Halloween 2022

A Dead Cowgirl it is.

 

One of the things Amelia loves about Halloween is giving out candy.  Probably because we never had trick or treaters at our house on the mountain in Alaska.  She got dressed early and waited for the treaters.

She managed to tend to a few before heading out on her own Halloween adventures.

Then it was time to count the candy!

Hope everyone had a great Halloween.  Christmas here we come!

Halloween Party

 It has been awhile since we had a Halloween get together.  

A couple of friends from school and their families made for a spectacular comeback party!  Our first in Illinois!

One of her friends and her decided on making a Joker and Harley Quinn duo. I took a few pics before the guests arrived. 

First up was a pumpkin egg hunt.

Then on to Oreo slide down the face.

Pumpkin and spooky crabapple toss...

and the infamous...Wrap the Mummy.

Spider web cotton ball throw (check Amelia's foot positioning) and Spooky bowling ended the party games. 

Food was plentiful.

Guests brought the most delicious Indian dish and snacks.  I, too, attempted my first ever Chickpea Tikka Masala.  

Lots of fun and some great story telling!  All that now was missing was Halloween Night!  Stay tuned. 

Halloween Festivities

I will admit...one reason I love Halloween is that it signals that Christmas is right around the corner.  The other reasons supply my need for creativity and love of Fall.  While Amelia loves the creative element too,  Halloween is only her third or fourth favorite holiday...lagging behind Easter and potentially Valentine's day.  Oh well. 

I will have to make a separate post on the artificial pumpkins her and I have made for the past couple years.  We decided to make it a tradition and this years came out great...yet I forgot to take proper pics of them.  Next time.  You can enjoy the real pumpkin carving instead.  A simple yet adorable design if I must say!

Last week we celebrated Halloween at her stable where she takes lessons.  You can go and look at her and Ziggy on Instagram @mguising

Take a look at the guitar on her instructor's horse, Ziggy.

Will post our Halloween Party next!

The First Trip to Chicago

For Amelia the hardest thing about leaving Alaska was leaving behind her best friend....her best friend from the first 20 minutes of Kindergarten that is!  If she didn't have FaceTime, I am not sure she would have done as well as she did with the move.  Both myself and Sadie's mom promised to make sure these girls kept in touch and since they hadn't visited Chicago before...they would come here first. 

Sadie's birthday coincided with the visit, so we eagerly celebrated with her.

First up, dinner at Lou Malnati's for authentic Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.  

Cue Snachat...

The next day it was time to head downtown.  We were waiting to go to the Shedd Aquarium.  Due to covid it was tough to do anything public, but this time ... no restrictions!  

Next up we headed to The Tilt at 360 Chicago atop of the John Hancock Building for a truly nerve-racking experience!  We didn't get to take photos of the glass "window" tilting out over the street from the 94th floor with us in it, but it surely made your palms sweat!

We were lucky enough to stay at the Sheraton Grand thanks to Sadie's uncle...the view was fantastic. 

The next morning we headed out for a bit of shopping and then to Chicago's Waterfront at Navy Pier

where we all took a spin on the gigantic ferris wheel.  

Off to the Bean. Otherwise known as Cloud Gate, one of Chicago's famed works of art at Millennium Park. 

Cooled off a bit at the Crown Fountain too!

Our last day, we had a delicious brunch at Egg Harbour and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for the matinee performance of The Devil Wears Prada at the famed James M. Nederlander Theatre.  

After dinner of a Chicago hotdog at The Chicago Burger Company, it was time to head back to our house where the following day we showed them a bit of what Amelia has been doing as of late. 

Sadie got to meet the horse Amelia had been riding.  "Prince" got a double grooming.

Since both are avid horse back riders, a trip to Saddler's Row proved extensive! Both in time and treasurers!

That evening Amelia had her first softball practice for Fall Ball.  Sadie got to see her play! 

The next morning it was time for them to head back to Alaska.  It is our turn to head to the last frontier next summer...we can't wait!