Stoddard Family Halloween Feast

Several years ago Dave’s mom (and I think with some help from sister Lecia) started a tradition of the Halloween feast.  It was a huge hit and something we all looked forward to each year.  Vicky and I decided that even though Mom wasn’t with us anymore we were going to carry on the tradition.  We had it at my house this year and had lots of fun food.  That’s one of the big things is to have scary or gross food on the table.  Like – mummy dogs, monster meat burgers, bat eyes (olives), frog eggs (grapes), swamp weeds (salad) with goblin goo (ranch dressing with green food coloring)… anyway you get the picture.  Some years Grandma did an activity or craft and some years we carved pumpkins.  This year the kids just played and enjoyed the nice weather outside.  Then they dressed up for pictures and we visited Great Grandma and Grandpa Stoddard.  This was another part of the tradition to visit some of the great grandparents before Halloween so we all didn’t have so many places to go on Halloween.

Dillan’s Star Wars Birthday

Dillan loves Star Wars like crazy!  He is always wanting to watch the movies, play lightsabers, and is always humming all the theme music – so funny!  For his 5th Birthday we decided to make it a Star Wars theme.  He had a Star Wars “hot lava” cake (he called it) which he picked out from some ideas on the internet.  All his presents from Mom and Dad were Star Wars toys.  He got some figures and a really cool Galactic Heroes Millenium Falcon which he has played with non-stop since he got it.  He got a lot of fun stuff and it seemed more like Christmas he was so spoiled!  Mom and Dad just can’t believe he’s 5!

(And yeah… I cut Anakin’s head off in the picture and ObiWan is sinking into the chocolate cake… like Hayley said when I didn’t have the right food coloring, and frosting and was stressing about it… it doesn’t have to be perfect mom.  I wish I could remember that more often!)