A "trek" of a different sort.

What weekend! Actually ALL last week was wild. We had something going every night. I am glad that's over. Anyways, Saturday we carved pumpkins and I did something I've always wanted to do but never have before now: I roasted the seeds from the pumpkins. They are actually quite tasty. I looked on the Internet and found gobs of recipes.

I settled for one that called for 1 1/2 cups of seeds to 2 tbsp. melted butter and salt to taste.
We have been munching on those. Yum!


After the carving part was over Zane wanted to embellish his pumpkin a little more. Looks like something from a horror movie.

Saturday night we had a party to go to at the neighbor's house. It is a well-known fact that if you don't go to the party, your house will get toilet-papered. (In fact one neighbor didn't go out of town specifically because he didn't want his house t.p.-ed.) We had lots of fun at our party but had to watch our kids closely because of the types of beverages that were offered.

Last year at the same neighbor's party there were Jello Vodka shots set right alongside the kid-friendly fare of chips and dip. This year there wasn't any food that was crazy (that we know of) but there were lots of half-drunk Margaritas left laying around. At one point Zane opened a cooler and came running over to me saying, "Look mom, I got a soda."

It was a Bud Light.

Awesome.

I had to tell him that those weren't the kids' drinks and promptly gave him an orange soda.

I am glad that we went and got to know our neighbors a little more, though. We had to leave a little early to get Zane and Violet to bed and pick up Hallie and Hannah. After about half and hour I went outside to make sure the van was locked and lo! and behold our house had been toilet-papered, along with one set of neighbors that really were out of town, AND the neighbor that stayed in town. He had been in the backyard and didn't know of the shenanigans going on out front.

Later Curtis snuck outside and took all the toilet paper from our house and put it in the yard of another neighbor. When they left the party to put their kids to bed they gathered up the toilet paper that Curtis had placed there and draped it on the bushes of the house where the party was. Boy, that toilet paper got around!

I believe a tradition has begun.

Hallie and Hannah had fun a "teen's only" party at their friends' house.


There had been some discussion on whether or not to take our kids trick or treating on Sunday. In the end we decided that we would because it was a great way to visit with neighbors and meet new ones. And it was a family activity to boot.

Hallie began her official "growing up" by opting to stay home and hand out goodies.

After trekking around our streets we decided to go see if the Stake Pres. was handing our treats. If they were, then all was good. As we walked to their set of streets my kids were exclaiming that this was such a family bonding experience, taking a walk together and that it was sort of like the pioneers, all that walking we were doing.

Ummm.....yeah. Just like the pioneers.

Coincidentally: The Stake Pres. had his whole entire family in front of his house (loads of grandkids) and he was taking the little ones out driving around in his golf cart in their costumes. We were safe. We went by several other member's houses though, and they weren't going out themselves, but the kids were getting to hand out the treats. I think we might just be in trouble with those parents.

Afterwards, the second and final session of the Great Candy Trading Summit of 2010 began.

Wow. My kids have ALOT of candy.

Starting to rethink letting them go out Sunday night.

Hope you had a great Halloween.