Halloween!

Our first Halloween in Florida! The girls were very excited this year to dress up, especially because they didn't have to wear five layers of clothing beneath their costumes to keep warm! The sun was shining, fall leaves were falling and the weather was in the 70's! For a Washington native, Halloween without an umbrella and five layers of fleece underneath the costume was quite an experience. Kaitlyn noticed some Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleading uniforms at the store and determined that both she and her sister needed to be "twin cheerleaders" and carry some "Ra Ra's" (Pom Pom's). SO....we dug out Mom's old Pom Poms from college and our Trick or Treat bags and away we went...............

Our first stop of Halloween Week was at the 6th Ranger Training Battalion Family Halloween Event. Our Family Readiness Group coordinated with the local chapter of the World Wide Ranger Association, Swamp Rangers, to have a huge fall shindig at one of the retiree's farm in Crestview, Florida. It was abosultely beautiful weather and we had a wonderful time doing sack races, pumpkin hunts, hay rides and costume parades with the kids and the retirees. We had a huge catered BBQ from a very southern mom and pop restaurant. We sat around watching the kids and listning to the stories of crusty old Rangers. All in all, it was a great day.

On Halloween night the tiny neighborhood of Rudderville took the kids out to Trick or Treat. It takes all of 15 minutes to make it around the neighborhood and everyone comes out together to watch the kids. After Trick or Treating, one of our neighbors organized a big hay ride through the back woods and airfield on Camp Rudder. The whole neighborhood piled in and all the Dads and teenage kids dressed up as monsters and popped out of the woods at various points during our ride. The kids were scared and a few of us moms were a little terrorized too! :) As always, the whole neighborhood got involved and it was a great time. Hope you all had a great Halloween and enjoyed dressing up!