English Emma Blooms

Trick or treat? We will find out on November 5! For the first year we went trick or treating in our own neighborhood. Jill, Matt and Mira showed us the lay of the land. Mira's poodle tail wiggled behind her wherever she went. Bat mommy and Bat mummy Joel and Mira found it easy to get along when there were an overabundance of resources. After gathering the candy we headed to Sarah and Pete's for an adult gathering.

Hans Solo, little batman, big batman, Cinderella, Firefighter Cole, Tinkerbell, Bumblebee Transformer, Polly the poodle, and Joel's fairy godmother Jamia gathered at our house for the long-awaited party. The kids wrapped themselves up as mummies. I wrapped Toni up. Joel had to be woken up from his sugar coma for dinner! I wish we could have invited every one of Joel's friends, but there is just not enough room in our house now the kids are getting big!

This Halloween, Aaron, Joel , Solomon and I go on a family horror walk every night before dinner. Joel has picked out a few choice houses he likes to patronize. Aaron has been working at Wishard Hospital the last couple of weeks and leaves obscenely and horrifically early in the morning but is home early enough some nights that we can hang out with him even before dinner! sign of the times

The fun: The food:

It looks like Solomon probably has nose cancer like this husky: CLICK ON PICTURE TO SEE DETAILS.

Thanksgiving pilgrims: Wrap a cardboard tissue tube colored paper and glue the paper in place. Draw the facial features on a piece of paper with markers. Glue the face onto the tube. For the hair, cut fringe along one side of a small paper rectangle. Roll the hair around a pen to make curls, trim it, and glue it into place. Cut and decorate headbands and feathers for the Native Americans and collars for the Pilgrims. I did it so you can too!

Finger print turkeys Set out nontoxic stamp pads in brown, red, orange, and yellow. Using your thumb or finger, stamp rings of yellow, orange, and red, and a brown turkey body. Glue eyes in place. Draw on a beak, snood, and feet.

Solomon had a vet appointment. The vet said that if the nose does not stop bleeding by the end of the week she will give me a referral to a specialist who can put an endoscope up his nose and see if there is a tumor, and remove it if there is. What fun! Joel's last soccer practice today.

A tradition... we go every year to the pumpkin patch together. Stoney Creek Farm has a really good fall festival with climbing apparatus and giant inflatables... and really unhealthy food! Sometimes we even go twice to Stoney Creek Farm! We took the good old hayride out to the patch, scouted around, and then went to commune with the farm animals. Of course, Sydney and Joel went in the haunted house. Joel, Sydney and Cole went inside the giant worm. What is that... you will have to find out for yourself! Maybe we will go back at Christmas to get a Christmas Tree!

Well.. Solomon has had a bloody nose on and off for a month now. The vet said he has allergies but the allergy medicine is not fixing it. Aaron, the optimist said that Solomon probably has a cancerous tumor up really high in his nose. I was horrified, so Aaron quickly backpedalled with his diagnosis. I am calling the vet in the morning... I am not ready for life without Solomon.

THE LAST Soccer game ... until the Spring. Papa came to watch.. which was the best part of all. Unfortunately this was a 2:30pm game, right in the middle of naptime. Joel wanted to lie down on the grass and sleep. It was a hard season (for the spectators). The games were tiring for Joel. An hour of running is a lot for a four year old. His team had 4-6 year olds. On his team there were two six year olds, two five year olds, and two four year olds. There is a lot of difference in endurance between these age groups. That is our excuse as Joel's parents! Joel enjoyed himself and wants to sign up for the Spring, so I call it a success...

Joel "dressed - up" as an artist. He put on a paint-stained white t-shirt and a red hat and got to work. unfortunately for us, Joel also has an artistic temperament.

Every day Joel wants to make something for Halloween. Here is SOME of Joel's art. He tells me what he wants to make and reels off a list of the supplies we need. We have made Owls, witches hats, spiders, cats, pumpkins, vampires, bats and monsters.