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!

Fun On the the Fourth 2016 edition

As summer comes to an end time sure seems to speed up! Ashlee called and told me it been a week since my last post and I couldn't believe it I could of sworn it had only been a day.

Duncan Az used to be know as "Biggest Parade in Small Town America" not sure if they still carry that title but we enjoy the parade no matter the size.  Sometimes it's a night parade sometimes a morning parade.  When it is a morning parade it adds an element of excitement as we have to travel the 45 miles and arrive before 8am when they close down the streets for the parade.  We have had some close shaves but so far we have always made it in time to join Pa saving our seats.

Election years which this year was means there is a lot of candy, and other handouts.

Here is our group watching the flag bearers go by

We usually bring out breakfast which this year was boiled eggs, bananas and donuts.

Egg-cellent smile

Zany loves boiled eggs!

Dec putting Tapatio hot sauce on his Egg

McCoy dressed for speed this year and he was in beast mode as he collected candy!

Zany was more like one at a time when collecting candy

Given the chance Archy will shot anyone with his gun!

After the parade, there were carnival games for the kids.

Zany pops ballons

Archy gets a few

Declan  does bean bag toss

Archy tries to win

While the kids played games others played cards

While others played Ashlee and I busted her brand new sewing machine she has had for three years without opening it.  I insisted we use it to alter some curtains for her dining room.

Rhiannon with curtain

More Cards

Archy and Zany getting ready to swim

Only thing better than boiled eggs in Zany's book is Corn on the Cob!

Eddy grills our dinner!

We had another fun Fourth o' July!  Thanks to all those who sacrificed to make a day celebrating freedom and patriotism a yearly event we look forward too !

Easter in Duncan (a catch up post!)

Every couple of years the Duncanites try to move the easter egg hunt to my house.  My tiny 1/3 of an acre isn't nearly as fun as risking pokes and scratches on acres of desert landscape.  The weather is always lovely and cool with just the right amount of sunshine.  The lilac is always in bloom and so are the orchids, besides at this point it is long standing tradition.  Nona always does some fun $5 dollar money eggs the kids really look forward too.

Baskets ready?

Ashlee and I always hide the eggs.  Over the years we have developed a few favorite hiding places. This year Ashlee thought it would be fun to throw eggs into these large briar patch full of really scratchy, pokey plants.  Poor McCoy (below) is right in the midst of them trying to get an egg.

Fighting hard for the egg

Declan fighting his own fight for the egg

Archy gets the easier turf since he is younger and finds one on the woodpile

                                Sometimes you gotta climb trees to get to the good eggs

Archy in Mulberry Tree

 A wee butterfly stops by to say hello!

Lilac bush in the front yard

After all that hard work it's time to check out the loot and eat the chocolate before it melts more!

Left to right back row: McCoy and Archer

Front row: Zany, Declan, and Quinton

After all the hunting was done we headed out to visit Grandpa Agle's grave.

Putting in new flowers

Forks up for Grandpa who was a Arizona State Sun Devil, too!  

We miss you!  It's a good reminder at Easter,

 that it's only temporary we'll see and be with him again.

Easter

Better Late Than Never!!

Due to unforeseen circumstances (and more than one person being sick a few times) Easter was much delayed this year. There was almost mutiny from the Kids several times over. In the end, there were a few good things to take away.  Everything was half off!! Lots of Candy. In fact, for the first time that I was aware of, the Easter bunny put out pre-made baskets. He told me those were 75% off.

 
Here is the gang with there baskets!

McCoy searches for his egg in the desert.

Declan can't decide which way to go.

Here is quint, Who I might add had the hardest time finding his metallic egg. There are special eggs for each kid, so that the prizes are evenly distubuted. Quint was searching and searching until the wee hours. In fact he even used a flashlight. though not unlike the little ones, Eddy was able to help him track it down.

Declan does some advance scouting for the rest of the hunters.

Zany reaches up high

Zany was very into finding eggs. I must tell the Easter bunny next year to hand out sturdier baskets.

Archy spotted this one, up high all by himself.

Not an Easter without a bunny to nibble on.

Happy Valentines Day!

I like my Valentines old school style-simple.  Just a box of Valentines you buy at the store that are ready to tear apart and label to/from.  Nowadays, they have candy with to and from places to write on it in lieu of a card.  I don't like that as well.  

Declan had gotten their Valentines out a week in advance looking forward to addressing them.  A few days before Valentines, I finally let them have their Valentine prep party.  McCoy and Declan both had their class list of all the kids names and they began to attach the tattoos that came with their valentines.  I just let them do their thing while I worked with Archer.  After they had done about ten each I noticed they were putting them together all wrong and I had to go back, taking off the stickers and redoing them.   I have learned over the years, as soon as they get home from school to have them read through all the cards and then against their many protest throw them away.  Otherwise, I will continue to find old Valentines stuffed in their sock drawer or under their bed until the next Valentines rolls around.  

Despite my repeated warnings for Archer to gather up his candy and put it in a ziploc bag he totally ignored me. When Zany woke up from her nap and saw all that lovely candy for the taking sitting on the dinning room table she couldn't have been happier.  Archer not so much!  Many tears later we got the candy evenly distributed and our house was filled with love and sugar!  

Just as the Valentines holiday demands!  

McCoy (left) and Declan work on their Valentines

McCoy attaches his tattoos

Archer working on his Valentines

Look at his careful handwriting

Valentine loot

(Archer was not happy to take this photo but I made him)

Hope your Valentines Day is LOVEly!

Happy Valentines from Us!!!