Happy Halloween

SAT:  This year halloween is on a sunday but everyone is trick or treating on saturday.  Here is what we did that day.
To start off our halloween we got up and fixed ourselves some pumpkin pancakes....so yummy!  It will be a tradition every year-the kids just eat em right up.  I then had to break the news to them that we had to go to their primary program practice-really? on halloween.  Let's just say we survived it!  Finally it was time to get our costumes on and head to Salt Lake City this year.  Aaron's oldest brother Casey & his family moved here a few years ago and we have never spent a Halloween with them so Aunt Krisa had a great idea to invite us down for some good food, games, and trick or treating.  I'm glad that we were able to go spend the time with them and let the kids hang out with their cousins that they don't see to often.  After dinner the kids enjoyed a few games that their older cousin Caden put together for them.  They started off with a treasure hunt, they did a game like pin the tail on the donkey but instead it was a spider on a cob web.  It was really cute!  They then finished with a game of bingo using count dracula cereal to mark off their spaces.   Then it was time for some trick or treating:)   

 For dinner we had "hallowieners" (tradition) Rhodes rolls wrapped around hot dogs that look like snakes.  We had homemade root beer, finger foods, and some yummy soups and breadsticks.

                Casey, Krisa, Eliza, Kennady & Grandma Stewart (aka Grandma Ed)

                      Grandpa Stewart (aka airplane grandpa) Reed and Logan

Trick or Treat! This is right before we headed out to get lots & lots of candy.  Logan's costume was supposed to be a master chief (halo guy) but he decided to borrow one of Reed's swords and be a ninja with him.  They had a great time with one another.  Kennady finally wore her doggie costume which we had to tuck the tail in because she was embarrased.  I on the other hand look huge and will need to find a new witches costume.  The kids had so much fun running door to door seeing how much candy they could get.  There were quite a few houses that gave out big candy bars which the kids LOVED!  We might have to go to slc every halloween:)  Uncle Casey sat in his car in the driveway with Logan's Halo mask on and honked the horn to scare all the trick or treaters that came and Logan & Reed hid in the bushes as well.  It was a memorable Halloween for our kids.

SUNDAY:  Yay we get to celebrate again!  After church we came home and had the usual...nacho's!  The kids then grabbed their halloween sacks to divide up their candy. 
                  

One of the best things I remember at halloween when I was a kid was putting all my candy into a big pile and seperating them into smaller ones.  Putting m&ms together, candy bars together, skittles together and etc.  That way you got to see everything you got.  With the kids we combined all their candy together & seperated them.  We let them each take 3 pieces from each pile for their own stash and the rest went into a bowl that they will have to earn it by doing chores, etc.  Some of it may end up going to Aaron's work there was so much of it.  Maybe we are a little mean but now that I am a mom I can't stand seeing all that candy and wondering how fast they are going to eat it, & how jacked up their teeth with be:)  I do remember though that I would fill half a pillowcase full of candy and that still wasn't enough.  I'm surprised my teeth are as good as they are.  The kids were fine with it though and still have plenty with their own little stash.

  

One of the main stops we do on Halloween is going to great grandpa Herrick's.  The kids always love it because they know they always get to pick 2 pieces of candy from his pumpkin bowl, or however many they want. They then are usually doing cart wheels in the front room or doing something else that I'm sure drives him crazy but he just smiles and enjoys the time with them.   
 Later on we went to grandpa & grandma Herrick's for soup, bone chilin breadsticks, and Aunt Jenna made root beer cupcakes.  They were like eating a root beer float-they were good.  And of course we had to take all the cousins picture in their costumes.

Every year my mom does sacks instead of just picking a treat out of a bowl.  My grandma Herrick started this when I was young and thankfully my mom has kept up the tradition.  The kids each have a sack with their own name on it and they have to go around the house and find them.  This is them after finding their sacks.

In the sacks are usually a capri sun, gold fish, applesauce, and a few other treats. 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!