eva and samuel: partying with their school

There is a lot to celebrate with the school that Eva and Samuel go to.  It has been such a great fit for our family.  It's the kind of school that I would want to have, if I had more time, energy, and patience.  And since I know how much of those three things it takes to run a school like this, it makes me that much more grateful.  I could go on and on about how I love the things that my kids tell me when they get home, how kind the teachers are and that they teach kindness to the students, how they have a garden and the kids help make healthy lunches with food from the garden, how the other parents are so nice about teaching me the ropes and will answer my bajillion texts with questions, how the kids are all so different and have learned to interact like a family rather just another kid in a learning factory... so many things.  Oh, but wait, this is a post about the Halloween party.  Guess I just couldn't help myself.  

We put on a little Halloween party.  At the teachers' request, it wasn't a ghoulish, dark, Halloween party.  But just the right amount of Halloween to make it festive.  

It was at my friend's house.  And my friend has this magic skill where everything she touches is beautiful.  When I thought a pumpkin painting station, I thought of old Cool Whip and sour cream containers, balled up paper towels, paint splats, and messes.  She brings out a flower arrangement, and cute containers to hold the paintbrushes, sprinkles the pumpkins and paint palettes just so.  It's a skill, you know. I love it.  And that is why she has a awesome style blog and I have a... random blog.

 We made popcorn hands, something my family has been doing for years.  But this is the first year that is was so pretty.  Ya know, a little globe, cute mugs for the supplies, organic popped on the stove corn in a red enamel pot...

 A knight and a Power Ranger working on their popcorn hands.

 The (lovely) festivities continued with bingo, tattoos, a piñata, slime making, pin the nose on the jack-o-lantern, and ended with swimming.

 Samuel was my super hero.  When I forgot the food coloring for the slime, he ran home an grabbed it lighting fast.

 Maximus joined in.  He painted his pumpkin, he painted other kids' pumpkins, he painted his shorts (RIP orange shorts), he ate popcorn off the ground, he dispensed lot's of water from the water dispenser....

 Who gets to have such cute teachers?  Oh, my kids do.  Lucky kids.

 Lining up...

 Eva taking shot at the piñata.  She actually really loves those things.  

 There was food, of course.  And I have never seen food displayed so pretty at an elementary school party.  But then again, I have never thrown a party with Jamie and Lyn, before :).

And, I know, he doesn't even go to this school.  But I seem to have no self control when it comes to posting photos of this guy.  So happy about his cookie.  I get this happy about cookies, too.  But I try to play it cool.  

I don't remember Halloween being such a big thing when I was little.  We celebrated it one day.  But now it's kind of like Halloween Hanukkah.  Days and days of celebration.  So, this was one of those celebrating days.  

Awesome school, great people, lot's of food, games, crafts... Eva and Samuel, partying with their school.