Fall and Pumpkins

Hola--

It's November! Time for lots and lots to happen. Daily. Hourly. Halloween. Birthdays. Carpool. Well, mostly it's just me driving, because the kids have nutty, individual schedules. So I wear the chauffeur cap and watch the gas tank needle go down, down, down.

HALLOWEEN. This was an entertaining time: the church had a chili cook-off, then Trunk-or-Treating night on Saturday night. A major, major Candy Exchange! You give my kids candy, I'll give your kids candy, plus someone will buy hundreds of yummy donuts and cider because there's not enough sugar in the air already, right??! Ha! Little kids are SO cute in their tiny costumes. (My kids are not really "cute" in their costumes anymore... "Cute" ends around 5, I think. Maybe 6.)

PUMPKINS. We had a Pumpkin-Carving Family Night, the week before Halloween. Frank has always done the carving before, but this year each child wanted to carve their own. Here are photos of the masterpieces.

Now, use your imagination: Kara is 10. Her pumpkin says "BOO!" inside the mouth. Teresa's (13 this week) says "Boo" in the back, with an owl on the left and a wolf howling at the moon on the right. David's (15) is "Boo," the character in the Mario video games. And it really LOOKS like the character! Very cool.

BIRTHDAY. Anyway, then there was David's birthday last week: my little boy is 15 now! He had some friends over this weekend, to play video games, Apples to Apples, eat spaghetti and watch a movie. I think A Good Time Was Had By All. And I was relieved to have made enough spaghetti. You never know with kids.

RAKING. We are back to Raking Season, oh--I mean Autumn, here in New England! This is the price we pay for gorgeous leaves in September and October. We RAKE! For the most part, we dislike it vigorously, but occasionally they are dry leaves, and the kids can play a little.

(My minutes have disappeared again. If anyone finds them, can you send them back to me? I really meant to do more with my time!)

Have a great week, Kari