I expected to have a lull in the Halloween fun for the next
couple of days, but that didn’t really happen – either at school or here at
home.
While we had something Halloween-related going on in every
class today; Phys-Ed won unanimously for most entertaining part of the day. Zombie Dodge Ball takes the classic game to a
whole new level, and is the only version of the game I’ve ever seen where the
guys wanted to get hit so they could become one of the zombies – and mostly
chase the girls around. Of course they
had to do that in the ‘slow zombie’ mode, but playing the game in half of the
gymnasium made it tough to dodge the ball and the zombies by the time we got to
the end of the game.
If you’re wondering who won, all you need to remember is
that I really like to win; and have wicked-cool math skills. Rowen did pretty well too until Tim started
munching on her ‘brains’. Michael came
in second place, and I felt a little twinge of regret for being the one to turn
him into a zombie, but he’d never want me to hold back or let him win; and I
think he only regretted not being able to play zombie longer.
Halloween was the top chat topic at school all day, but
football was a close second for the guys.
The last regular season game in on Friday, and though our team is in the
playoffs regardless of what happens; everyone knows that Kyle doesn’t want to
lose the chance for an unbeaten season in the last game – especially since it
could also make a difference for how long we’d get to be the home team during
the post-season. Michael and Tim will be
going to that game with Tim’s father, uncle, and aunt; but Rowen and I are not
going with them.
While we’re not going to be doing football with them this
Friday night, they came home with us after school; and we did our homework in
the lounge before taking Ethan and Ehlana over to the park so the boys could
play football; and we could all have some playground fun time after that. We only had about an hour before Michael and
I needed to have Ethan and Ehlana home again because Mom and Dad had invited
the Stone family over for dinner and a pumpkin-carving adventure.
Rowen and Tim only came back with us long enough to grab
their computers and book bags before heading out again; and Michael and I pitched
in to help Mom with making dinner and setting the dining room table while the
twins supervised and entertained us. The
fun level kicked up several notches when Jacob, Miranda, and Rebecca joined us
shortly before Dad got home from the office.
We really don’t get to spend time with both of our families very often;
and I know that Michael loved getting to spend a few hours together with
everyone tonight as much as I did.
I also love getting to hang out with Rebecca when we can
just have fun and be the good friends that we are without the social baggage
that gets in the way too often – especially over the past few years. Ethan and Ehlana really love her a lot too;
and Ehlana spent a lot of time with Rebecca tonight – sitting beside her at
dinner; and having Rebecca help her with carving her pumpkin while Ethan had
Michael helping him.
Mom doesn’t even attempt to compete with Jacob with her
cooking, but he makes sure that his side dish and appetizer contributions match
up very nicely with her entrees when we do have these meals together; and we
all get to enjoy the food. The
conversation is always lively when we’re all together too; and Miranda
especially had fun telling us some favorite stories from the Haunted Halloween
Walk – though Michael, Rebecca, and I had heard most of them on Sunday while we
were at the Inn.
Pumpkin carving was the main event of the evening; and we
did most of that at the kitchen table – though we scooped the pumpkin guts out
of our jack-o-lanterns on the back porch before moving indoors to do the
carving. Michael and I weren’t part of
that ‘we’, since our first post-dinner job was to wash the dishes and clean up
the kitchen with some help from our Moms while the Dads were in charge of the
pumpkin preparations with help from Rebecca and the twins. We created six jack-o-lantern masterpieces in
about an hour – three for each of our houses; with the one that Michael and I
made together going home with him.
Dad needed to get some work done in the office after that,
so the parents moved into the office for a chat and coffee time while he got
started on his homework; and Rebecca, Michael, and I took Ethan and Ehlana up
to my room for a little play time that included some music fun and a little
video gaming action. While music isn’t Rebecca’s
thing – or at least playing it isn’t; she had fun playing my keyboard with
Ethan and Ehlana while Michael and I practiced for music class and band. Michael and Ethan were up against Rebecca and
Ehlana for the video game mini-competition, and though we promised not to ruin
the guys’ reputations by telling anyone who won, by the time anyone reads this;
I don’t think they’ll mind the news getting out that the girls crushed them
tonight at Dora the Explorer.
Yes, I’m sure that you would have done better playing Mario
Kart, Lego Star Wars, or something else, guys; but it was girls’ choice, so be
glad that you weren’t playing a Barbie game tonight!
We really had a great time tonight, and though Michael and I
didn’t have any alone time; we didn’t really mind that one little downside to
spending the evening with our families.
The Stones went home when it was time for Ethan and Ehlana to go to bed,
though they talked Miranda into doing their bedtime story in the office before
letting her leave; so we had one last little blast of fun as we all got to
enjoy a toddler-rated spooky story.
Michael and I had a short-lived moment on the front porch that we
weren’t really alone for; and goodnight kisses are very tough to take seriously
when the Mom of one of the participants is whistling at you and offering a
running commentary as if she was calling the plays at a football game. I’m glad that she thinks our technique is
pretty good ‘for a couple of rookies’; but what little skill we may or may not
have developed so far went out the window when we both started laughing.
I was back inside in time for the goodnight kisses with
Ethan and Ehlana as they were tucked in.
Mom did my Magi lesson after that while Dad finished his work; and then
they went to bed while I came up to my room and got to work. I’ve managed to fill up another three hours
with language studies, archive work, some family business projects, and a short
music intermission playing my keyboard.
With Halloween on Thursday, I expect to lose a work night; so I need to
put in the extra time between now and Wednesday night to make up for that. I’m okay tonight, but don’t be surprised if I
end up making an exception and using a time-phase at least once so I don’t end
up with just a few hours of sleep every night.
Three hours of nap time is about all I’m going to get tonight if I get
started on that right now; so that’s it, and I’m outta here for the night.
Live long and prosper, fellow Magi of the Light!
