Just Having Fun

 The schools have a skate night once a month, and the kids love going. They are not proficient skaters by any means, but they love trying. I tried to get some shots of them, but they went too fast. 

    In other news, my chapter of JASNA was asked to have a table at the Daughters of the British Empire’s British Fair. They had enough people to man it, but I wanted to represent as well. They asked for members to dress in period costumes and direct people to them. Daniel is my usual partner for such an event, but he is on shutdown at work, so he was not available. I asked the kids if they would like to go, and several agreed. They asked if they could dress up, and I must admit I encouraged it. Emily and Charles declined to go, so the rest of us piled into the car and crossed the border.

I love the color of our neighbor's tree.

    The event had lots for the kids to do. They had a sticker passport for the kids and a children's room. I did not expect it, so that was fun.

They had games, rubbings of famous English landmarks, crowns to decorate, and even bingo.

A particular favorite was all the Dr. Who photo Ops.

   Everyone was pleased to see Henry as Robin Hood. Some commented that Devon must be Friar Tuck. I remarked that Little John would have been more accurate, but luckily Devon didn't hear them. Henry made sure to get the signatures of everyone who gave him a sticker. They were all delighted to oblige. It was fun seeing them light up when they realized what he was asking of them. During one such interaction, I mused aloud if there was a British saying akin to our "John Hancock" phrase. As fortune would have it, there were two Brits there hocking pies, so I asked them. They replied,

    "Autograph?" I replied that that was rather disappointing, and they asked if there was a phrase we used, so I explained. 

    "We ask for your John Hancock in reference to his signature on the Declaration of Independence, being so big that King George could see it across the pond!" They replied that they don't teach that in England. I can't say I'm surprised. We had a good laugh about it. Henry bought a fan, this cookbook, and an Irish nutcracker ornament. He was so excited to spend his own money.

    I got jammy dodgers and jellybabies, two of the doctor's favorite treats. Charles was upset that he didn't attend with us when we returned, but he dressed up to enjoy the treats with us. Want a JellyBaby?

Guys and Dolls

     Guys and Dolls was the first play I ever worked on. It has always had a soft spot in my heart. So when the high school put on a performance, we were sure to go. They did a good job. It was hard not to sing along. Teddy fell asleep before the end of the first act, poor thing.

Ethan was one of the supporting actors and a good friend of Charles. He did a great job. 

Senior Photos

     Lizzy had a vision for her senior photos, and I wish I had better equipment to help her achieve it, but we did our best. 

Halloween

     We got dressed up for our ward party. Lizzy went as a victim of a zombie attack.

The zombies got to Charles, too. He was just trying to get to his job after school. Teddy was a dinosaur.

Battles ensued.

Henry won an award for best dressed.

On the 31st, the kids got ready for a night of trick-or-treating. Starting with pumpkin Carving.

Lizzy created her own character this year.

  

  Charles' friends came by before we were planning on going out and promised to take a quick walk and return. Needless to say, he did not return when the kids were ready to go out. Daniel met up with the kids as they went trick-or-treating. Henry decided that he would rather stay with me to pass out candy. He passed out some of his own candy. Charles did return later, pockets bulging with candy. Devon and Teddy called it quits, but the girls went a bit longer. 

    Later that evening, I went in for a sleep study, where I received very little sleep. The technician had to keep adding more and more nodes to my head. Her equipment was not working very well. But I guess it was the perfect horror story for Halloween night.