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Halloween 2011, The Horrifying Party

Luke — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 03:07:18 +0000

Our Halloween party was a huge one this year. All the big events made a return, as well as the truly terrifying haunted garage. We had three kids in tears and LOTS of screams, so all in all, it was a big success. We’re still finding spiders and webs around the place, even after cleaning up twice!

Even the young ones got dressed up for the party!

One of our neighbours helped get everything ready... She played a big part in the haunted garage this year.

Apple bobbing featured again this year. The kids actually got all the apples, so we had to put them in for another round.

Mom gets the kids excited about the yucky dip... This year there was a surprise bonus: scorpions!

Yuck.... yuck... yuck...

LR gets a... slime covered scorpion! YUCK!

The kids are excited to line up for the piñata. Some friends helped us set it up this year...

B is the first to whack the pumpkin, and already it's not looking good.

We raised it up higher to try to increase its longevity... It helped, but not quite enough. RJ still got some powerful hits in.

By the time LR and her friends had a go, the piñata was leaking candy everywhere!

It's down! FEEDING FRENZY! ... Next year, we'll add armour plating.

Mom hands out the clue buckets for the treasure hunt.

LR's team did really well, but there were some super hard clues in there.

At the end of the day, everyone lined up for the grand finale and selected their projectiles from the three rubbish bins filled with watery ammunition.

Run, pirate! RUN!

Your feeble sword is no match for the assault of 35 kids with water bombs!

ANOTHER DIRECT HIT! SPLASH!

Happy Halloween!

Luke — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 03:07:15 +0000

We’re suffering from an incredible post-Halloween party hangover. Unfortunately, it’s not the result of drinks or anything else; this is purely the result of forty excited children and non-stop thrills and games. We’re aching and sore, the house is a mess, our garage is infested with giant spiders and bats and there are piles of bones littering our front yard…

At least we have a good supply of fresh, clean eyeballs.

LR turns six

Luke — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 03:07:36 +0000

LR’s birthday rolled around and, despite appearances, we managed to keep it fairly simple (no giant parties, sleepovers, movie nights, etc.) LR loved every minute of it and is already making plans for next year!

After searching nearly ten bike shops in the area we finally found a bike cool enough for LR.

Good timing. We've had a long-standing arrangement that we would get LR a new bike when LR learned to ride. Fortunately, it happened right around her birthday!

Great Grandma Dot and Great Grandpa Maurie met us for lunch at a cafe. This is where LR had birthday cake #1!

LR and RJ head to the cake cabinet to pick the best ones.

Grammie hands her present to a very appreciative LR.

iLR LOVES her new iThing.

RJ got a new dinosaur lenticular image. So far it's become a video game, a movie, his pets and a useful demonstration of evolution in action.

Poppa gets a spontaneous thank-you hug from LR.

LR gobbles down her cake, ice cream and a chocolate cake with chocolate sauce over the top... Over the top is right!

Instead of a birthday party, LR invited her class to come for a play at the park after school.

There were kids everywhere! LR had a great time!

Cake #2 consisted of cupcakes for each kid. Thanks Grammy for the hard work!

RJ eyes the mighty stack of cupcakes... We kept a careful count to make sure none disappeared ahead of time.

RJ attempts to negotiate for an early cupcake by trading a cup full of worms.

LR blows out the candles with just a little help from her friends.

LR hands out the privileged 'L' cupcakes to special people.

By carrying buckets of water to the top of the playground equipment and pouring them down, the kids created their own waterslide!

LR eyes light up for cake #3, an icecream cake that we had after our family dinner.

LR blows out the candles with mum holding her hair back -- she's trying to grow out her fringe.

Poppa and RJ help put new batteries into one of her presents.

Avast, ye scurvy dogs!

Luke — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 03:07:35 +0000

Just four days before his actual birthday, RJ held his amazing pirate birthday party. He very specifically planned everything, from the location down to exactly what would be on the cake. Thanks to his meticulous plans (and a bit of assistance from his entourage), everything went according to plan. Major events were sword making, a treasure hunt, taking over a pirate ship, firing cannons and eating (an RJ favorite).

Toothpaste?! Bah! Real pirates use rum!

Beware the pirate queen!

"Piracy is the new black."

Pirate Poppa helped get things ready. He just happened to have a helium tank sitting around the garage.

Pirate Grammy does her first animal balloon. Well done!

