~Making Halloween~

October was busy, one thing after another. Let's dive right in!

I had a fun gathering with my neighborhood ladies. We got sharing scary stories and movies and I mentioned a terrifying night where a balloon kept bobbing outside my bedroom door like a head peeking in and hiding again. Thcary. This was right when the movie IT came out and we were saying it would be a great practical joke if someone tied a red balloon to all the storm drains down the road. The next night I responded to a knock at my door to this:

No, thank you!

Adren continues to practice his electric guitar. His teacher is my age so he comes home playing riffs he's learned like Nirvana, Metallica and Green Day. Adrens always surprised we know the songs he's playing. He's sounding fantastic and you can always hear him strumming away in the house.

 I sure love my Laurel group. We invited back a recently released, beloved advisor to show us how to ice cakes all profesh. It was a delicious and fun night!

And then it was time for our Young Women Book of Mormon Retreat! We decided we'd do this in the fall and only on one Saturday instead of the overnight-er over Christmas break. We've been challenging the girls to read the Book of Mormon in segments and we wanted to be to Alma by Halloween. Each Sunday we ask a gal or two to share what she's reading about, or tips on reading habits. This sometimes prompts some neat discussion that we never have time for, so we decided to host a retreat where we have breakfast together, break off into some personal study time, then come together and share. We had the girls write down their favorite scripture and why, and we cut them up so each girl could have a pile of everyone's favorites. Then we painted the inside of mason jars to hold the scriptures. We had asked the moms to tell us one thing their daughter has shown improvement to add to the jars. We made one for the Bishop as well. I had laminated a bunch of cute bookmarks for their reading. We even had a B of M game we were going to play, but scratched that when time got away from us. 

We really went bonkers for the breakfast. We wanted a feast, and it was! We joked it was the "Bacon Retreat". Sooo much bacon! Sausage and eggs, fruit and juices~ we had a guy in the ward make a ton of his delicious sweet rolls that he's famous for (seriously, I think that is why we had almost 100% turnout!) We wanted to stuff the girls because other than some snacks we set out, that was the food for the day!

The sharing portion was soooo great. We all felt the spirit strongly as girl after girl stood and shared her testimony of reading the Book of Mormon and our Savior. I said a silent prayer when it was over and I felt we had accomplished what we needed.

 We had gone over the night before to set up. I just pulled all my fall decor off shelves and my mantle, and cut up some of my yard foliage as well as flowers off of Geneva Road. I was busy so I gave my phone to a gal and asked her to take some pictures of the place. It turned out pretty, right?

I sure love spending time with these neat girls!

Zeke was deep in thought after getting out of my shower one night. I love his face.

And then he broke it.

(Sorry, I should have warned you.) 

I took some of the kids over to the church to play ball while I made up some posters in the YW room. The RS president happened to be there and we were chatting. I could hear Zeke screaming and thought, "Good grief, what now?" Eli came out and said Zeke hurt himself and was bleeding. I could see right away it would need a stitch or two. My RS president has never married, no children and thought I was especially calm and matter of fact. She then exclaimed, "You've done this before!" Bingo. 

I told Zeke, when you turn off all the lights in the gym and throw a bouncy ball and run around in the dark and try to retrieve it, you will split your chin open. He responded tearfully, "Ohhhh." 

He was well soon enough to make Halloween art at school. He did say he was very tired of explaining the band aid over and over. I can imagine.

Speaking of school Halloween art, it was Paisley's turn for the Circuit house. She wanted a spider house and used up all my spiders for my spider lady costume. It's fiiiiiiiine. 

I thought she did a real fine job.

We were able to sneak away for Fall Break down to glorious St. George. I really think Southern Utah shines in the fall.

Having a relaxing breakfast.

We took the kids to Glitter Mountain, where we chipped away and lugged home a giant bucket of glitter rocks. Why did we do that? 

There was an older man there who seemed to be very in charge. He was digging away and collecting a stash of his own and kept yelling at people to stay out of the pit, but everywhere else seemed fine to dig. We started to get a kick out of each van full of families bounding down to the pit, just to get yelled at. We'd say, "Oh, no. Look at all those happy people headed down there. Here it comes." They'd look real confused for a bit, then would start making their way out of the pit. 

(Just so ya know, we never got yelled at. We had seen the sign and obeyed.)

We always seem to stop in at the Halloween store. 

More beautiful hiking.

When we got back it was time to get dead serious with costume decisions.

And get decked.

The bat cave.

I found a dress to alter at D.I. for Paisleys Corpse Bride. 

Before

After!

Zeke wanted to be a scary Clown. His "wig" is some spray painted cotton glued on to a white fabric cap. I love homemade costumes!

This was all in time, of course, for the ANNUAL GEERTSEN HALLOWEEN PARTY!!!

Taco feast!

Abby telling a Spooky story. Look at them all so enraptured!

Shafer delighting us all in the Seinfeld Halloween comedy bit. So great!

Everyone was hanging on every word- but Cal.

 Performance time!

 It's so fun to see this younger generation do their thang.

 I LOVE THIS GROUP!

It always feels like Halloween is over after the grand party. But we still have things to do!

We still need to carve pumpkins! We were not having much luck until we found a small, delightful farm with fun activities and a variety of pumpkins.

Then it is finally Halloween Day and the Lakeview School Parade! I thought I could fit in some errands and was really cutting my time close. As I started racing home, Jon is texting that he's arrived at the school and the kids have started coming out! I was really racing and could not find a parking spot. I finally ditched the car in a nearby neighborhood (did I even put the car in park? Did I close my door?) as Jon texts: "Here comes Zeke". Ahhhh! I raced down the street, across the field to the end of the line, just in time to see Zeke parade by. "There you are!" Paisley was not far behind.

 Can you hear me panting for breath?

Happy Clown

Cutest Corpse Bride evah!

That night Paul and Sharon and Christine, Cameron and Sofi came over for dinner and some Trick or Treating. Only Sofi, bless her heart, went out with the kids that were available. Good times! A few of the youth from the ward stopped in and I fed them and we chatted the night away. I love handing out candy and seeing all the neighborhood kids. The crowds seem to be fewer each year, but it is still a great night!

 I just love this shot of Zeke. All done trick or treating, out of his costume, belly full of candy, lost in thought from his fun, tiring night.

Content.

We fit it all in! I snapped a few pictures of the day after before I took everything down. I think the house looks a bit hung-over.

Notice Zeke's clever pumpkin is a white skull with the outside head broken open. It's supposed to look like that.

Happy Fall!