The wise leader and a bounty hunter

I couldn't have imagined that our jack-o-lanterns would turn out to be characters from Star Wars. But, Grace and Kyle Googled "alien pumpkins" and the rest is history.  Here is how the story played out....

Grace drew her design on newspaper.

Then she transferred her idea all over the pumpkin.
(Good thing rubbing alcohol removes Sharpie!)

With help from Daddy, the top was cut off and
Grace cleaned all the seeds and guts from inside.

Like most 5-year olds she lost interest and went to play and get ready for bed.  When she returned, the two pumpkins turned into Boba Fett (a bounty hunter) and Yoda (the Jedi leader) from Star Wars.  Grace was thrilled, insisting she knows who these characters are.

The finished products in the light and the dark....

Class party, Halloween-style

I got to be a room parent today in Grace's kindergarten class.  That is HARD work!  I like my principal job much better!  Actually, it was a lot of fun to see Grace in this new atmosphere.  The girl cracks me up with how much of a "social butterfly" she is.

Playing "hot pumpkin".  The kids were good sports when
the music stopped and they we out!

Boo at the Zoo

Our original plans to go Boo at the Zoo got rained out on Friday night.  We were so glad today with our decision to go this afternoon instead since the weather was sunny and warm for October.  I really hate when kids have to wear a winter coat over their costumes.  That wasn't necessary today which made for a fun outing that included trick-or-treating, viewing animals, and riding the merry-go-round.

Grace seemed to have a great time.  She especially loved running in this field of "pumpkins" and hugging every inflatable character she saw.  But, sadly, I think we have outgrown the local zoo.  This might have been our last Boo at the Zoo event.  Not to worry...we always find new, fun things to do!

Fall Sunday

I love this cute outfit Grace chose today!

I come to suck your blood

And now the big reveal....

Grace wanted to be a vampire this year for Halloween.  I thought that was a little too "grown up" until I found this beautiful costume at Pottery Barn Kids.  We bought theatrical stage makeup and blood capsules, but when it came time to get dressed up for the first time, Grace decided she didn't want any makeup.  I was fine with that - a 5-year old doesn't need makeup, if you ask me - but we did agree that one small blood drop tattoo on the side of her mouth would be okay.  

So here she is - my beautiful vampire girl - off to her first Halloween party at her friend's house. 

Art is messy. Do it before bath time.

Here are our leaf paintings.  This was a lot of messy fun!

Stop, drop, and roll

A short visit to the fire department's Open House was a great way to spend an unseasonably warm Sunday.  We got to see several different fire and EMS trucks, watched demonstrations of rescues, met Sparky, saw a friend, and....the best part....tried out a real fire hose!

Two "Graces"

Bubbles!

Getting ready for Halloween

Halloween festivities start next Friday night for us with our annual visit to Boo at the Zoo.  Grace was also invited to a costume party next Saturday.  And the following weekend we have two days of trick-or-treating.  So, as the October days progress, the leaves start falling, and the temperatures get chilly, the Halloween excitement is building at our house.

We made these a few times already....but, we added ketchup BLOOD!

And we made these cute ghosts with Grace's feet!  We made three of them but they turned out so cute that I wish we made more.  Some lucky family members will probably receive the in the mail!  (Oh, and Grace's feet are not THAT big.  Her feet slid a little from the paint so they turned out bigger than her feet actually are!)

We liked this project so much, tomorrow we are going to try a variation of the one below with leaves from a morning nature walk.  Some other lucky family members and friends might get this one if they turn out nice!

Since our first costume events are quickly approaching, we did a "dress rehearsal"just to make sure we have what we will need - tights, shirts, makeup, hair accessories.  Here is a sneak peek!  

Any guesses?

A pumpkin and a poem

In between appointments on Monday, Grace posed for these two photos.  She chose this fall/Halloween outfit especially to go with her new black boots!

For a kid who struggled with fine motor skills, Grace is suddenly SO interested in writing, coloring, and cutting.  She is also making connections between sounds and letters and is trying to read and write alone.  Today, as soon as we got home. she took out a small lined notebook and a pencil and wrote this poem:

 According to Grace it says:

Doggie, doggie 

In the park

Doggie, doggie

Can you bark?

I love that she is rhyming words and trying her best to write the way they sound.  Kindergarten only started 6 weeks ago, but Grace has grown so much in that short time.