Mr Chuckles waits patiently for the birthday cake. Raawaaark!

RJ and G search the area for the rest of their pirate crew.

C and X work on their very dangerous looking swords.

RJ and E carefully add precious gemstones to the hilts of their blades.

The search for the pieces of the map to the pirate tresure is on!

C carefully puts the last piece of the puzzle map into place.

"There be plunder here, mateys!" After a lot of searching, RJ discovers the pirate treasure!

The cake was an ingenious way to smuggle the map to the hidden treasure.

RJ blows out the candles, moments before an assist from his pirate crew.

Heather made a fantastic pirate wench... I mean, bench... I mean, "Sorry Heather!"

RJ prepares to fire the starbord guns! Arrrgh!

In true pirate fashion, G returns to the table to plunder some of the remaining booty from the cake.

E does a mighty stomp, launching the rocket high over their heads.

The fearsome band of pirates get together for a last hurrah.

November Photos Wrap-Up

Luke — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 03:07:06 +0000

Lots of great things happened in November, here’s the run down: Summer is slowly arriving with only one or two hot days here and there, RJ and Dad see some airplanes take off, RJ goes to some birthday parties, Mum catches LR at camp for a day, Dad and RJ hit the beach, someone got older, and LR’s year one class visits a wildlife preserve.

Make sure you follow the “Continue Reading” link to get the whole story!

Time for a quick icecream break on a hot summer day.

RJ and Dad checked out a "Fly-In / Fly-Out" vintage aircraft show in the city.

We got a great spot at the end of the runway and had 30 classic aircraft take off right over our heads!

RJ has three really close friends who love hanging out together. The four of them spent most of G’s party romping around, causing trouble and having a great time.

The Four Musketeers (G,E,A and RJ) chilling out at G's birthday party.

RJ and A discuss the finer points of cupcake decoration.

Three of the 'four musketeers' heading for trouble. RJ is the ideas man.

Team G conquering the playground.

LR head off to Year One Camp alone, but allowed Mum to check in on her one afternoon.

LR working on her Camp t-shirt.

"It doesn't matter how the paint is put on, as long as something is said." - J. Pollock

The results of an afternoon's artistic exploration.

RJ and Dad managed to keep busy.

RJ and Dad went to the beach while Mum and LR were at camp.

At least it's not raining.

Someone got older…

Someone had another birthday.

LR’s year one class went to Herdsman Lake and got up close and personal with some of the wildlife.

RJ gets used as a prop at a wildlife demonstration for the Year Ones.

LR gets her chance to pet the long necked turtle as RJ and other kids from her class look on.

Finally… RJ continues his 3 1/2 year creative streak…

RJ shows off his latest invention, the "Saturn Flying Bouncer".

What’s in a name?

Luke — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:07:58 +0000

(while at a friends fairy themed birthday party)

Fairy Leader: (enthusiastically) What’s your fairy name?

E: (excited) Fairy E!

Fairy Leader: And what’s your fairy name?

M: (excited) Fairy M!

Fairy Leader: And you! What’s your fairy name?

RJ: (excited) King Ladybug!

Fairy Leader: But what’s your fairy name?

RJ: (grumpy) King Ladybug. Just King Ladybug. I’m not a fairy!

All bow before King Ladybug!

The King surveys his fairy infested domain.

Best… Wine list… Ever…

Luke — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:07:23 +0000

Mum went off to camp to visit LR for the evening. RJ and I had a big afternoon playing secret agents, jumping on the trampoline, mucking about at the beach and having getting dinner at a restaurant.
Towards the end of the meal, RJ grabbed the drinks menu, opened it and started reading.

RJ: Hmmm… Look at that…

… That’s interesting.

… Wow. I didn’t know that!

Dad: RJ. What are you reading???

RJ: This magazine. They left it here for us.

Dad: What is it about?

RJ: All sorts of things. There is a story about a party that they had.

Dad: What kind of party?

RJ: Just a birthday party. It’s not very interesting.

Dad: Is there an interesting story in there?

RJ: Yes. It’s about dragons.

Dad: Cool. What does it say?

RJ: Dragons have enormous teeth and a big tail. Some of them live in the ocean. They have very sharp teeth and they eat meat… but not people meat.

Dad: What kind of meat do they eat?

RJ: Oh you know, sheep, cows and horses and stuff.

Dad: Anything else about dragons in there?

