All Hallows' Eve

Kai and Malia both had Halloween parties at school. I was signed up to volunteer for Kai's party so I didn't get to go to Malia's. Auntie Gina took Malia to her party and Phil was able to leave work and meet them there. I'll post Malia's pictures when I get them.

The Neubert Halloween parade

Doing a craft in class

After school, we went trick or treating. The weather was perfect (mid-70s) especially compared to the last two years we were here. This year was strange because Kai suddenly knows kids from the neighborhood that I don't know. So many kids were talking to him and one trick or treater who came to our house even said hello to Lola (she's become very popular with the kids on the afternoon bus. They always chant her name so loud, the bus driver had to tell them to stop!).

After a little while gathering candy, the kids were ready to go home and pass out candy. They always seem to enjoy that part of the night the most.

Crocodile (again!) and Cinderella

Malia's pumpkin
Reminds me of Jack Skellington
His eye was so big, my fist could fit through it!

Kai's pumpkin

Pumpkin Carving, Part I

Last week, we had a pumpkin carving party with some of our cousins. Chloe, Hagen, Sophie, Hannah, Abbey, Auntie Nettie, Bob, Uncle Greg and Auntie Gina came for dinner and carving. We had tons of fun. Malia drew her own pumpkin face and wanted to carve it all by herself but she finally had to let Auntie Gina and Mommy help her. Kai picked out a design for his pumpkin face but Bob did most of the work for him!

For dinner, the kids had "mummy dogs" and "ghost milk" and the rest of us had "ghosts in the graveyard" (AKA: shepherd's pie. Thanks for the recipe, Heather. It was a huge hit).

Auntie Rita gave Kai and Malia a
haunted gingerbread house to decorate.
Note the black frosting on their faces!

Mummy Dogs and Ghost Milk

Ghosts in the Graveyard

The kids also made caramel apples
while carving their pumpkins

Part II

Here are some pictures of everyone hard at work, de-gutting their pumpkins:

Auntie Nettie hates pumpkin goop.
She must really love Kai!

Part III

Auntie Gina also hates pumpkin goop.
She must really love Malia!

Kai and Malia's pumpkins

(Most of) The Gang
Malia was tired and done with
the festivities at that point!

Hagen having fun with
Malia's pumpkin

Proud to Wear Pink!

In honor of breast cancer awareness month, Malia and I got pink streaks in our hair. Malia absolutely loved it. She told all of her friends at school "I have pink hair!" Sadly, hers fell out after only a week and a half. The lesson we learned is that headstands and hair extensions don't go together!

On a more serious note, our pink hair, and this blog entry, are dedicated to Sharon (who I worked with at Probation), Tina (who is one of my Panera friends) and Lisa (my friend, Heather's, friend). Keep fighting ladies! I am so proud of you and you have touched my life in ways you will never imagine.

Pretty cute, no?

The Real Reason You Should Never Leave Children Unatended in the Bathtub

Need I say more???

And We Say Goodbye to Another Baby Tooth

So Kai's second new tooth was almost completely in and the old one wasn't budging (sound like a familiar story?). This time, the tooth was barely loose and every I tried to wiggle it, Kai complained that it hurt. On the morning of October 6th, I finally decided to call the dentist and make an appointment to have it removed. Before I got the chance to call, Kai and Malia were messing around and I suddenly heard them laughing. From what I got out of them, it seems that Kai put the string to Malia's pajama pants in his mouth and Malia yanked it out. The result was quite a bit of blood and a very loose tooth! Talk about the old "tie a string around your tooth and pull" trick. Later that night, Kai pulled the tooth out on his own. Go figure!