Halloween.

I spent an hour learning how to use the box blade on the tractor.  To really make this circular drive work, it will take a load of gravel, and another hour or two.

Halloween!

It took less than a week of Caspian being back in school for all of us to come down with a nasty cold.  We had forgotten that every bug in town makes its way through the kid network at these places, so for the past week we've all been sneezing and feeling like crap.  Caspian's had the worst of it, and has been sleeping poorly, which means we have all been sleeping poorly.

Regardless, we weren't going to let this dampen our Halloween.  The kids suited up, stopped by the tractor for a quick snapshot, and we headed over to Dixie's house for the first stop of the night.

Dixie's pumpkin carving skills are ridiculous.  This is a talented chef, who just happens to go crazy with lawn decorations for Halloween.  The kids rang the scary doorbells, and were rewarded with large amounts of candy.

We headed over to the Tatum's, who live in a central spot, and had volunteered to be the congregating spot for all of our crowd before we released the hoard of little ones on the town.

We're a big crowd. 

We left the Tatum's in waves.  

Annaliese, Billy, and Louisa.  Annaliese and Billy have been trick or treating together for three or four years now.

Caspian was very focused on his take.  While Annaliese started eating her candy early on, Caspian didn't eat anything while we were out.  He was focused on how full he could get his bucket.  (Our policy on Halloween candy: eat as much as you want to / can on Halloween, tomorrow it will all be gone one way or another.)

Spider-girl Chloe and Police-man Caspian.  There wasn't an official buddy system, these two just like each other.

We took a detour to the church parking lot, where there was a trunk-or-treat party complete with bouncy castle, then headed back to the Tatum place for snacks and hanging out with friends.  

Some of the girls went upstairs to change.  No costume can compete with a princess dress.

And that was the night.  We came home around 8, put on our pjs, and curled up with candy and a movie.  

We now have 10 pounds of good, high end candy hidden in the cupboard that I am having to avoid because I feel like crap, while Alexe, always first back on her feet in this family, is getting to snack on all the best stuff.