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Best Decorated Halloween Homes 2011
We did this a few years back and thought it might be interesting to see how the Halloween decor has changed in the past few years. Most of these homes are a few blocks from James which makes for a real fun Halloween atmosphere in the neighborhood. James especially enjoys outside displays and as we drive around he picks out his favorites as he helps with the project, however there is a small fee for his services – a slurpy at the local Seven Eleven!
Is it possible that Halloween may someday take over the decoration crown from Christmas? Each year we see more and more Halloween homes like the ones shown here.
James Halloween Party 2011
James had a great time at the Halloween party and did a good job as a first time host. The party was well attended with about a 50/50 ratio of kids and adults. Even James’ teacher, Mrs Jent, showed up. The weather cooperated as well, although we did not plan anything for outside. Most of the time was spent in the basement and every kid got a bag of goodies when they left.
We did not take many pictures during the party, we were having too much fun. The majority of these pics were taken after the party (which we officially called a Get Together since we did not have anything scheduled for any particular time). Hopefully we can do it again next year.
Special thanks to Sammy’s mom for sending us some pics she took during the party.
Pumpkins for the Halloween Party 2011
What would a Halloween party be without pumpkings? James and Dad pondered this thought and decided to go out and buy a few pumpkins to carve for the Halloween party. Pumpkins usually last a week or two if they are not carved, but once you carve one they begin to deteriorate rather rapidly and you really only have a few days of being able to use a carved pumpkin (It also depends on the temperature, if they are kept cool they will last much longer, but if left in a warm house they will deteriorate quickly).
A quick trip to the store got us everything we needed and James was very creative with his carving of the pumpkins. Hopefully they go over good at the upcoming Halloween Party. James thinks so and so does Dad.
Stevens Birthday at “Pump it Up” 2011
James visited “Pump It Up” after school and met up with some of his classmates at the Beech Daly/Northline location. Inside this facility are giant inflatables that the kids could play on constantly. James had a blast and ran from one giant inflatable to the next. Long sleeves and socks protected the kids from any “rug burns” on the rubber, a very good tip we received in the invitation which I am passing along for anyone who might want to visit this place. They also have a party area for food so you could have an entire birthday party here if you wanted to.
I realize the quality of the pictures is not the best, I believe it was a combination of a poor photographer (Dad), indoor lighting, and kids running constantly at break neck speeds.
Thanks to Stephen and his family for inviting us to this event, everything was paid for and each kid got a bag of goodies when they left.
James and Pegs Birthdays 2011
James and Peg celebrated their Birthdays together for the 6th year in a row at Applebee’s (I think the first two were at Caesars but not sure). Richard joined us this year and picked up the tab. James got a bunch of cool toys, cash, and several Wii Point Cards (These allow him to shop for Wii games without actually using cash or credit cards). Peg gifts included mix and match separates to make 3 plus different outfits (Obviously I am still banned from buying Peg’s Birthday gifts).
Peg bought a couple balloons which you can see in the pictures, they ran about $12 each but were worth it. James got a Curious George balloon because when he leaves for school it is the only show on at that time. He has to record the shows to finish watching them since he has to leave in the middle.
James went home afterward and played with his new items, then we took him out shopping at Walmart and a Halloween store he wanted to visit. He did real well not spending anything which was ok because he could not find anything he really liked and decided to wait till he did.
Summer Fun in the Backyard 2011
Today, Sept 7, 2011, James started the third grade, so we thought we would pick out a few of the pics from what james did the final month of his summer vacation (besides playing Wii and playing on the computer). The summer of 2011 will be remembered for being hot and humid, but James took care of that by playing with various forms of sprinkler toys. His moonwalk came in handy as well, but eventually the heat got so bad that we did not want James getting too hot jumping around in it.
With school starting and Fall right around the corner, we thought it would be a good time to remember the hot summer of 2011.
Abbotts Magic Get Together 2011
We all headed out to Colon MI for the annual Abbotts Get Together which features some of the most recognized names in magic. This year was a little different with a blind folded car drive through the city streets, a car show, and a craft show going on during the event. James enjoyed the blindfolded car drive and Mary enjoyed the car show while Dad liked the dealers room where the latest magic is for sale.
Each year since 1934 Magicians have migrated to this tiny town to see the latest magic and to perform for a midwest audience. They actually have two popular sayings to describe this event, one is “Vegas comes to Mayberry” and the other is the “Magic Capitol of the World”. The whole magic thing is due to the Abbott magic company which has been putting this event on for over seventy years. Some of the top names in magic such as Blackstone (both Sr. and Jr.), Lance Burton, Jeff McBride, Mac King, Jeff Hobson, and many more have performed here.
Marshall Blues Festival 2011
This was the second Blues Festival we attended. A very very hot day, Mom went straight to the Festival while Dad and James snuck off to Colon to visit the magic shop there. Later we picked up Mom and walked the streets of Marshall listening to music. On the way home we decided to stop for Chinese at a restaurant in Jackson which we found courtesy of our phones GPS. All in all a very fun day.
The pictures below are of the streets of Marshall during the Blues Festival, however most of the shops on main street are open throughout the year and we would certainly suggest a trip to Marshall anytime of the year.
4th of July 2011
For the last few years we have spent the Fourth of July in Colon MI with friends but this year we stayed home because James wanted to have his own fireworks show. A quick trip to Walmart got us a package of cool fireworks that we lit off at night. Although our little firework show was small, there were lots of other fireworks going on by other neighbors that created a great atmosphere.
James thoroughly enjoyed the fireworks and the entire evening of festivities as afterwards we enjoyed a late nite snack prepared by Mom and watched more celebrations from the front window.
Fathers Day 2011
What an awesome Fathers day Dad had. First, I got to watch the Jeff Bridges version of True Grit, then a few hours later got to watch the John Wayne version of True Grit. But the biggest and best surprise came when James Raymond made dessert for his Dad. Mom helped a little, especially with the stove, but for the most part James did the work himself. Needless to say we all got to have a nice healthy sweet treat on Fathers day.
The Weather was perfect today and the entire family got to have various outdoor activities. James and Dad played soccer and basketball while Mom went on her walk to Penn Park.
