Boo to YOU

Friday was a Halloween-ish sort of day.  I have really taken my time getting into my usual October, spookable spirit.  First of all...it is still warm outside.  If there is anything that drives me crazy...it's inappropriate seasonal weather.  It puts me in a bad mood.  Come September...I'm ready for a blustery, chill in the air.  And when it doesn't come...I have to pretend it's still Summer so that I don't go all "inappropriate seasonal weather bad mood" on the family.  No one wants to see that.

This started when I was little.  My mom will still tell you that I would march my little self into my closet, pull out my best jeans, and sport a sweater when it was still summer hot outside...as if willing the cool weather to make an appearance.  And then there was the time in college...when I wore a wool sweater to go Christmas shopping at the Galleria when it was, like, 90 degrees outside.  I was all wet and dewey with sweat...but I looked the part.  I've also been known to wish for a cold front for my October 24th birthday.

All of that to say...since it's been unseasonably warm outside for the past month, I am just now forcing myself to get the Fall/Halloween decorations out.

Aiden had been asking...and I just kept puttin her off.  She finally coaxed me into the attic this week to get them out.  And then my control issues where tested when she and Chase hung all the decorations on one door knob and decided that the best place for the pumpkin candle holders was on the pantry shelf next to the dog food.  It's like "sneak-behind-them-and-re-hang-all-of-the-ornaments-that-they-have-hung-in-a-12-inch-radius-on-the-christmas-tree" part 2.

All of this did put me into the "boo-ing" mood.  Which, of course...makes it all worth while.

But before we get to that...just look at this girl's cutie pie hair.  I particularly loved her messy bun as she scooted out the door for school yesterday morning.

She was super sweet when she whispered a secret that she "knew that i had dyed my hair brown so that i could look more like her."  She looked at me with knowing eyes and I just couldn't even help replying...

"How did you know?"  and  "Yes...I really did just want to look more like her."  and  "Shhhhh...don't tell anyone!!"

Although...if I'm being honest, I often examine her face and then my own to try and see something...anything...in hers that resembles mine.  So...I guess she wasn't so far off.

****

Onto the boo-ing.  I can't take credit for this idea.  I saw it on another blog that I read.  But the idea was inspiring to say the least.  And it was just the thing we needed as a family project to kick off the season.  The first thing you do is print off the "boo-ing" rules a few times.

And then comes the fun part.  You gather your goodies.  Sister couldn't gather quick enough.

She could barely contain her excited impulse to yank the boo directions before from the printer before they were done.

The girl loves her printer magic.

Aiden worked fast and with a skilled hand...carving construction paper jack-o-lanterns.

Mid-way through the project...we paused for a quick kitchen dance and some mac & cheese dinner magic.

At this point, I am well aware that it appears that I can no longer be bothered to put clothes on the babe.  It really isn't so.  This all just happened in the time span of about 30 minutes, right after I had removed her germy clothes that she wore to the redi-clinic to get her flu vaccine. 

Yeah...the whole family graced the HEB redi-clinic yesterday afternoon for flu shots.  That is a whole other story.  But the point is that I'm not entirely convinced that the germs in those places don't fly around like little, floating dust particles and stick to our clothes...just waiting to be taken to their new home.  And don't even get me started about what surfaces they move around to and contaminate once they get in our doors.

Not the point.

The point is that she is usually wearing more than a diaper.

Chad walked in the kitchen and asked, "What's for dinner?"  I looked at the stove, pointed, and said, "Duuuuuuhhhhh."

I can't be bothered with cooking dinner tonight.  We have boo-ing to get to.

****

So...after I got Annslee to bed, Aiden and I popped on over to the grocery to get our supplies.

This included picking out our family pumpkin.

This is a responsibility that is not to be taken lightly.

Sister friend made deliberate notes about each one...using a pen as a way to point out their flaws.

"This stem is too short."

"This side is too flat."

"This one is too dirty."

"This one is too smelly."

And then she found him.

Our perfect pumpkin.

It was love at first sight.  And she insisted on carrying him all the way home.

He had the best seat in the house.

Lucky pumpkin.

On the way home...she did get worried about carving him up and went all Linus, (from It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown) on me.

"AWWWWW...I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE GOING TO KILL HIM..."

Once home...we got right to it...filling our treat bags, while enjoying a few treats ourselves in the process.

We got everything prepared and I instructed them on what to do.

You pick a neighbor...and then sneak up to their front door with the treat bag and boo-ing instructions.

Then you leave the treat and instructions on the doorstep and ring the door-bell.

Then you run.

We all decided that Colt was our best option here.  None of the rest of us are particularly fast...and the placement of the chosen neighbor's house required a quick get-a-way.

So...Chase, Aiden and I hid in the bushes across the street and watched Colt perform the ding-dong ditch boo.

He executed to boo perfectly. 

We whispered and giggled as he bolted back and around the bush to watch them open the door and discover the boo.

He was panting and excited and it reminded me of the high we used to get as kids after we would wrap a house.  I love that feeling.  Even now.

The hope is that the "boo-ed" neighbor will continue the fun and boo another neighbor.  The fun will, hopefully, keep going until Halloween...or until our whole street has the "we've been boo-ed" sign on their front door.   Fun.  Right???

This is a tradition that I think we will continue for years to come.

I mean, who doesn't love a bag of candy and a ding-dong ditch?