Halloween Festivities and then some

Today, for your viewing pleasure, I've combined 5 days worth of blogging material into one. Welcome to the post that has no end. If the idea of reading an overly-detailed account of our weekend makes you hurl, I advise that you discontinue reading now. Thanks to my friend Marie for the pumpkin idea.

Cinderella, you're as lovely as your name. Here she stands, waiting for her Prince Charming.Halloween night we trick or treated in our soon-to-be neighborhood. Having recognized one of the Moms, our family tagged along with a group of trick-o-treaters. It was a great opportunity to meet some of our neighbors. Having the shortest legs of the group, Eliza trailed behind the other trick-o-treating princesses, but insisted on walking the entire time. It was a great opportunity to introduce ourselves to future neighbors. As we drove back to our apartment that night, I felt an added sense of reassurance/comfort that we chose the right neighborhood.Before we went trick or treating, we went to a local park to check out a community event. Although we enjoyed a trip on the spooky train, I don't think we'll be going back next year.Correction, 3/4 of our family had a pleasant experience. As for Eliza, she was terrified of the tunnel. She spent the two remaining laps of the ride like this. Or maybe she's just upset that Prince Charming never showed up.

You'd think I'd be ready to wrap up this post for the day. Sadly, that's not the case. Don't worry, we made up for our eventful weekend on Sunday by doing absolutely NOTHING, with the exception of going to Church an hour early. Yes, that's right. The Flegal's did not get the day light savings memo. Until yesterday, I've never been able to say that my children and I arrived at Church 70 minutes prior to the start of our 9:00 am meeting.

Knowing I had missed my opportunity to sleep in an extra hour, I felt robbed. Andrew's expressed empathy as he jokingly said,

"Don't worry Ali. There' s always next year."

Returning to Saturday,

Our ward enjoyed an afternoon together at a member's farm. Eliza fed carrots to the animals,

spotted various Halloween objects in a charming barn,and braved a bumpy hay ride with MomThe colors of our surroundings were amazing. Andrew summed it up well when he said, "Heavenly Father sure loves us."

Andrew and Henry at the bonfire and then again, inside the barn.

To reward the three of you that endured another lengthy post, I'll give you a peek at what Andrew and I wore to a costume party our friends hosted later that night. After hitting the local Wal-mart the day after Halloween, we found the following costumes for half the regular price. We went as Father Adam and Mother Eve. Yes, this is the least flattering costume in existence. It showed each roll and each unwanted lump and bump that I have acquired since giving birth. That's exactly why the above photo has strategically been cropped. However, if you have a slender figure like my Adam has, it's a perfectly fine choice.The above photo is evidence that man has been responsible for taking out the trash since the beginning of time.

Other than my insanely bold (or dumb) move to sport such a costume, we had a great weekend. What's that? Your slightly disappointed that "the post that has no end" has ended? If that's really the case, here's some footage of Eliza prior to boarding the Halloween train.