a Washington October.

As October rolled on, I was experiencing some heartache. It is no secret I've missed Michigan, but October in Michigan is the very best. My heart missed the brilliant colors, our big tree and piles of leaves, and our favorite cider mill. A week into October everything here was still green. I saw that quote, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers", and thought I didn't anymore. It was all ridiculous, this I realize, but what can I say. So I decided to shift my attitude and figure out what Washington Octobers were all about.

Halloween pajamas from grandma.

We found a pumpkin patch. We went with some of our friends and it turned out quite fun. There was a petting zoo, a hay pyramid, farmer's market style fruit and veggie stands, and of course, a pumpkin patch. The patch was a large field surrounded my small mountains, and it was so beautiful. We spent a lovely afternoon there, and didn't even need coats and winter hats. I got to snuggle a bunny and Carly picked out the most gorgeous big pumpkin, so really what else do you need?

A few nights later we headed over to our friends' house for a pumpkin carving party. Pumpkin carving isn't really my thing. Its gross and hard, and I spend entirely too much of my time doing things that are gross and hard. The last few years we have been carving just one pumpkin, a traditional jack o'lantern. But he (our pumpkin) always turns out so cute. My carver does a good job. And when my kids are willing to dig out the pumpkin guts, they are welcome to carve one of their own. The kids were quite smitten with our little pumpkin though. And so was I.

And what is October without Halloween costumes? Last year the kids all matched under a theme, but this year I decided to let them pick anything they wanted (and honestly they are so stubborn I doubt I could have gotten them all to match anyway), and the results perfectly defined each of them. Since each kid had landed on a costume they loved so much, I decided to try to take costume pictures. The Monday before Halloween we made it our FHE activity, and the results turned out so fun. The kids love them, so we've decided to hang them in their room.

 Quinn developed an unexplained love for Snow White sometime around the end of September. She's never seen the movie, but loved stories about her. And I'm thinking the red lips has something to do with it. As the fates would have it, I found a barely used Snow White dress at a consignment store for $2. It was a Halloween miracle. Quinn loved her Snow White dress, and wore it daily. I was a little worried about it surviving until Halloween, but we made it. I found a sparkly red cloak on Amazon to top off the look. Most importantly, she was allowed to wear red lipstick. She loves "red lips". One day Quinn was requesting red lipstick and I kept denying her. I was praying over lunch and she leaned over and whispered "Me red Snow white lips." So I said "please bless that Quinn can have red Snow White lips" and she broke into a huge smile. It was so sweet. And of course, she got Snow White lips after lunch. Her pictures were quite simple, as we happen to have an apple tree in the backyard and a windstorm had just littered the ground with apples. We went our there and she turned into a little model, posing perfectly. Quinn was a perfect Snow White. The fairest one of all.

There was very little questioning what John would be. He's been a fan of diggers and tools and "work" as long as he's been old enough to be a fan of anything. I was trying to figure out his construction worker (or "Bob the Builder") costume when a friend texted and said she had a pair of construction worker overalls. She was kind enough to send them my way and they were the most perfect thing. He looked so adorable and loved wearing his hard hat and tool belt. He would wear his hard hat until bedtime and put it on his shelf next to his bed right before he climbed in. And often he'd come out of his room in the morning with it on. For his pictures I had noticed a little digger at the end of a neighborhood road where it appears they'll eventually be building more houses. It was perfect. John excitedly smiled for pictures, and when we were done, he started walking toward the digger. I told him we had to go and he burst into tears. Not a fit; real sadness. "Me drive dig dig?" he asked with hope. He actually thought he was going to get to drive it! Break my heart. He was so so sad as we drove away. He's a devoted worker, that boy.

Carly was debating between Elsa and Wonder Woman for months. I tried not to be bias, but I really wanted her to be Wonder Woman. I knew there would be so many Elsas, and I thought Wonder Woman would be a really fun costume. Luckily, she went my way on that one. We found a Wonder Woman shirt that came with the crown and wristbands, and a blue tutu that I added white stars to. She liked to zip around in her costume. We headed to "downtown" Pullman to take her pictures. Pullman is sadly lacking in graffiti, as I thought that would be a fun backdrop. But the townscape worked well. She was a super Wonder Woman.

Halloween finally arrived. I had done very little in terms of Halloween fun, because in years past we've been over Halloween before it even arrived. Luckily, all our festivities fell right in a row. We had our ward truck-or-treat the night before, and on Halloween we had a playgroup party (where Quinn mysteriously decided to be Super Girl and Carly wanted to be a "cheetah princess" from a mix of things from our dress-up box), Carly's school party, and the main event. 

All the excitement made for some pretty crazy kids. They were bouncing off the walls on Friday, and it wasn't a particularly good day. But trick-or-treating was SO much fun. The kids were so sweet and excited and polite. And so big! They were such kids running from door to door. At some point I've gone from a mom of a toddler and two babies to a mom of three kids. It was the perfect weather. Cool but not too cold with hazy clouds partially covering the moon. It snowed in Michigan on Halloween. I wasn't missing that one bit. It was a really perfect evening and we came home and ate a bit of candy and watched Garfield's Halloween before getting to bed way too late. Then Chris and I, in our lazy Minnie Mouse and Theo Epstein "costumes", claimed our 50% candy tax.

Near the end of October I was driving down a hill and looked up over our little town. The trees were brilliant shades of yellow, with touches of orange and red. Grand "forevergreens", as Carly calls them, popped up in the mix. Tears came to my eyes. It was beautiful. Every home we have, every place we love, has its own beauty. October came. And you know what? It came slower, so we could enjoy it longer. It came with beautiful sunny days and not a single bit of snow. I haven't had to pull out our winter coats yet. We live in a safe, friendly neighborhood for trick-or-treating. And we make apple crisp from the apples in our backyard. Yes, there are perks to Washington Octobers, and I'm so glad I live in a world where they exist.