Trick or Treating

We debated where to go and what to do for trick or treating tonight and finally decided to go out to the Village at Sandhill. We got there pretty early and that was a good thing because two hours later, the place was packed and several places were either out of candy or very close to being out of candy. Ben,on the other hand, seriously racked up some candy. Being a Gamecock football player has its advantages! :) Just like everywhere else we've gone, people commented on his costume (you'd think that they had never seen a Gamecock football uniform costume before....even though they're sold everywhere down here?!?!) and/or gave him extra candy. Hmmm....maybe he can just be this again next year.

After trick or treating we had dinner at Shane's, which we love and then headed to the center for some pictures. All in all it was a fun Halloween. Now, its almost over for another year.

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And, tomorrow is November 1st.....that means in the eyes of retailers, Christmas season starts! Hahaha!

Finally Fall, Maybe?!?

With it being Halloween and not wanting to compete with candy and costumes, I planned some "different" activities for my students today. The main portion was going on a "Haiku Hike" around the school. We hiked, observed nature, wrote notes and then used those to write haiku about our hike. (Haiku is a Japanese poetry that uses the form of three lines, 5 syllables in the first and third lines, 7 in the second line....just in case you didn't know.)

It was nice to see a few trees turning colors and falling to the ground. The downside, yesterday was actually cool. Today, we were sweating while we hiked! Crazy weather is all I can say.

(We also read two books Haiku Hike, written by 4th graders about their own haiku hike and Henry Hikes to Fitchburg, which we used to do math. And, finished off our day with a candy-themed science experiment.....we used sprite, club soda and vinegar to see which would disolve Laffy Taffy first and then we are also seeing what color of Laffy Taffy will disolve first in the liquid for the first one....you'll have to message me with a guess to find out which one works fastest --- Sprite, Club Soda or Vinegar!)

Boo in the Zoo.....Again

Ben was invited by his friend, Cullen's family to join them at "Boo in the Zoo" tonight. I had a doctor's appointment and left school early and had arranged for Ben to go home with Cullen. After meeting with Clay's scoutmaster and senior patrol leader about heading up a flag retirement ceremony at our school in a couple of weeks, I met Cullen's family to pick up Ben. They had a great time and I couldn't resist posting yet another cute picture of my little Gamecock! Isn't he a stud?!?!

Hallowwen Party Time

Tonight Ron and I attended our apartment community's Halloween party. We had a fun time meeting a few neighbors, eating some snacks, but best of all, I won 2nd place in the costume contest! WhooHooo!!

I went as a hippie (don't you love the braid? Ron did it!) and Ron went as a fraternity boy, in other words, he waited to the last minute to throw a costume together :)

Maggie put on her bee suit to have a picture with Mommy...though she didn't like the wig at all.

The costume contest contestants.....the witch won 1st and I won 2nd!

Halloween Saturday

After sleeping in the morning we headed downtown for lunch and some Halloween activities.

First stop, the State Museum. We've seen the ads for their "Trick or Treat" event....and Ben was excited. For nothing. The museum itself was great as always, they've changed around and added some exhibits, but as for Halloween, it stunk! No candy. A few decorations. Few activities. We made the most of it, though, and checked out the 2nd floor exhibits pretty thoroughly. And we learned that a "dobby" is a house spirit or ghost. So, now we know what our Dobby's name means!

After the museum, we ran by home to pick up our "Boo in the Zoo" tickets and then headed to the zoo for this, much better and really fun event. Ben got lots of candy and a ton of compliments! There were a lot of USC students there and they loved it! We had a great time as Ben "trick or treated", we all rode the carousel and saw a few animals (most were already up for the night).
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I Wanna Be a Rock Star.....

Clay had a costume party to go to last night. After weeks of deciding, he choose to be a "rock star"....we told him he looked like Joey Ramone more than Axl Rose!

Of course, he took off his wig as soon as he got there......

HalloWonka 3 - Volunteering Night

Tonight we (Clay and I) were back at EdVenture for HalloWonka. We had a really fun time checking in volunteers, making sure everything was going okay with games and candy, and just having a great time. Though, we're both tired now!

This was also the announcement of the sculpture contest. Unfortunately we didn't win the contest, but we tried....and had a great entry! It was a fun time....we're already looking forward to next year.

Showing off our participation certificate

The winning sculpture

The sweet volunteer (in the middle) made crowns for me and Fran to wear (out of Piggly Wiggly bags!)

HalloWonka 2 - Preview Party

Tonight I took Ben and his friend, Cullen, to HalloWonka at EdVenture. (Cullen's mom, Vicky, met us there.) The boys played games, got candy, ate, played and had a terrific time. Clay was volunteering and so we didn't see very much of him.

The food was awesome --- Ben and Jerry ice cream bars, fried pickles, Chick-fil-A, wings, meatballs, mini corn dogs and more......And, there were all the "friends" there ---- Cocky, the Chick-fil-A cow, the Palmetto Pride Lion, and the Publix Dragon.
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This was our first year attending and it was so much fun! We even won two "golden tickets"...one was a $40 gift certificate to Italian Pie and the other a much-needed manicure!

Sneak Peak

Maggie didn't like her princess costume so well. Last night while we were at Target with my parents, I picked up a new one for her. She can get the head cover off, but not the body part...hahaha! I may have to glue the head cover on her! But, doesn't she look cute? My little baby-bee, Maggie!

HalloWonka 1 - Live with Lucas

This must be the week for 3's! 3 trips to the Zoo, 3 trips to EdVenture for HalloWonka.....This morning, and when I say morning I mean morning, Ben and I headed to EdVenture for the taping of the "Live with Lucas" segment on HalloWonka. I had to get up at 4:30 (this coming from someone who barely gets out of bed before 6:30....and I have to be at work at 7:30!)and be there by 5:30. I told my parents that I hoped I wasn't too unfriendly, but I was barely awake!

Ben wore his costume, played games, ate candy, checked out the new Vietnam Fairy Tales exhibit, visited with Willy Wonka and got to be on the news. (If you go to www.wistv.com and check out the "Live with Lucas" tab, there is a video of Ben's interview, though you can't see his face.)

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It was actually really neat to see live television. HalloWonka is going to be a blast and this was a terrific way to kick it off...it was even worth the loss of several hours sleep!

(By the way, if you don't live around here you probably are wondering "what in the world is HalloWonka?" EdVenture --- a children's museum--hosts this event in conjunction with Wonka Candy. Wonka donates candy for prizes, the sculptures, a candy bar raffle, ec. and it raises funds for the museum. Kids dress up, play games and get lots of candy! It is a great Halloween activity. This is our first time going since we've just moved here, but I have enjoyed being on the committee and I'm looking forward to sharing it with Ben, his friend, Cullen and Cullen's mom tomorrow night.)

Halloween is Coming!

Ben wanted to be a Carolina soccer player this year for Halloween. Sounds great, right? Well, let me first say that I love, I LOVE Carolina football and I'm watching it as a I type, but, around here unless it is football in the fall, it doesn't exist. We looked everywhere this afternoon for a soccer jersey, that is all we need. Can't be found. So, Ben opted instead to buy a football player package and be a Gamecock football player. Luckily, he has a ton of opportunities to wear it over the next few weeks and then for game days, too, so that we can get our money's worth out of it.

When we got home he immediately tried it on (though I think he's going to wear his "real" jersey with the pants, pads and helmet). He loves it!

Halloween Sneak Peak

It's a good thing she can't talk...but don't you just wish you could read her mind?

The Maggie-dog "Death Stare"......