Our pumpkins (both the kiddos and the vegetables!)

a day late...I know. But I didn't actually start carving my pumpkin (the cat) until last night around 5:30 or so. Tom did the skull and I think it turned out much better than my terrible photos (lol). The girls had a great time walking the neighborhood with daddy while I stayed home passing out candy. I was a little disappointed - we really didn't have that many kids this year and now I have a ton of candy laying around. I think one reason for the slow night last night was that there was a home invasion (at gun point) yesterday afternoon in our neighborhood. There was also something else going on at our Super Target because when I went to get Lindsay from school, they were right in the middle of a lockdown. When I asked them why there was a lockdown, I was told that there was an incident at Target. Instantly I'm thinking...child abduction. A parent's worst nightmare. So of course for the rest of the day I was extra cautious and protective, especially noticing all the helicopters circling the area, and the slew of police cars crawling around the area. But on my way home, I pass one of the many streets in our neighborhood to see some news crews parked in front of a house. I see on the news that there was a home invasion at gunpoint. They took a tv and some money I believe - and left. Not like we live in a bad part of town or anything - scary that this stuff happens all around us.

So anyway - there may have been some parents going to grocery stores instead for their lame halloween thing. I tell ya - I went to two different Publix stores yesterday because they had been advertising their Halloween thing for the kids. They had big banners hung on the wall outside the store advertising a big Halloween event from 4-7pm. Like my day wasn't busy enough already - I dressed the kids in their costumes and went to one Publix. There was a bowl at the front with a few candies in it, a pile of Publix crayon boxes and a stack of coloring pages. Then we walked the store and got, get this....a free cookie! Yeah! Someone needs to remind them that I can get that any ol' day - without a costume. Then the deli area gave them a little hand shaped baggie of popped popcorn. That was it! So we went to the other Publix because I had been there earlier and saw them blowing up tons of black and orange balloons. Come to find out - they were for a customer order. In fact - this Publix was even worse. They did the popcorn and cookies and that was it. I couldn't believe it. And to make matters worse, it takes about 15-20 minutes just to get out of the parking lot on any given day. This area is really busy and a total mess...but I did it for the kids. aaaaargh! I was so frustrated by the time I got home. But the girls enjoyed their evening of trick-or-treating and today I have another sick child on my hands. Jess has a fever. She's sick again for the 2nd time this month. We seem to just keep passing it around. Here are a few pics of the girls. Not the best photos - but I was in a hurry to snap a couple shots before they ran out the door. Lindsay was a cheerleader (from High School Musical) and Jess was a forest fairy. I had some fiber optic barrettes that I clipped in their hair - kinda cheesy, but they loved them and HAD to wear them out in the dark.