Halloween 2015

From left to right - Anna's, my (its supposed to be Jack), Evie's (she carved all herself this year!), and Izzy's (she didn't carve it this year) pumpkins

This year's Halloween was particularly special. Not only was it on a Saturday, but it was also our exchange student Anna's birthday!  Pretty much since the day she arrived we have been regaling her with just how awesome we all thought it was that she was born on Halloween and would get to celebrate her birthday and first ever Halloween all on the same night. We made sure she had a good costume (although that one was touch a go for awhile... and ended in a quick Thursday night run out to Goodwill...a trip that had to be quick because I had exactly 30 minutes until the dinner I was cooking in the stove was ready :) and then took her out to some of the best trick or treating we know of.

Leading up to Halloween we went to Valley of the Moon on Wednesday.  Evie once again noted that she would like to participate in the act... maybe next year this mother/daughter duo really will audition...

Then on Friday it was the IST Halloween festival, which despite some rain was great fun (although I didn't take many pictures...)

Then on Halloween itself we started the day with a "real American breakfast" because Anna has wanted to experience one since she arrived.  She ordered the hungry persons breakfast that included biscuits and gravy, bacon, eggs, hash browns, and a pancake.  All but the biscuits and gravy were deemed delicious (which is OK, we discovered Patrick is the only one of us who likes that :) As has been the case for the past three months, having the excuse to go do something different because we have a new family member has led us to have a lot of fun, and in this case discover a new fabulous place for breakfast!

We then stopped at a little craft fair where Anna and I bought pastries from a French bakery (although we didn't eat them for her birthday as planned because we had had enough of the not so fancy sugar by the evening). Evie bought a little present for Anna too, to go with the concert tickets Patrick and I had bought her for her b-day. 

We then carved our fresh from the field pumpkins (Izzy and Anna were not so into the pulling the guts out part where as Evie and I reveled in it....) and got dressed for a night o' trick or treating.  Try as we might we couldn't convince her to join our family's Halloween theme...

 

We went to the 49ers again this year for trick or treating with my Mom and Aunt Lisa.  At the 49ers where we went trick or treating there is always this fabulous house that they turn into a pirate ship, complete with a bar and a bunch of people dressed as pirates.  I asked the lady guarding the entrance if Anna could take a look, because she was an exchange student and (by god) it was her birthday.  She agreed to let her in and then Anna was invited to have her tarot cards read by a lady at the party...  Patrick and I ended up being allowed in too... it was definitely the highlight of the evening. After much candy was collected and teeth chattered (from cold and from little spooks here and there) we packed it in and headed home and discussed how excited we were for the "holiday season"!