Halloween Dinner Party!!

Last year we started a new tradition and it has turned out to be so much fun! The Olsen family has a "Mystery Dinner." The Dinner is three courses and everyone has to order their food by writing their order down on their menus. But…there's a twist. The food has spooky names, so they don't know exactly what they're ordering. This year we had chili, hot dogs, corn bread, Jell-0 worms, chips, veggies and veggie dip, etc. Only Kristi, Nanette and I knew what foods went with which spooky name. Here is the list that the family had to order from:

• Witches Wart (Fork)
• Mummy Wrap (Bun)
• Goblin Guts (Chili)
• Devil's Tail (Jell-O)
• Black Cat Curse (Chips)
• Frankenstein Phlegm (Onions)
• Pumpkin Pus (Punch)
• Rotting Brains (Cheese)
• Troll's Toe Jam (Deviled Eggs)
• Warlock's Nose Hair (Napkin)
• Spider Spit (Corn Bread)
• Ghostly Goop (Cake)
• Bloody Boogers (Veggie Dip)
• Eerie Ear Wax (Veggies)
• Squirmy Skeleton Fingers (Hot Dogs)

For example, Ryan's first course was: a hot dog bun, cheese, punch, veggie dip, and onions. After everyone is served their third course, they can get up and fix a full plate of food! We really have had so much fun with this, and I am excited to continue this new tradition! It seems like it is so difficult to get everyone together in one room and even though Eric and Jaryd were missing, it was still nice to get almost everyone together for a night of fun, food and laughter.

"Tapeworm" Hot Dogs

Punch...yes there are floating bats and spiders

Kristi's Kitty Litter Cake...Looks disgusting, but was pretty delicious.

Jell-O Worms (Kristi if you are reading this and this picture looks familiar...I stole it from your facebook page! I couldn't find a picture of these on my camera.)

Our table!

Kade and Issaiah having fun with the sticky eye balls...they are anxiously awaiting their first course!

Not sure how excited Uncle Ryan is about finding a spider in his punch!

Breydon must really be studying his menu...or maybe he just needs to put his glasses on.

Being silly as usual!

Updates…

We have had a fun and busy weekend. Ryan and I had planned a fun night for us on Friday, but Breydon had a different idea for a fun night! He left us and went with his friends to Frightmares at Lagoon. He and his two friends were going through one of the haunted houses; they were running from a guy chasing them and each was holding on to the others shoulders as they ran in a line. Well somehow, Dakota, who was leading them, ran into a wall, so the rest of them also smacked into the wall! Breydon said the guy chasing them stopped being scary and asked: "Are you guys okay?" They were so embarrassed that he had left his character and was worried about them that they all jumped up and ran out of there! While he was having fun at Lagoon with his friends, Ryan, Connor and I went out to dinner and then to Black Island Farms in Syracuse. Connor tried and tried to talk me into going through the Haunted Acres but there was no way! As we were standing in line there was a man in a clown mask that was freaking me out, then I heard the chain saws!! Connor couldn't believe what a wimp I am, so he settled on the corn maze. I don't think he wanted to deal with me in the haunted house! I, of course, forgot my camera so we took pictures on the camera phone…sorry they don't turn out very well!

In the maze…it was so dark! Ryan and Connor kept hiding around corners and scaring me when I walked by; Connor thought it was hilarious!

I actually got him to pose for a picture after we spent over an hour completely lost in the maze! Usually Ryan knows exactly where we are and how to get out, but this year he was quite lost too! It was pretty crazy.

Saturday, we were up bright and early for Breydon's soccer game. I can't wait until he has a full team of players and we can actually have subs during the game. Right now we are lucky to have 6-7 players there. Next spring we will have a full team because half of our team was also playing football and football took precedence over soccer…lame! Anyway, they played a good game against a full team of players and only lost by 1!

I wish I hadn't jerked the camera up right before taking the picture!!

Breydon is about to kick the ball (he is in the green pants). He really has become so aggressive this year, and goes after the ball….it is so much fun to watch him play. I am so happy that he decided to start playing again; he thinks he is a bad player and I wish he could see how much he has improved and really how good he has become!

Kade and Kristi made it out to the game, and Kade seemed to really have a good time! Breydon loves having his family come out to watch him play and we (Ryan and I) really appreciate how much our family's support the boys in all that they do. So thanks everyone for coming out and supporting our kids!

Saturday night Connor had his football banquet. It was held at the Athenian and we really had a good time celebrating the season with his team. His coaches handed out trophies at the end of the night and Coach Wilson said something about each player before calling their name and giving them their trophy. When Coach got to Connor he said: "This guy we call our #1 draft pick, he played almost every position on the field…Connor Olsen." Of course, Connor loved hearing that he was the #1 draft pick and goes walking up to the front with his tough guy look on his face and his tough guy walk. It was pretty funny to watch, when he got up there his coach got him to smile and quit being a weirdo!

You should know that Breydon was also absent from the banquet. He got a better offer from his friends Matt and Dakota. I am not sure when friends became more important than family. I knew it was going to happen and I knew he would start to pick his friends over hanging out with the family, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. I mean, he is only in 6^th grade. Is this normal? I know football isn't his favorite, but there was food involved, and lately that has been his favorite.

Sunday we decided to carve our pumpkins. Halloween has never been my favorite celebration, but I try to put on my happy face for the boys. I can't think of many things that are more disgusting then pulling the "blech" out of the pumpkins. That stringy, sticky, nasty mush inside the pumpkins makes me sick! Anyway, I sucked it up and we carved a couple of pumpkins. Breydon got frustrated with his stencil of a fiery face and just cut out a Cyclops. I think it turned out pretty well, but he was not quite so satisfied, so tonight he started the fiery face on a new pumpkin. I think it will be a work-in-progress. He and his friend Parker have got it started, but it will be a few days before it is ready for its unveiling. Connor got lucky; he was carving a mummy-looking face into his pumpkin when the saw broke. Ryan and I ran to the store and found this cool battery operated tool. Once Connor started using this handy tool, he finished the mummy in no time! This took us probably 3-4 hours to finish two pumpkins…we are pretty slow! Then Amy, Danielle, Emery and Damon came over to paint pumpkins. This was probably the most entertaining part of the day! Damon was painting everything except the pumpkin: Emery, his hair, his stomach, his mom…. Of course, Emery was directing everyone and telling them what they should be doing.

We've removed all of the "blech" and carving has begun.

Pre-battery-operated tool!

Handsome Breydon and his Unibrow Cyclops!

Now it's really coming along with this handy new tool! Wish we had had it all along….

Showing the boys how to properly paint a pumpkin…it's serious business!

I wasn't kidding when I said he painted EVERYTHING! Can you see it in his hair even? He was so funny!

Here are Breydon's pumpkins! He says the painted one is Mr. Johnson...I am not sure why, but I know that he is not very fond of this teacher.

And Connor's finished pumpkins. You can't see it in this picture, but on the painted pumpkin he painted a goatee that he was pretty proud of.

Anyway…that is about all I have to report on so far. They boys are getting ready for Halloween this year, and many of you will be impressed to know that I will be making Breydon's costume this year! We have been very frugal and both of the boys are getting homemade-ish costumes. Connor is being a gangster and his costume has come together pretty nicely. Breydon is being a can of Pepsi, and we will have to see how it turns out! I am making it out of a pop-up hamper and well….we will just have to see how it turns out! I will be sure to post pictures of them and you can let me know what ya think!