Thanksgiving with a kindergartner

                        Zaynzley and Eddy

We have had a long standing tradition of going to school and eating the Thanksgiving feast put on by the school Cafeteria with our kindergartener. The years there isn’t a kindergarten kid we take turns going with the other kiddos. Most years I would go by myself as it was hard for Eddy to get away from the classroom. Now that he is a principal he has an easier time getting away unless there is a fight amongst his students or something else that he has to handle. 

The food is actually pretty good and the turkey is cooked in a pit, yum! Eating school lunch as a parent makes you something of a celebrity or at least a little of what celebrities feel like going out in public. Lots of surprised looks and whispers and a few brave students will ask you questions. Zaynzley was delighted that we both came, but let’s be honest Eddy is the real prize. Both Zany and Archer were vying to have Eddy attend lunch with them. No one clammored for me to be there special guest, sigh. What can I say everybody loves Eddy (me included)!  

After eating turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, roll and a piece of pumpkin pie. It was time to say goodbye our sweet kindergartener. 

This was our last Thanksgiving with a kindergartener, so sad. I guess next year Eddy will available to eat with any of the kiddos. They would start fighting over him now if they realized it. We’ll see who gets the honor of his company next year, check back to see! 

Halloween Night 2017

We have some long standing traditions in our family concerning Halloween.  I loved Halloween when I was a kid.  Back then you would get a pillowcase and go Trick or Treating with your friends no parents needed.  My sister would usually come too.  We were quite little but didn't need adults watching over us at all times like it is today.  We roamed the neighborhood freely trying to fill our pillowcases to the top.  Then we would come home when we could no longer heft our engorged pillowcases and dump them out and sort and trade our candy.  It was so much fun! Of course your parents had to check our candy to make sure there weren't razor blades hidden in an apple (who gives out apples on Halloween? I remember seeing a newscast about this when I was a kid) or other dangerous things in our candy.  I think it was just a conspiracy really to let the parents paw through the candy and take what they wanted.  

Our current tradition, as dusk falls everyone gets their costumes on and we gather in the front yard for pictures.  Then as the evening sky fades to black we begin Trick or Treating.  If the porch light is on that means the house is open for Trick or Treating.  We always Trick or Treat in our own neighborhood and we WALK.  Lots of people drive which we scoff at quite throughly.  This neighborhood was built in the late 1960's so they are all ranch style houses surrounding the golf course.  These days there are not as many houses that hand out candy maybe four to eight houses per street so there is a lot of walking.  We Trick or Treat as long as the kids want to keep walking.  This year I turned the tracker on my phone on to log our route and time.  We walked 2.2 miles averaging 56 minutes per mile.  The kids walked a bit further than that as they walked up the doors and knocked while Ashlee and I waited on the curb.  

The Dementor

This is Declan who your can hardly see 

(I think the photographer Ashlee had trouble with her settings)

Captain America

McCoy

Sleathy Ninja

Archer

Heidi

Zaynzley

Last year Zany was Heidi too.  She loves this costume because it is soft and not scratchy like lots of costumes are and because last year a sweet older lady gave her two candies because she was the first Heidi (possibly only) she had seen that night.  Zany still likes to remember that.

Trick or treating!

Poor McCoy's feet were killing him while we were Trick or Treating any chance he got to sit down on a fence or wall and rest them he did.  As soon as he got home he took of his shoes.

Poor McCoy's sore feet

Once we are done Trick or Treating we come home and hand out candy to other Trick or Treaters while all of our collected candy is dumped onto two cookie sheets and then sorted into two big bowls the chocolate bowl and not-chocolate bowl.  It becomes communal candy.  The missionary we had to dinner the day after Halloween was shocked by this.  I guess he retained sole possession of his candy. After the candy is sorted we go to the backyard where we have a fire in the fire pit and watch a Halloween movie.  Everyone eats as much candy as they want while while watching the movie.  Then the candy is put away and makes a few more appearances throughout the week.  After that the rest of the candy is given away to the piano teacher (Grandma Parke) to handout to the piano students.

I let the kid stay up late on Halloween and sleep in the following morning and drive them to school late.  With all that walking they need the extra rest!

Zany with her bucket

Quinton and Zany

Quinton had football practice so didn't go Trick or Treating with us.  Good thing for him our candy is communal or he would be out of luck and candy!

Friday Night Lights

 I have decided it is about time to blow off the dust on this old blog.  It's been just over a year since I last blogged but it feels like its been 3 or 4 years.  I decided to jump back in to current events and catch up on the last year as time allows.  What is looming large right now in our lives?  Football.  Not just NFL football and our beloved Arizona Cardinals, or College Football, and our dearly beloved Arizona State Sun Devils, but high school football.  Quinton is a junior in high school this year and is on the varsity football team.  Right now we are in the middle of state playoffs.  We are in the semi-final round.  If we win this weekend we are off to the State Championship Game just after Thanksgiving.

Quinton's football season this year began in July.  Let's just say it has been a long season!  Quinton really enjoys football and is a defensive end/wide receiver. He did receive an injury a couple of games ago.  As he was going in for a touchdown he was tackled and hyper extended his knee backwards.  Thankfully he has nearly recovered although it did slow him down for a bit.

Quinton #85 and his buddy

Go Eagles!

Archer got a little face painting done

Quinton and Eddy at an away game

At another game Quinton got stepped on and it bruised his ribs. You can see two red stripes on the right side which were from the kid's cleats that stepped on him but Quinton did sack the quarterback on the play. 

Poor guy!

Zany expresses her Eagle pride!

Quinton with his biggest fans! 

Zany holding the helmet and McCoy on his shoulder.

As busy as football season is, it is my favorite time of year! Especially as it continues to get cooler.  There is something magical about Friday Night Lights.  Hearing the high school band play the fight song with every touchdown, smelling the popcorn, seeing the excitement and energy of the players and crowd makes for some All-American fun! I grew up hating the Eagles (as they were my high schools rival) but find myself rooting for them now! 

Go Eagles!!