Belated Halloween Festivities

 Halloween is not one of my top 3 favorites.  I don't feel creative enough to do anything spectacular, and then I have to buy candy to give away and my kids want to keep the candy they bring back.  So I put forth the minimum effort required for it.  This year I got out the box of costume stuffs and let the kids paw through it and decide what they wanted to be.  I told them they had to give notice well in advance if there was something they needed for dressing up.  No one made any requests, so Yay for not having to buy anything but candy this year!

The cat ears and tails have been the very best investment ever! 

Rylee and Delaney both wanted to be cats again this year.  Nice and easy for me!

There was no trunk or treat at church, but there were a few other festivities.  The weekend prior, Dan took the kids to the Library's shin-dig, but proclaimed it too crowded and uneventful to stay.  On Halloween day, there was an event at the Headquarters building and I made the kids go.  They had no school, and I wanted them out of the house, so despite the reluctance of some, I hauled them over.  They (gasp!) had a good time.  There was door-to-door trick-or-treating in the building with lots of fun office decorations and loot.  There was also a bit of carnival stuff going on in the front parking lot.  There were games and candy and lots of people.

The kids did enjoy themselves, but I kind of forgot to take photos till close to the end.  Joshua was embarrassed because his costume was in the washing machine and he came in clothes he claimed were too small and uncomfortable.  He was still happy to collect candy, but he left as soon as he could.

My crew in their self styled costumes.  The faces..... well, they weren't thrilled to pose.

Pumpkin bowling!  So fun! 

Who doesn't want to lob a pumpkin at bowling pins? 

It was enjoyed by all. 

The cake walk was the other favored game.  The girls really really wanted to win something, but despite tromping around for 30 minutes, their numbers were never called. 

I cheated and told the caller to call out Marian's number so she'd walk away with something.  And in the end, there was a plethora of treats still on the table at 1pm when the event was suppose to be over.  So they told the rest of the kids they could have whatever was left on the table.   

Rylee was very happy.

Asa Zoo Field Trip

 Marian's class had a field trip to the local Zoo last week.  I had volunteered to chaperone and really wanted to go.  I missed the bus lottery so did not get to ride the bus with the kids (so not really sad about that!) but I got to carpool down and hang out with my girl and some of her friends.Yep, my girl has friends who were very happy to be in her group!

It took a little over an hour to get there, taking the toll road (which was Y1240/$12 one way).  I rode with another set of parents and the drive was enjoyable.  The Zoo was better than I expected.  I had pretty low expectations though. I had been told it was pretty bad and that PETA had not discovered Japan yet.  It wasn't THAT bad.  We had about 3 ours to roam around and check out the animals and stuff.

Marian and most of the girls I got to hang out with and chaperone.  They were fun and so nice.

Checking out the Baboons. 

It was feeding time and it was fun to see them eat. 

The rhinos were pretty cool. I thought these 2 were going to brawl.

But why look at the real thing when you can climb on a fake?

 Marian and her friends.

See, they really did more than play.  The kids were suppose to take notes on 5 different animals.  Marian was very specific on who she was going to write about. 

Yes, she wrote about the cheetah! I couldn't believe how close we could get.  It was just on the other side of this glass! 

I do not think I had ever seen a tapir before. Such an odd animal- kind of a cross between a pig and a panda bear with a little elephant thrown in. 

The foxes were pretty.  I think one of them was a little bonkers too, from the lap-walking and head shaking going on.  That was a little sad. 

Feeding the giant Koi at lunch. 

Trying out a little something from the ice cream vending machine. 

She said it was delicious.

The bear was unenthusiastic. 

But I was happy to pose with the bear! 

 The girls spent way too much time at the guinea pig pen, trying to catch themselves a guinea pig.  There was some success.

So pleased with herself and her piggie-catching skills.

Signs translated into Engrish are always fun! 

Goats at the petting zoo. 

I found a friend at the petting zoo too! 

I'm not sure if it was okay, but there were no signs clearly saying not to feed the birds, so Marian shared crackers with them. 

Having fun by the giraffes and ostriches. 

 Trying to entice the giraffes closer. It did not work.  There was no giraffe petting this day.

My favorite item in the gift shop. "Cheetah Chocolate Cookies" 

Marian's purchase at the gift shop.  We thought it was an ice cream bar. 

Um.... NOT an ice cream bar.  A frozen frosted donut?  That was unexpected!

Overachievers

 I got 2 calls from the school, each informing me one of my daughters had been chosen as Student of the Month.  I was invited to come and have lunch with the girls and enjoy a small awards ceremony.  So that is how I spent my Thursday.  Lunch with Callie at 10:30, followed by lunch with Delaney at 11:10. The award stuff was done individually by grade, which was a nice, low-key way to do it.  The girls were cute.  But Callie was less than thrilled at being the center of attention.

Note Callie's marked lack of enthusiasm.

Marian has lunch the same time as Callie and I managed to sneak a photo, despite her very effective attempts to foil me. 

Posing for the official shot with their goodie bags.

This kid is a hoot, and she was thrilled to be special for the day.   

Receiving her certificate. 

Delighted to be getting a balloon and goodie bag.

Selfies, By Delaney