Visiting Cemeteries in disguise

Last night, Robb, Maddy and I took the boy to Living History Farms in Des Moines.  

It's an AWESOME place and you should go some time.  It's named aptly.  When you go into the village, it's like stepping back 120 years into the days of Laura Ingalls.  A lot of the employees were dressed in the traditional 1880 garb but some needed more warmth and I don't blame them.  

Leon was wearing 3 long sleeved shirts and another pair of pants under his already skin tight Cat Boy costume...

The kids and their parents all walk around on wooden plank sidewalks and trick or treat at each business. 

Lots of photo ops along the way.  

Maddy and I ran to the cemetery and got Meri's traditional pic at that particular tombstone.  

Robb emailed it to her right away.  Meri was NOT impressed...  

"That's MY photo op!!!!" she responded.

Last year's.

The year before's.

 I WAS disappointed a little that the gazebo in the square wasn't decked out like a witch from years past...  

Two years ago.

Robb and Maddy wanted to sit back and enjoy some popcorn, so Leon and I rode the horse drawn wagon ride by ourselves.

Got my old school selfie since I still have a dumb phone and have to use a camera backwards.  If I had a smart phone, I'd know immediately to keep reposing to get rid of my double chin...  Maddy keeps hyping me up on the benefits.  I may have just found a good one.

Leon made a friend on the wagon ride.  A family with a little boy and girl, who obviously watched PJ Masks started talking with him.  He loved the other boys costume too.  Ash from Pokemon... ????  I guess I'm officially old.  They had a great time talking and became fast friends on the walk around the haunted mansion.  They even got to know each others names, but that's not important to a 4 year old.  It's all about the costumes...

Then we spent a little while listening to the story tellers in the old barn.  Leon was entranced... that is, if he wasn't trying to eat as much kettle korn as possible or trying to get his new friend's attention.

The stories were spooky good.

Bowling outside the barn.  Leon got several pins down and NO line yet!  It pays to go early in the season!

The barn all decked out for the holiday.

After we got back to the main building, Leon saw his new found friends again and started talking up a play date.  The dad came over to talk to me about it and get one set up.  Ummm awkward...  We live a ways away and are only around here like once a year??...  

Our kids DO get on great, but...   umm... nice to meet you!

and then of course, our obligatory yearly pose at the sign.  Only two kids with us this year!

We went out for pizza instead of the usual barbecue and then we dropped off the boy at his moms for the weekend.  darn.

Maddy is off taking a teacher's test today.  Yes, even prospective teachers need to take tests. HA!  Serves them right!!!  She has to take 2 more after this one in order to get licensed.  

SO close to graduation!!!!

She found out where she'll be student teaching in the spring and we're already making plans to go see her when she'll let us.  She'll have kindergarten through second graders in a small Christian school in Wisconsin.  She's pretty excited! and so are we, for her.  She'll make a great teacher.

Looking forward to a fun weekend with her at home.  I've already got some Halloween crafts planned if I can keep her from napping!

Have a great spooky weekend!