under the magnolia tree

We have a great tradition in our little village every year on Halloween.   In the park across from the library (just a few blocks from our house) a pumpkin festival is set up.  Picnic tables are stacked, pumpkins brought in, a stage set up for live music, a tent set up to keep pumpkin carvers warm, and there's a food stand with all kinds of yucky and ghoulish food.  For five days anyone can go the park, carve a pumpkin, and find a place for it on the picnic tables.  Big white lights are stapled across the tables to light up the carved pumpkins.  By the final night, it's quite a sight.  We walked down there a few times over Halloween weekend to see the jack o'lanterns.

Halloween was long anticipated at our house.  With the start of costume creating at the beginning of the month.  (I knew I had to get costumes out of the way to make room for birthday celebrating!)  Magnolia was 100 percent sure she wanted to be Bambi.  With the belief that costumes are best imperfect, I set about making a "bambi" costume.  Out of some old wool, this is what I came up with.  Magnolia seemed to think it was perfect and was very happy to wear it to her school party and for trick or treating.

The bambi costume here is the third layer of wool on her body so it looks pretty tight...it was a very cold and rainy Halloween!

George's costume was a no brainer.  Lover of all things "wee-ohhh" (or firefighting), he went as a firefighter.  I bought yellow and silver tape and taped it to a blue jacket and blue pants.  He already had a hat and boots.  He had just woken up from a nap here and not too excited about being out in the cold.  George smudged soot from our fireplace on his face.

He rolled in the red wagon on which George hung a rope for a hose and a little ladder on the side.  This kid did not leave his fire truck the WHOLE time!

Neighbors coming out to say hi.

Eating a lot of candy on the ride brought him home full of energy.  Here's our little firefighter breaking down walls in our house to let the smoke out.

Magnolia was a trooper, collecting lots of candy for herself AND her brother.  Here they are home again and helping me hand out the rest of the candy.

It was a Happy Halloween!