RJ: They have a picture of a knight who had to kill a dragon. It was very dangerous, but he had a sword and shield with him.

Dad: Why did he have to kill the dragon?

RJ: The king told him to. It was eating all the sheep and making the people mad. (goes back to reading the menu)

Dad: … Anything else in there?

RJ: No. That’s the end.

RJ can tell you a thing or two about dragons.

As long as you say it with conviction

Luke — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:17:03 +0000

(At a friend’s dress-up / fancy dress birthday party — we had no idea costumes were an option, let alone expected.)

Friend’s Mother: Hi RJ! What are you dressed up as?

RJ: I’m not dressed as anything because I don’t need to be dressed as anything.

(runs off with group of other kids following him)

Halloween 2009

Luke — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:01:27 +0000

This year, our Halloween party was the biggest ever. Every kid from both of the Year 1 classes at LR’s school was invited, as well as all the children on our street and a bunch of RJ’s friends. It was absolutely crazy, but we did our best to keep them busy. Activities included the Haunted Garage, a “Yucky” dip, a piñata, a broom race, a treasure hunt, making disembodied hands and the grand finale, a total, all-out assault on Dad with water balloons.

LR, as Supergirl, decided the world needed rescuing.

RJ and Mum put together a great snapping turtle costume.

Follow the link to get to the rest of the pictures and see what went on!!!

Grammy came along too. We needed all the help we could get!

We recruited a couple of the dads to carve pumpkins and watermelons brought by the kids.

A couple of the kids were amazed by our American maibox. Australian letter boxes look nothing like this.

The Yucky Dip involved a huge bowl of slimy, coloured pasta of different shapes. Prizes and bugs were hidden through it and the kids had to do their best to find a prize in the revolting mess.

Mum helps one of the kids search for a prize in the "Yucky Dip".

We do the apple bobbing every year. The kids figured out pretty quickly that grabbing the apples by the steps was the easiest way to win… This year, though, only apples without stems got prizes!

RJ volunteers to be next in the apple bobbing competition.

An apple bobbing champion is born!

In previous years, we’ve made disembodied hands for each of the kids in LR and RJ’s classes. It’s a huge amount of work, but the kids love it. This year we got smarter and had the kids make them!

Everyone had fun making ghoulish popcorn hands with Am!

You have to fill them all the way to the top with popcorn!

The annual treasure hunt is always a big hit, but it’s getting harder and harder to find enough hiding places for the number of kids that show up. For the older kids this year, we hid marbles around the yard, with different prizes available for one or more marbles. The younger kids, searching our neighbour’s yard, had to find tiny pumpkin baskets containing small toys and sometimes a piece of candy.

Mum gives everyone instructions on the treasure hunt. This year they had to find marbles hidden around the front yard. It wasn't easy.

One of LR's class mates hunts for precious, precious marbles.

LR found two! Home field advantage, perhaps? She donated one to someone who wasn't as fortunate.

The younger kids had their search across the road. They had to find little plastic pumpkins and cauldrons.

This year we asked all the kids to bring a broom with them for a broom race. We ran two races and the kids did really well. We may have to rethink this one, having 15 kids running at you with long sticks is not very safe.

RJ gets his broom tuned up for the Broom Race.

Kids rush to prepare for the Broom Race.

Two serious contenders for the prize... provided no one brings kryptonite along.

RUN RUN RUN RUN!

The piñata survived through quite a few attacks before finally relinquishing its hidden treasure.

The piñata was especially popular.

T prepares to deal a mighty blow to poor old Jack.

Can I be next please?!!

SMASH! The lollies have been liberated!

To wrap things up, we had a water bombing event. The kids line up along the side of the road, heavily loaded with water balloons. A very brave, and soon to be thoroughly drenched, Dad makes several sprints past them as they hurl their watery grenades at him.

30 kids. 200 water balloons. 1 victim... at least Dad had his goggles. Dad gets the kids riled up with some serious trash-talk.

Splash! Direct hit!

Totally soaked, except for the bits under the goggles, there were still more balloons to come, as well as a bucket of water.

Finally, after almost everyone has left, we get to go trick or treating. Not everyone on the street has candy, but those who do love to see us and check out the costumes.

Trick or Treat! LR checks out the new neighbours to see if they've got treats... and maybe if they'd like to come trick or treating with us.

This... is... the... BEST THING EVER!!! FREE CANDY AND LOLLIES!!!!

Let's head home and see what we've got.