Happy Halloween

We closed out October with even more fall activities. Last Friday the 25th, we went to the local Methodist church to pick out our pumpkins. The kids were selective in choosing a few small ones, while I picked out the large one that we would carve. We carved the pumpkin the day before Halloween, which happened to be our first open evening of no sports, Awana, or other activities. Talk about waiting until the last minute! On Halloween, Eli's class dressed up in their costumes, and he went as a firefighter. We are so grateful for hand-me-downs from his cousins. Eli sure looked cute. He stayed in costume that evening for trick-or-treating around the neighborhood, and Emmy recycled last year's costume of Princess Peach. She couldn't wait to put on the big pink dress with the white gloves and clip-on earrings. The kids and I made a lap around the neighborhood, while Daddy stayed home to hand out candy. It is the first year that both kids have gone out for trick-or-treating. Eli declared it "the best day ever" and after leaving each house, he would hold up and announce the newest piece of candy before dropping it in his bucket. Towards the end of our loop, some of the baskets left out on front porches were running low, and the kids were so sweet to add some of their own candy. As you can see from the last picture, they had plenty to spare! 

On Saturday, the 26th, we celebrated Maddox's 9th birthday with a fun party at Airbound in Winston-Salem. The kids all had a blast jumping on the trampolines, twirling on the silks, and climbing the rock wall. In past visits, Emmy has attempted the wall, but she usually tired out or got too scared to make it to the top. This time, she made it all the way to push the button - yay! Happy birthday to Maddox! He is a fun kid to celebrate!

On Sunday evenings, Emmy and Eli have continued to go to Awana. They are learning Scriptures and having lots of fun. We've made a habit of getting ice cream for dinner afterwards, and we all feel rebellious in not eating a balanced meal. Surely one cheat meal a week won't do any harm! 

Here are a few other photos from the end of October. The fall ball season wrapped up for Eli last Saturday. He was thrilled to earn the game ball on the last day. Emmy's softball team is playing one more game this Saturday, and then her season will also be over. We sure have loved watching both of them on the field and in the dugout. They have both demonstrated great effort and sportsmanship, and we are very proud of them. As we go into November, we will soon see the selection of our next President. It is an election year, and Boomer and I both voted early to avoid the rush to the polls on November 5th. There is no perfect candidate, and our prayer is that our next President can lead our nation in unity and peace.