Live Literature & Cookie PARTY!

On Halloween (or thereabout... depending on exactly what day it lands on) the elementary we attend has what is called "Live Literature Day". This is the only chance the kids have to dress up for the holiday. They can't wear masks or bring swords, guns, etc. but they can dress up like any character in a BOOK! SO... I convinced Lexi to dress up as the Grouchy Ladybug!! Not just because I think she's a little too grumpy sometimes, but because I had the {PERFECT} stuff for it!! I had bought the wings and antennae a while ago at the dollar store, and then my mom had sent my old dance costumes when Lexi was still taking dance and I've been holding on to them for just the right moment! And it CAME!!! Yay!! I know that sounds silly, but it really is so fun to dress up your kids once in a while... and if it used to be yours... well, there's just something {EXTRA} fun about it!!  (And I might add here that EVERYONE loved it!!)

And how awesome it is to live here where she can just go like this to school and not have to worry about a JACKET!!  Yay!

My cute kiddos!!  I just love them!

Braeden... well, he didn't have the opportunity to dress up.  It was his class performance this day and so they all wore their pumpkin shirts for their Harvest Program!  I don't really think he minded... and I sure didn't!  Getting Lexi ready was...  well... MORE than ENOUGH!!

I know what you're thinking... maybe Braeden should have been the Grouchy Ladybug!  Haha!  Here he is trying to be serious and show a part of the song he would later perform... a rap version of the Itsy Bitsy Spider!  So funny!  (And his hair is a little {spidery}, too...!!)

GROUCH!

Just SNOOTY!!  Haha!  She played the part well, don't you think?  And it wasn't too far a stretch of character for her, either!

This is the way I LOVE to see her!  She really is very sweet and is a very good little girl with the best of intentions... most of the time!  We all have our days, right??

Lexi the ladybug, and Jack the mummy... he's the little boy we carpool with every day.  He's in Lexi's class in school... and church!

Braeden's Harvest Program!

And yes... Gma Pam came for Halloween again!  Love it!  (And for those of you that know she loves to hide and try to scar my kids when she comes to the door... well, she even got me this time!  Haha!)

Can you find him?  He's NOT looking at the camera... what a GIANT surprise, huh?  NOT!

Do you see him now??

ELLA DOES... and she's waving frantically to get his attention!  So funny!  He did even wave back, but that picture was horribly out of focus.  Boo.

5 Little Leaves

Braeden and Ethan. 

Mrs. Shorack and her guitar!

The spider rap!

LOVE it!  Braeden will totally get into it!

Braeden and his good buddy, Carter!  These two can really get WILD!

Braeden and Mrs. Shorack!  We just LOVE her and are so grateful that she is his teacher!  Thanks to her for a good show... and for sharing her talent on the guitar!  My kids just LOVE it!

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Last year I started a tradition that I'm not sure I can live up to every year... but I'll try it for a while!  We invite basically all the children on the block (plus a few friends) to a "Cookie Party" in our garage for Halloween.  They come and decorate cookies and caramel apples, have treats and drinks, and have a great time playing in the culdesac.  We should really do block parties more often, but... I don't have the energy to take charge of it more than once a year right now.  Though it would be great if everyone would contribute to a pot-luck sort of thing...  ;o)

LITERALLY last MINUTE preparations for the block party!

Made with love and a LOT of flour and SUGAR!

We have a good mix here... healthy and not-so-healthy apples both ready for decorations of some sort!

Is it rude that I put everyone in the GARAGE to decorate and make a mess??  I do have nice epoxy floors... does that help??

The table decor... all holders for various cookie decorating items.  (And I can really thank my mom for these things, too.  She gives me "junk" all the time, and I hold onto it for reasons like this!  It's PERFECT for fun times like this!  It's not really junk, but I have to find a place for it, and sometimes that's a chore!!)

Cute, though, huh??

And just spooky enough!

Totally homemade, too!  My mom did it this year.  She offered, and I tried to get her to let me help, but she was great to do it!  Last year I spent the entire party at the stove stirring the carmel while all the children ran wild and free!  Thanks, Mom!

252 sugar cookies... all rolled and cut with love!!  Shaped like:  apples, pumpkins, cats, ghosts, leaves, and acorns!

But even she had to quit after a couple of batches... it's a BACK KILLER!

But OH-SO-WORTH-IT good!  Maybe one day I'll open a confectionery!  I love baking and decorating it!  This isn't my finest aesthetically pleasing work, but it's still so yummy!

Ella and Tristan... already fighting over something!

Yep... this is what Braeden did the entire time others were decorating.  He had a plan in mind... he just had to be a little patient... and he was... as you'll see a little later!  (Bet you can't guess what he had in mind!  Or... maybe you can... if you know him well enough!)

Most of the crowd... (there were more scattered here and there, but this shows a good mix!

Mmmmmm... yummy apple cider.  I don't know how many kids had this to drink, but I had 2 mugs full!

The two Alexa's that live on the street!  I think you can tell which one is mine!  (There's also Alex... and all three of them have birthdays in April!  Crazy, huh??!!)

Ella, Christie behind, and Giatry.  So nice to have really nice teenagers on the block!  (Who... I might add... also stayed till the end and helped CLEAN UP!!  Without being asked!!  They inspire my kids to be good examples!  And though my kids are good kids... these two girls are just sooo kind and thoughtful.  I remember they helped me clean up last year, too!  Amazing!  So... for those of you who have lost hope in all the teenagers... you can have a little of that hope back!)

And... of course!  If there's a way, Braeden will find it!  All he had to do was wait a little while, then pull out the bat and ball and head to the end of the culdesac, and everyone followed for a good game!  Love it!  And it made him so happy.  He didn't even care about the cookies.  I don't think he decorated a single one that day!

But everyone else did.  And they had fun at it, too!  See some of the end product!  FULL OF SUGAR!!!!!  ;o)

After the game of baseball got "boring" the girls headed for the tree swing in Alyssa's yard!  This got a little scary, I think.  They were really going to fast and too high, and had some run-ins with the tree trunk a few times.  Crazy kids!  (Here Lexi is swinging, Alyssa and Alexa are pushing, and Morgan is acting as the buffer between Lexi and the tree... super!)

There was just lots to do that day!  Anything that could be done outside... was brought outside!  So fun!  Here you see Ella, Vinny in the bandana, Cody behind, and Evan in his camo!

And, as it turned out... a great time was had by all. I did take pictures of everyone thinking that I would get them to their parents, but... that still hasn't been done. At least I have a record for our memory of all the kids we hang with in "the hood"!!