HALLOWEEN   

My kids usually start planning their Halloween costumes the day after Halloween. When they were little we used to plan what they were going to be together but now that they're older they've taken over most of the creative process. Good thing I have a little one to start over with!  My older 3 came up with their costumes all by themselves and I just helped with a few details. 
I think they turned out amazing!

We love to go trick-or-treating at the zoo. The day we went was a little rainy but that didn't stop us! Ok, it stopped me a little. While the baby and I headed for shelter, the kids enjoyed very short lines for candy and  games.

 Climbing the palm trees

 Everyone made it to the top!

They kept giving him free turns because no one was around, and he kept dunking the poor guy!

  Carving Pumpkins  

 Because we had a lot of rain before and during Halloween, pumpkin carving was a little different than other years. My son didn't carve one. My younger daughter cleaned out the guts but never carved a face.  She claimed that scooping the guts is the best part and didn't care about making a face. She also saved all the seeds, washed them herself and then helped me toast them. It's always helpful to have someone around who doesn't mind the dirty jobs.

 My oldest daughter picked out a pumpkin that looked like Spookley, a pumpkin in a movie she watched, and then, carved it to look like him.

SPOOKLEY