect place for our Halloween Trunk or Treat.  We always have soup, cinnamon rolls (or long johns which no one brought this year; it was grandma's tradition) and grandma's homemade hot chocolate.  We also go on a hayride and the kids have fun collecting candy.  I was sad that my sisters weren't in town for the weekend, but it was fun to have all of my brothers there.

 

 
The weekend before I went home I went to a Halloween Block party with Cathy.  Her sister's block has had this tradition for 20 years.  I loved it, especially that they had Bahama Bucks tropical snow.

This past Friday I went to Deborah's ward trunk or treat.  There was a huge turnout and we had fun handing out candy.  Afterwards we went to her house where her husband, the master pumpkin carver showed us his talents.  He is quick and does exactly what the kids ask for.

Saturday Cathy and her daughter Hope and I went to Laura's and went Trick or Treating with their kids.  They have a huge neighborhood and they all sit out in their driveways handing out candy and grilling hot dogs.  It's hard to keep up with the kids going from house to house.  Thank goodness Laura had a brilliant idea to put green glow in the dark necklaces around the kids, even though they did get lost a time or two.

Sunday Deborah had her annual Halloween dinner.  She goes all out with eyeball ice cubes and mummy dogs, spider eggs and such.  She didn't disappoint again this year.

It's a good thing that I don't have kids.  I'd be really tempted to eat their candy, even though I'm staying away from candy for now.

Tristen sent the cutest pictures of Aidree and Bridget.  We missed them at our Halloween parties. Such silly girls.

 

Aidree had her kindergarten pictures.  So adorable.  I can't believe how grown up these girls are getting.  They have such fun characters and I love facetiming them at random hours of the day.