Fun pre, not so fun actual Halloween

We had lots of fun activities leading up to Halloween this year. Scott's sister, Andrea, throws a big Halloween bash every year. This was the first year we were in town to attend. The picture above was taken in her living room - she really goes all out! We dressed up as a family of creepy crawly things. Scott was a stink bug, I was a black widow spider, and Madeline was a butterfly.

We are so lucky to be able to do so many things with family now.

Halloween wouldn't be complete with out a trip to the pumpkin patch. It was a much different experience this year than we were used to in Dallas. The pumpkin patch was held in someone's yard, and it was about 40 degrees out. No bounce houses, no hayrides, no sno cones, no 80 degree weather. Madeline got to choose her own pumpkin and design it herself this year. Basically, she covered the entire thing with green permanent marker scribbles.

The day before Halloween, there was a party at the church. Different families decorated doors around the building, and the kids went trick-or-treating to all of the doors. The weather was miserable outside, so I was all about indoor trick-or-treating. And, believe it or not, this was Madeline's first time. We practiced all week what to say at the door. When the big day came, Madeline refused to say "trick-or-treat", but she did say a quiet little "sank you"after she was given candy each time. It was a sweet experience to watch this for the first time. The candy has been ever so helpful this week for bribery and good behavior.

Our actual Halloween, however, was not so fun. I spent the day on the couch with my hand in a bucket of water. On Saturday night we had family in town and decided to make popcorn balls and caramel apples. I was in charge of the caramel apples. At one point I noticed that the temperature on the candy thermometer wasn't rising at all, and saw the it wasn't lowered enough into the pot. When I pushed it down, somehow it got stuck, the clip on the back flew off, and the caramel spilled onto the top of my left hand, and a little down my forearm. 250 degree caramel. It's been a hard week because I can't do much with my hand, like pick up my child or do the dishes. I'll spare you any nasty pictures. It's not pretty at all. I can tell it's starting to heal up a little,but I'm sure it'll be a long road. I think my candy making career is over forever. The apples turned out well, though.