Halloween

This fall, both girls played a sport for the first time. Sophie tried out and made the volleyball team. She had never played volleyball before and she really loved it. She floated back and forth between the A and B teams, and even though BC didn’t win many games, she played really well and got better throughout the season.

8th grade volleyball team

Lauren ran cross country, which is one of the few sports that 5th graders are able to play in middle school. She did really well, placing in the top 5 for her school in most of the races, but I think the amount of work was a wake up call for her. She likes to get out and run, and she’s fast, but I’m not sure she was ready for all the training. She also was part of the stage crew for the school play, and really enjoyed that a lot. She bounced back and forth between practices after school for both.

cross country race
5th grade dance
Bettlejuice for Halloween

Dave, Don and I did the Olympic distance triathlon in Rock Hall in October. We all did really well. Don’s PR’d and this was Dave’s first Olympic distance in about 25 years. I placed 3rd in my age group, and since it was also the MD State Championship that means I qualified for the Nationals next year in September in Atlantic City!

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After a weird hiatus in 2020, Halloween was officially back this year! It landed on a Saturday, which meant the kids didn’t have to start trick-or-treating until after everyone got home from work (and there wasn’t an annoying half-day of school where the kids are ready to start at noon!).

Since we’re still in a pandemic, instead of having pre-trick-or-treating pizza at our house, some neighbors arranged a block party on Brentwood beforehand.

Lauren went as the Grim Reaper. She had decided this spring that that’s what she wanted to be, and stuck with it. I’m trying not to think too much into it. And Sophie went as some sort of deranged jester. After spending about an hour in the costume store, it was what she landed on.

  • The scary ghouls

After last year, where there were few houses, and really few kids, who were participating in trick-or-treating, the neighborhood went all out and the girls cleaned up!

The Sharps came over for the festivities and to give candy out at our house.

Candy management. Don’t mess with them!

We’ve had a very mild fall, so the weather was lovely all night.

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We weren’t totally sure what would happen with Halloween this year. While our township did not ban trick-or-treating, they were not encouraging it. We decided to just walk around our block and see what the neighbors were doing. It turns out fewer houses were celebrating, but those who were felt bad for the kids and went overboard with the candy – either full size bars or separate bags of candy. The girls were very pleased 😉

They both went as witches this year.

Most houses either set out an unmanned table with candy on it, or some neighbors got creative with social distance candy distribution.


  • table outside of the house
  • a candy shoot to ensure everyone keeps at least six feet distance

After trick-or-treating we went over to the Devine’s house and watched Hocus Pocus on projected to a screen on their garage door. The kids did some candy trading and then ate until they were ill. As Halloween should be! All in all it was a fun night and not all that different from past Halloweens.

Emma, Ava, Sophie & Lauren watched Hocus Pocus outside
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It’s become our October tradition to go to Milky Way Farm to pick pumpkins. It’s about 45 minutes away and they do a great job with farm animals to pet, hay rides, and the best part – homemade ice cream. It was a little more of a low key affair this year with COVID – we had to buy tickets in advance and there was no hay ride, but otherwise it was the same. It was also unseasonably warm – about 75 degrees – so didn’t feel all that autumnal. The girls picked out huge pumpkins that we had to carry back (since there wasn’t the hay ride to take us back), so we were all sweating. Thank goodness for the ice cream 😉

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It’s Halloween! Last night was like Christmas Eve in this house. The kids were too excited to go to sleep and were up by 6 this morning.

This year I am a classroom parent for Lauren’s first grade class, which means I was responsible, along with another mom, for putting together the classroom Halloween party. We brought in a craft and then the kids broke into groups for a game of wrapping one of the group members up as a mummy. It was pretty funny.

  • Lauren’s team wrapping their mummy
  • Ms. Gorodesky’s First Grade Class

After the party the school holds an all school costume parade. Unfortunately it was raining so instead of having it out on the field and open to all parents, it was held in the gym and open to only classroom parents (happy I volunteered this year!). Lauren decided at the last minute that she didn’t want to participate (apparently her dress was too long and she was afraid she was going to trip on it), but Sophie the vampire marched happily.

Sophie the vampire walking in the school Halloween parade.

On Halloween evening we invited some neighbors over to the house for pizza before heading out to trick-or-treat. It was a quick get together because every kid was bouncing off the walls to start trick-or-treating.

