Bonus Day

All week long, the skies were dreary and we got rain, snow and a little hail in the mix. The cold air gave you chills and encouraged many families to turn on the fireplaces or turn up the heat. But when we woke up on Halloween day, the sun was peaking out and it only got brighter and more beautiful as the day went along.

I could hardly believe it was the end of October! We took the kids outside and carved pumpkins in the afternnon sun, an activity usually reserved for inside on cold October evenings. But on this day, everything about it was beautiful. I couldn't help but feel like God had given us a bonus day, a little bit of sunshine to lift our souls and remind us of the warmth of summer that is now just a memory. I didn't want to go inside, so I stayed out as long as I could, first weeding the garden, then carving pumpkins, then just basking for a few moments. Perfect.

The family activities of the day were fun, as always. The kids had a great time with Dad getting treats from the neighbors and I had fun handing out the candy. This year, I did something I've never done before. I dressed up for Halloween. It seemed fitting that I should be a pirate, but not just any pirate, a princess pirate, complete with my be-dazzled eye patch, crooked face and smile, and the best darn "arghhhh, matey" you've ever heard. It was fun to play the part and feel like, for at least one day this year, I totally fit in. :)

Tolan and I didn't coordinate well, so we didn't get a lot of great pics of the kids before they went out. In the few he took, the kids weren't completely ready, especially my sweet ballerina Lindi. Still, they looked cute and had fun. After a full night at home, we loaded in the car and drove to Grandma and Grandpa Brown's house for more treats, including cinnamon rolls and pumpkn pie. Yum!

To top it off, we came home and went to bed "early" because of the daylight savings time switch, and I slept more last night than I had in the previous 3 nights! All in all, a great day!


Carving pumpkins outside on our "bonus" day! Dad went inside to cook the pumpkin seeds, a favorite family tradition!

All smiles and goopy hands when it is pumpkin day! I love to clean out the pumpkins and carve fun designs...one of my creative outlets, perhaps!

My pirate, ninja, ballerina and iPod. What a cute crew! :)

My sweet ballerina, Lindi. Children are not made any sweeter, kinder or more caring than this little lady. Trenden came home early because of a stomach ache, and all night long, all Lindi could think of was how badly she felt that her brother was missing out. What a sweetheart!

Trenden is totally into technology, so when he asked to be an iPod, I couldn't resist. Nothing could have been easier, a $.38 costume!

Me and my pal, pumpkin pirate Pete, just waitin' for the rascals to arrive.

Preparing to face the little marauders who'd be coming to my door.

The full get up...nothing special, just some duds from around the house, but it was fun to get dressed up and play the part! "Argh, who's at me door?"

There is much more news from the weekend, but I will catch up on all of that tomorrow night. The kids have the day off school tomorrow (end of the term) so we are going to just play! I am finally feeling better from my nasty case of strep throat, and now armed with an H1N1 flu shot, I am more prepared to get out. (Thanks to my great neighbor who vaccinated me at home! I guess there are some advantages to being "high-risk"!)

And now, here's to the start of our Thanksgiving month! Count your blessings, my friends, and if you are like me, you will find they add up quickly!