Happy Halloween!

Halloween is my favorite holiday. Why? First of all, because it is fun. You get to carve faces into vegetables, dress up in costumes, make fun of the scary ugly things in the world, and beg candy from complete strangers. But that's not all. I also love it for the feeling. It is a wonderful combination of sights, smells, sounds, and tastes that makes it perfect. Is it just me, or is there always a faint smell of smoke mixed with pumpkin on Halloween night? I love that. And the weather was perfect for us here in Cleveland- there was a full moon with just enough clouds covering it to make it story-bookish. And then there is the sound of laughter and excitement from the swarms of kids as they go trick-or-treating. Mix all that together with the already beautiful feeling of autumn and you've got the perfect holiday.

Evelyn liked it too. This year was her first time trick-or-treating. We got her a little pumpkin bucket and she has been carrying it around all week like her little purse. She often refuses to leave the house without it. So you can imagine her joy when she got to take her pumpkin from house to house and watch it fill up with candy. Rachel and I took her out in shifts while the other person stayed home to watch the babies and hand out candy to trick-or-treaters. We were able to decorate our house again this year, with the addition of some orange lights and glowing tombstones that we picked up last year at the after-Halloween sale. And, of course, we finished our pumpkins. Like I said last week, Rachel was only able to do one because she has been pretty busy feeding babies and stuff.

Actually- besides Halloween night, this week has been pretty crazy. To start things off, the babies both have thrush that is getting progressively worse. This makes mealtimes a very painful experience for both them and Rachel. On top of that, Rachel and Evelyn have come down with the dreaded swine flu. I was also sick for a while but it only lasted for a day. Basically, the Hazard home has become a cesspool and breeding grounds for germs and disease. Thankfully, things are finally starting to get a little better.

Other than that, nothing real notorious has happened. This week we wanted to do a special highlight on Adalie's belly button. To say "outie" would be an understatement. Her navel actually rivals her nose in prominence, and it moves in and out in a crazy belly-button dance when she is crying. Evelyn is fascinated with it and loves trying to get it to stay down. We just hope that our little Adalie is able to grow into it.

Here are the other pumpkins we carved. Rachel did the fairy and I did the jester. I guess I was on an "evil clown" kick this year (See last week's post).

Here are before and after pictures of Evelyn's Halloween night. I think she was the prettiest little witch in Cleveland.

And finally, we'll throw a few more bonus pictures in for you viewing enjoyment.