  • Sophie, Lauren and our neighbor Gabriel
  • Vampire & Zombie Bride

Luckily the weather cleared and the kids were able to trick-or-treat with no rain and unseasonable warm temperatures. It was a good night!

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We headed out to Milky Way Farm to pick our pumpkins again this year. It’s always worth the hike to get out there. The farm is beautiful, with farm animals for the kids to pet, hay rides out to the pumpkin patch, and homemade ice cream – the best part.

Although we brought the pumpkins home at the beginning of October, we waited until closer to Halloween to carve them because of the stupid squirrels in our neighborhood, which ravage everything in site and can devour a full pumpkin in about two days.

  • Dave doing the hard work
  • House is ready for Halloween!
  • The final product!

We’re ready for Halloween!!

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We had the most amazing weather for Halloween this year. Perfect for Sophie’s annual school parade, where all of the classes parade around the athletic field and all the parents come to watch (and then take the kids home at 12:30 with a whole 5 hours to fill before trick-or-treating starts….)

The year the girls wanted to get their costumes at one of the pop up Halloween stories, and Sophie picked an alien abduction and Lauren picked a deer. As long as they’re happy…

The alien abduction herself parading around the filed.

Lauren with her friend Nora at her school’s fall festival.

The Tomasetti’s, who live next door, came over for some pre-trick-or-treating pizza and we got some pictures of the kids before they went out.

The neighborhood gang – Lauren, Maya, Emma, Sophie (unnamed alien friend).

We still had to wait about an hour after this picture was taken before they could go out. There was a lot of bouncing off the walls even before all the sugar was consumed.

 

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It’s pumpkin season and one of my favorite times of year!

A few weekends ago we went out to Milky Way Farm to pick pumpkins with Dan, Maithili, Kishore, and Ashwini. The farm also makes their own ice cream, which is amazing, so we waiting in a seriously long line afterward as our reward. It was worth it.

The kid crew at the pumpkin patch.

Sophie and Kishore decided to go to a part of the pumpkin patch where no one else was – to find the perfect pumpkins of course. They held hands the entire walk, it was really sweet. They also came back with arms overflowing with pumpkins, so I guess it was worth the walk.

Afterward we headed back to our place to do some carving.

Serious work here.

Sophie also got some good quality time in with Kish and Ash.

 

Second cousin snuggles and story hour.

I should have taken a picture of our pumpkins when they were all finished, but forgot, and now it’s too late because the stupid squirrels in our neighborhood ate them down to their stems! I couldn’t believe it. They were decimated in about two days. Next year we’ll keep the real ones inside and get some indestructible ones for outdoor decorating.

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Halloween this year was a success! The weather has been beautiful, so there were no jackets necessary. We had a series of Halloween parties the weekend before the big day. First up was the Fall Festival at Bala House Montessori. 
Here’s Lauren with her friend Tegan and Julia – the pink and purple crew. 
Then we headed to the Philadelphia Girls Choir Halloween party, where Sophie arrived as a vampire bride.

The vampire bride. Lauren was scared to look at her.
And then that evening Dave and I headed to the neighbor’s party that had a Circus Freak theme. 
The Circus Freaks. Parasidic twin and he/she. We totally freaked out the kids. 

On Halloween Sophie’s school had their annual Halloween parade. I went and watched the kids march around the athletic field and then went to the classroom for a party. Here she is with her whole 2nd grade class and Mrs. Murphy, the minion. 

And then the actual evening of Halloween. Sophie went as the vampire bride again and Lauren decided to go in her Halloween dress. The scare crew above. 

With the neighbors before trick-or-treating – Davis, Parker, Maya, Lauren, Emma and Sophie. 

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Another successful Halloween in the books! 
The girls got to dress up twice. Once for the Union League Halloween party where they both were superheroes – Sophie was Wonder Woman and Lauren was Super Girl. 
The party duo
And then dressed up again for actual Halloween. Sophie remained Wonder Woman, but Lauren decided to go as a purple princess.

As you can see from this picture, Dave decided to go all out for Halloween again – fog machine, black light, and all. Too bad we didn’t have very many trick-or-treaters. More candy for the girls I guess. 

Earlier in the day we went to Sophie’s school, where they celebrate Halloween big time (with a half day of school… seriously). Here’s Soph in her classroom. The Queen of Hearts behind her is her teacher, Ms. Henry, who apparently also goes all out for Halloween. 
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