If you’re not from around here you probably don’t know about the biggest Halloween tradition: trunk-or-treat. It’s an alternative to going door-to-door to homes of people you don’t know at night. Instead, people in a church congregation gather in the church parking lot and kids can go car-to-car to receive candy.

I decorated the trunk and set a bowl full of wrapped cookies so people could help themselves while John and I walked around with the kids.

This year Wes was a cowboy and Carissa was Little Red Riding Hood.

Wes was supposed to be the Big Bad Wolf, but that changed when I walked into a fabric store, felt overwhelmed, and walked right back out again. He is a cowboy courtesy of Walmart.

John carried Carissa while I walked with Wes. At first, Wes was a little slow following the crowd of kids, but after the third car or so he clearly understood that at each stop he could hold out his bucket and someone would give him candy. After that we went really fast! Wes is not really into candy (he likes M&M’s, period), but I think he liked accumulating a bucket full.

Carissa wasn’t into it so much, so John carried her around. I gave her a small basket, but maybe I shouldn’t have given her one at all because it was overflowing before we were even half-way through.

We have ample sugar in our house now.

Last week I took Wesley and Carissa to the local pumpkin patch.

There was a corn pit and a mini-maze for little kids. Here Wes is standing behind the corn pit and in front of the maze entrance.

He liked the maze.

But he was more interested in finding rocks in the hay than finding his way out.

So he spent a long time in there. He found a bale of hay to stand on, looking out.

Later he took a walk in the pumpkin patch.

He didn’t pick a pumpkin, though–he picked rocks.

Which he took over to the petting zoo and tossed into the animals’ water buckets.

While Carissa watched.

Today we celebrated Wesley’s 4th birthday with his first-ever party with friends.

This would also be my first-ever experience planning a birthday party for little kids.

Lesson Learned #1: Simple is best!

When I started planning I was kind of extravagant, but I simplified and things were a lot easier to pull together with less time. Plus, the kids are three, four, and five. They don’t care about extravagant. They just want to play and eat cake.

We held it in our backyard. The kids liked to play, but they wanted a little structure, too. Once the thrill of just playing wore off (about ten minutes) we brought out snacks.

I bought some pointed wooden sticks from a cake supply store and mounted fresh fruit on them, ala Edible Arrangements style, only with less style and for a lot less money.

I included strawberries and grapes stacked in three as well as marshmallows and half-bananas that I dipped in melted chocolate/peanut butter (recipe below).

The pictures above were taken after the fruit had been out a few minutes and already attacked by the kids. I think they especially liked the chocolate-peanut butter marshmallows and bananas.

But Wesley’s favorite was the strawberries. I think he may have eaten them all.

Carissa liked the banana.

When snacks were done we pulled out a pinata. This was a smashing success. And, it was the most orderly I’d seen the kids all hour. They lined up and patiently waited their turn to swing at the ball.

We gave each kid a couple swings, and then after a few rounds we just told them to whack at it. That pinata was industrial strength!

Wes needed a little help to realize he was supposed to be hitting the pinata and not the tree, the clouds, etc.

At last it fell and the kids were on that candy like piranhas.

We had cake and ice cream.

When all was said and done and eaten, guests left with a goody bag because I like to say thanks to everyone who came.

The goody bag included bubbles and a chocolate-peanut butter marshmallow that I made myself.

It was easy.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dipped Marshmallows (and Bananas)

Melt 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips and 2 Tbsp. peanut butter in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes at 50% power, stirring now and again. Dip the marshmallow (I used a lollipop stick I got at a cake/candy supply store), top with sprinkles, and put in the fridge to harden. Since I used sticks, I stuck them in a piece of Styrofoam to keep the chocolate looking pretty as it hardened.

You can also do this with banana halves and freeze them for a nice alternative to an ice cream bar.

I actually just read about how you can mash bananas and freeze them and it tastes a lot like ice cream, except better-for-you, and now I can see how that’s true.

Last of all, because every mom deserves a little something, they all got a goody bag, too, with cake bites from my favorite place.

Lesson Learned #2: Birthday parties are best with lots of help! So glad a couple moms stayed to help me out!

And now I am One Who Throws Successful Birthday Parties for Little Kids.

Phew. No more until next year.

Four years old!

Wesley came home from preschool wearing a cute crown (so surprised it was even on his head), but he was very grumpy.

After his nap we went to Partyland. They have a section for kids to play in (which I discovered at the END of my shopping).

Wes didn’t much like riding the horse (it was kind of old and rickety), but Carissa liked to watch.

There was also a train (which I wouldn’t pay 75 cents for him to ride).

We had a simple party with just our family. Wes kept saying, “Cake!” and “Pizza!” (And, just so my sister knows, he also kept saying, “Tawa’s house!” and got quite mad when we didn’t go there after Partyland. And, just so my folks know, he also kept saying, “Amma, Ampa’s house!” Alas, he had to put up with us, at our own house, instead.)

Store-bought cake. I was going for easy.

Wes ate his ice cream first, tasted the icing on the cake, then ate the pepperoni off his pizza, and then ate more ice cream. Dinner, done.

On to presents.

We bought Wes two things, a t-ball set…

…and a dump truck (which we found for $6 on clearance at Funfinity. Don’t tell Wes). It was kind of beat up and dirty, but it works. It moves on its own and says things, which Wes thinks is cool.

After dinner and presents he played in the backyard, and then ran around the house with Carissa, giggling lots. He was sweaty in the picture I took with him here, but no longer grumpy. Happy birthday to my baby boy!

So last month I said goodbye to my twenties and entered a new decade of life.

I wanted a party to celebrate, and a party that involved Zumba–one of my favorite things–but I wanted a party that wasn’t just for me. I rented some black lights and disco laser lights, and threw a few black light Zumba parties for my students and their friends. We raised a little money to help a family that’s adopting a little girl from Russia who has Down syndrome.

(And if you want to see the amazing web site that helps families adopt children with DS and other special needs from Eastern Europe, go here. Can’t say enough good about the program. Just to think that if Wesley had been born in Russia or Ukraine to some other parents, he would have likely been given up by them, put in an orphanage to be cared for by nurses with little stimulation until he was five or six, and then placed in an adult institution for the rest of his life. Many kids only live to age 18 or so because of the conditions. I’m so glad we have Wes, and that families are going out of their way to make better homes for these kids!)

The parties were fun, but a lot of work for me! Possibly the most tiring but rewarding birthday I’ve had so far.

Lots of neon is the key to showing up under the light. Since I was leading a room full of students, my arms and feet needed to be highly visible.

The kids liked the glow bracelets.

Same kids, same pose, just in the dark.

I made cupcakes.

Friends/fellow instructors.

I held three different parties in three different places. Two blacklights was enough for even the giant gymnasium for my class at BYU. In this smaller room, two was a little bright.

And this is about the only video I have, from our first black light party in my Springville class. The song is “5 Letras,” a reggaeton rhythm.

The many faces of our now 1-year-old girl.