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Quinn participated in an after-school karate program during October, and today they had a demonstration/graduation ceremony at the karate school. We got to watch while the students demonstrated what they had learned, and then they each got to break a board, and get a certificate and their white belt. I think my favorite part was when the school owner was having the group come to attention and all the kids said “Yes, Ma’am!” instead of “Yes, Sir!” There were a lot of giggles about that – clearly they had become accustomed to having a female instructor!

Here’s Quinn standing at attention…

…receiving his certificate and white belt…

…and click here to see a video of Quinn breaking his board!

And then everyone got to have chocolate chip cookies – how could we have a bad time when chocolate chip cookies are involved?

Today the boys and I hosted a pretzel making playdate for the MOMS Club. There are lots of germs going around right now so a number of people couldn’t make it, but it actually worked out fine because there was room at the table for everyone to create their pretzels at once! These photos are courtesy of my friend Kim, since I couldn’t figure out where my camera had gone. Here’s the whole crew working on their pretzel dough!

They all got to make whatever shapes they’d like. I think Miles was a bit at a loss for what to do, but he ended up making some balls and some snakes so I think he did a great job!

Quinn also had fun making his pretzel creation (and hamming for the camera):

After they made their shapes, they got to paint the pretzels with egg and then decorate them with salt, cinnamon sugar, and/or sprinkles. Here’s Miles concentrating on his paint job:

The pretzels were tasty and I think the kids had fun making them. I think we’ll try this again during the winter!

Soft Pretzels

1 pkg. yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 c warm water
4 c flour
1 egg
Kosher salt (or cinnamon sugar)

Mix in a bowl the yeast, warm water, and sugar. Stir in flour.
Dump the dough onto a pastry cloth and knead until smooth.
Cut of lumps and make into ropes to shape pretzels. (Other shapes work fine, too.)
Place on cookie sheets lined with foil.
Brush pretzels with beaten egg and sprinkle on salt or cinnamon sugar.
Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.

The boys had a very busy week filled with Halloween activities. They started the week wearing their costumes to church and then riding the MOMS Club float in the town Halloween parade. That was followed up by pumpkin carving and several Halloween parties throughout the week! Here’s Miles on the parade float:

Here are the boys helping me get the house decorated for Halloween (thanks Nana, for the great wall hanging you made us!) Quinn was obsessed with drawing jack-o-lanterns this year and he covered most of the available magnetic surfaces in the house with pictures (including the dishwasher and the panels under my desk!) Needless to say, he was happy whenever I said we could put up another decoration!

We also attended the MOMS Club Halloween party and pumpkin picking. At a local farm, we took a hayride out to the pumpkin field and the boys got to select their own pumpkins. They had a great time despite the looks on their faces in this photo!

Notice the coats and mittens in the previous picture? That was taking on October 30, but by October 31, we could almost wear shorts! So we didn’t have to worry about being chilly for trick or treating this year! Quinn attended three parties on the 30th – the MOMS Club party, a party at school, and the annual Turbine Halloween party at Eric’s work. The kids had a blast but Quinn was ready to collapse by the time it was all done!

Then the next day we attended another Halloween party, this one hosted by a family in our neighborhood. I was told that the hay rides were supposed to be a side activity that some kids could do while the other ones were participating in planned games, but the hay rides were the hit of the party! Good thing there were two tractors and trailers!

And here’s Quinn after attempting to eat a powdered doughnut hanging from a string!

Finally we went trick or treating and the boys collected lots of treats! After each house Miles would ask me, “we go ‘nother house?” He was having a super time! Both the boys covered the whole neighborhood without needing to rest, though I was carrying Miles’s bucket by the end – it was getting heavy! Here they are after trick or treating at our house:

What a busy week! And there are even more Halloween photos in the October album!

During the pumpkin carving process, Quinn got his hands on the camera and took a bunch of photos. Many, as you can probably imagine, were less than spectacular, but I think he made up for it by taking this beautiful photo of his little brother!

I love it!!! Although it make Miles look so old….waaaaaaah!

The boys both designed jack-o-lantern faces for Eric to carve. This year Quinn pulled the guts out of his own pumpkin! (That’s a first!)

Miles got his apron on, but this is as close as he would get to putting his hand in the pumpkin. Maybe next year!

They were both fascinated by the carving process.

And here’s the end result! I especially like the semicircle nose that Miles specified.

See more Halloween photos in the October album!