T'was the Night Before Halloween

Must admit I was quite impressed with the ward carnival this year:)
Started off with a (cup)cake walk hosted by Bishop Williams in an inflatable sumo costume...should've gotten pic of that not to mention the creative monster & skeleton cupcakes that put mine from earlier post to shame!
Also went through wall-to-wall (& almost to ceiling) box maze set up in the Nursery that might've actually come in handy on Sunday:) On second thought, Huey is still recovering from scare by a few porches we encountered-ugh!
The gym was filled with other games too--Older boys pictured here with Mario the Missionary (other elder was Phantom of the Opera?!:)
Cole was victorious in the ping pong game so he is proud new owner of goldfish that bears the same name in addition to getting jumpstart on candy stash...Not a moment too soon 'cuz we lost Rocky the Beta earlier in the week:/ Wasn't really overjoyed @ the prospects of yet another pet on our kitchen counter, but how can you say no to that face? Cait the Homecoming Queen (notice her pretty eyes compliments of Sephora pre-party) & I thoroughly enjoyed decorating HOMEMADE doughnuts...
Luke really wanted to be this giraffe circa 2002 (yes, it's 3-6 mos size folks)But we finally convinced him that Megatron was awesome & apparently very Cinderella-esque:) Swear it was his idea!Here they are all together before they hit the neighborhood for the real deal--

Mash of Activities for My Lil Monsters

We've had a lot o' Halloween fun thanks to mask making:













Lattin's Cider Mill/Farm (A for Atmosphere/F for pumpkin selection; already had to throw one of 'em out?!) Tried to sport the seasonal orange, but had to make boys peel off purple outer layers for glimpse despite the rain:/


















T'was fun nevertheless with Aunt Britt & Ben in town esp 'cuz t'was his first Halloween!!























We decided to indulge the 2 youngest in a pony ride. Prob had to be there, but silly to hear Huey's homage to Backyardigans when we sang "Ridin' the Range--Ridin' the Range --Let's Go!" & he came around again shouting "Ya-hoo!"


















Promise I take plenty o' pics of the other 2 boys ie Cole the Scarecrow n' Dane singin'/dancin' the rain;














However, Luke was the one who really got into the selection process this year except for maybe during his "children of the corn moment":
We moved the fall festivities indoors to Charlie Safari after soggy morning @ the pumpkin patch!
First time for even dad to try laser tag...7 rounds:)






















Ben napped like a good boy amidst the chaos, so Britt & I just watched the madness while Luke jumped around in toddler area & Cait earned some serious tix in the arcade!






















Tried out candied pretzel sticks/ghost cookies/mummy pizzas (all about food even before actual trick or treating:)

















Last but not least, squeezed (perhaps squoze?:) in traditional pumpkin carving although I didn't get the memo that our cool green one home-grown by Bergesons in Central WA that Dane elected to carve was NOT HOLLOW. Thus my dirty work took bit longer than usual prior to their design time. Don't let Cole fool you-he volunteered his efforts when last scoop required before literal carving could commence:/

10/10/10=Beary Special Day for Gooey

aka LUKE'S BIRTHDAY!!

(He either calls himself that or an Asian slur:/)

Tried to kick off the theme @ breakfast, but breakfast artistry leaves much to be desired...just wait until my creation later in the same day-ugh!
Otherwise pretty mellow Sunday except I brought mini cupcakes (cheated from gourmet Wal-mart) to Nursery since I get to bond with him in there too:) Made for a mess esp being chocolate, but worth it instead of typical goldfish...did mix in some marshmallow ghosts (apparently other teacher not concerned re: sugar intake:) n' some animal crackers since usually quite a buffet! Haven't broken the binkie habit just yet so b-day boy shed some tears over that n' had a runny nose, which is also par for the course these days! Thanks Dad for staying to help him AND mom:)

So here's drama with cake for the family despite the perfect mold lent by a cousin who is much better party planner/decorator than I-should've known from the pics on the box that mine wouldn't even come close to decent replica; however, thought I had a chance when I was actually able to get out of the pan after baking late last night. Only concern was a slight lesion in his neck so I put the mold back over the top and went to bed finally...too bad it had vacuum sealed back into place this am when I went to form together-ugh! Literally came out in pieces, which I tried to resurrect with glaze n' frosting:/ Didn't happen to have "turbinado sugar," so used brown in hopes might look ok over top of all but then came the landslide--I think I definitely need to retire early from cake experiments! Yes, I'm brave enough to post pic versus most people's blogged masterpieces:) I think I might actually be able to create a talk for Church about this experience one day, so figured I should capture for posterity-Could've done without Chris' "Hmmmm....ok?!" & later comment about preference for store-bought variety, but hey! Opposition in all things...just goes to show there are very average moms or even sub-par on some days coexisting with the ones who look like they daily step outta Fam Fun mag:/
You know us though; still ate half of the remnants before I could even salvage by making cake balls that actually have mashed cake in the recipe:)
Cupcakes were a bit better thanks to my trusty kindergartener asst. in time for Huey's lil' friends-
Also more conducive to mobile party with a picnic featuring pb & honey bear sandwiches, teddy grahams & another b-day boy's personal fav=(apple) sauce:)
Yes the beary special climax was when we brought Huey, 4 friends and of course, his bros (who had their special-ordered their bears thinking they were guests of honor?!) to Build-a-Bear Workshop in Tacoma Mall.
Everyone got a choice of the chocolate or coconut cub; however, Luke wasn't wanting the spotlight so much?!














First @ the Stuffing Station:) Then squeezing wishes from everyone into B-day Boy's Bear



















But not before she had everyone rub 'em on their head so smart, heart n' tummies...the kids took that part very seriously:)















Cru n' Dylan were concerned re: bear's personal hygiene; Layne n' Broden were proud of theirs even before cheaply dressed! Can't tell in group shot but thought it was funny that all boys picked the Iron Man shirt! Speaking of which, Luke wants to be that for Halloween if you ask him & is scared if his real costume...but that's another post:)













Dylan with Coconut, Layne with Brownie, Broden with Broden, Huey with Float Rock (from Backyardigans episode) plus Dad or else he would've boycotted group photo, Dane with Camo (complete with Clone Trooper outfit he had to have from store in Downtown Disney in case they didn't have in regular one:), Cru with Wrigley, Cole with BW (Black & White)--We missed Kason & the Palmer girls:( Had lots of fun for hour in the store, but location for opening presents/serving treats in conclusion proved to be bit of challenge in public eye--decided sitting area right outside was better opt than the food court since no party room avail?!! Glad the other parents humored us incl short notice since I also experienced technical difficulties even with online invites-ugh! Always enjoy these festivities in hindsight more than preparation, so am working on living in the moment:) Can't believe my baby is 2?! Actually his tantrums that doubled when on his very b-day have been good indication:/ ps He is sched for haircut later this week, but the curls shall remain even if on verge o' mullet:) @ least it'll be outta his eyes...

Go Purple Be Gold!!

Have been meaning to post my stylish ride=evidence of true fan win or lose!
Dane n' I also had fun couple weeks ago creating a visual mid-season review:) Prob good that we left out the last 2 defeats?!
Here's the 2010 season @ a glance--Looking ahead to the Apple Cup, but hopefully we'll win @ least one other one for sake of my finger nails:) Not too sure about chances for a bowl for them or my beloved alma mater, but we will keep cheering 'em on religiously every Sat!!