2007 in Review - October

I celebrated (?) my 40th birthday on October 7. The Sunday sessions of General Conference were on my birthday this year. My dad is on the high council in their stake, and got tickets for us to attend the morning session of conference for my birthday. It was pretty cool. Ryan LOVES President Hinckley, so he was overjoyed to be able to see him sitting directly down from where we were. It was also the session where President Eyring and Elder Cook spoke, so that was really neat. Ryan loved it, too. He knew it was a very historic meeting, and was very attentive and reverent throughout the session. I was proud of him.

I volunteer in Ryan’s classroom on Friday mornings. Every Friday, they have “Fun Friday,” which is actually a combined lesson with an art project that goes along with something that is happening. We’ve done lessons on leaves and seeds so far, and anticipate more fun lessons as the holidays approach.

For Red Ribbon Week, Ryan’s school had a poster contest. Ryan won first place for the second grade! His prize was a HUGE shopping bag full of all sorts of goodies, including a bicycle helmet, a stuffed tiger, treats, UHP logo items, etc. Mom & Dad’s neighbor who works for UHP was the one that awarded it to Ryan. He thought that was pretty cool.

My little artist has also started creating masterpieces in MS Paint. Here is his Halloween creation. I'm not sure if the white things are clouds or ghosts, and I don't want to offend him by asking. :)
On Tuesday, October 30, our Halloween celebrations began. The South Davis Recreation Center had a big party that started at 5:00. They had games, spook alleys, treats, crafts, and all sorts of things. Our ward also had our annual Trunk or Treat. We went to the Rec Center for a while, then left to go to Trunk or Treat, then went back to the Rec Center until the festivities ended at 8:30. We’re such party animals!
Ryan’s Halloween costume was Anakin Skywalker, which should not surprise any of you who have met Ryan. I found the costume at one of my favorite online stores. It even came with the braid to clip in. Hilarious.
On Wednesday, October 31 (Halloween), I joined several hundred other parents in watching the school Halloween parade. It was pretty funny. A couple of Ryan’s buddies in his class were other Star Wars characters, so they made quite the little team.
Main Street in Bountiful always hosts trick-or-treating. Mom and I took Ryan down one side of Main Street, crossed the street, and up the other side. It’s fun to see what all of the merchants have. Colonial Square in Bountiful also has a fall festival/trick-or-treating event. After Main Street, we walked around Colonial Square for some of their treats and coupons.
Ryan went trick-or-treating around Rara & Papa’s neighborhood with some of his friends there. I swear the kid’s candy bag weighed more than he did by the time he got back!

We also have a couple of traditional Halloween visits that we make. We made our usual stops, including Jerry and Linda Davies. They have been close friends of ours for over fifteen years. Jerry works for Hostess, and they give out Twinkies and Ding-Dongs for Halloween. Ryan loves it, because we go in and visit for a while, and he leaves with a BOX of each instead of only one of each like other little trick-or-treaters. We have a fifteen-year-old rivalry with the Davies concerning the blue school and the red school. As you can see, they kidnapped my poor child and tortured him endlessly before finally releasing him to me (complete with a Twinkie-induced sugar high)!