In Wisconsin on Walton's Mountain:



Back in Anchorage:

Halloween has left us with an enormous pile of candy, certainly much more than any previous year. The kids are getting old enough to walk a bit further than the previous year, they have a stronger understanding of the correlation between doorbells and candy, and this was one of the warmest Alaskan Halloweens I'm aware of. Thirty seven degrees and foggy, without snow or ice around. In short, not slippery and snow pants were not needed.


 

Henry once again shocked no one and went as a firefighter. Piper came in predictably as a mermaid (Ariel if we are to be precise). One kind home owner called her a princess, to which she (sort of politely) replied, "I'm not a princess. I'm a mermaid." We're starting to split hairs here, but I think I understand. She's a mermaid first, Ariel second. Coming in later is the fact that Ariel is a mermaid princess. Don't stack the adjectives too densely and she'll be more at peace -- got it.

 



There is just too much going on this time of the year. Piper's preschool had a fall carnival (calling it a Halloween party is a bridge too far?) and of course St. Elizabeth's had their usual huge Halloween party. Henry is a champion in the haunted house, and this year that peer pressure pulled Piper in as well.

No nightmares of any kind (due to the haunted house or anything else for that matter). The information I receive regarding dreams these days are the following:
Piper -- "I dreamt about monkeys again."
Henry -- "I dreamt about model trains." or "I dreamt about US 1 trucking slot cars."





Full set of Halloween photos here.