Autumnal Times

Fall rolls around and although I have loads of work on my desk and lots of stressful things I'm supposed to be dealing with at my job, I decide to shirk it for something I just haven't done enough of this year...blogging!


We'll start with our annual trip to the pumpkin patch.


It's the first time Miss Ruby Zuzu has the strength to pick up (and run off with) her own gourd. Growing up fast and faster every darn second.


My little fashionista. She throws a fit whenever I try to put pants on her.

"No! Mommy!" she screams as I try with all my might to get her legs into some jeans, "I'm a princess!" That reminds me...gotta write a tale where the princess wears pants.


This pumpkin patch was quite the harrowing experience. They had a petting zoo. $5 admission per person. Jakob didn't have enough cash on hand for the whole family to enter, so he let the kids and I proceed as he hopped across to the Gulf station to use the ATM.

 

I wish the toothless redneck farmer that was running this petty zoo had been a little more forthright with certain information before I handed over my $15. If you look below, you'll see a fat piggy hanging out at the rear of the cage. Ruby went to feed the pig and toothless farmer yells through the chain link, "Careful, now. That pig bites!"


Seriously? My cherub's sweet little face is mere inches away from a moody biter pig? Just great. Then the alpaca in the cage started bucking it's hind legs like crazy. "Stand back!" Mr. No Teeth says, "That alpackie kicks hard. Could knock the kids down."


That's when I decided to leave the petting zoo asap so that "The Trip to the Pumpkin Patch" did not become "The Trip to the ER after being Mauled by a Pig and Kicked by an Alpaca." But it was hard to get Ruby to leave. She liked the goat.


After the patch, we headed to the local diner for grub.  Ruby loves Daddy.


And root beer floats!



Then came my favorite day of the year...HALLOWEEN!


Cooper's Frankenstein was very impressive. He did the stomping and the groaning. True commitment to character.

 

Ruby LOVED her Cinderella outfit. The dress even lit up and sparkled! So did the wand! These kids and there fancy high tech costumes. Long gone are the days of "I'm wearing a sheet as a ghost."


After a quick pose with Frank and Cindy in the front yard, we all headed to Cooper's Halloween parade at Dunsmore Elementary school.


What fun! The Halloween Spirit was in the air. Many superheros, ninja turtles and princesses.




Cooper carved this pumpkin featuring, well, Frankenstein, of course! He wanted the carving tools sticking out of the head for added creepiness.


My pumpkin had a great stem, so I used it as a nose and went with a witch motif. I also did this stacked Tiki.


Night came and it was finally trick or treat time. Here's the front yard all a glow. We had near 40 trick or treaters! I think that's because I was passing out the big bars at the start of the evening and one little zombie yelled, "THEY HAVE KING SIZED!" After that, we had many visitors. Word got around.


Here are the paper mache zombie heads Cooper and I made for our art show. They greeted folks by the door.



School has specifically asked that kids refrain from any gore or bloody make-up...but for trick or treating, we bloodied it up.
 

Jakob took them door to door. He said they were perfect. Ruby took big bro's lead, knocking and waiting patiently. They both chimed, "trick or treat" and once the candy dropped in their bags, "THANK YOU!" Now...if I can just get Ruby to wearing anything else besides the princess gown...