Halloween!
Halloween! I love Halloween - as a child, it was right up there with Christmas as one of my favorite holidays. I think most years, Halloween had the edge - I have such fantastic memories of dressing up and trick-or-treating as a child. Now, I know that Connor loves it as much as I did, even though he doesn't get to experience it the same way I did back then. We live in a completely lame neighborhood for trick-or-treating, so this year I decided that we'd do something different. When I found out that the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum was having some events on October 31st, I decided that Connor and I would spend our Halloween in San Jose. Then, when I found out that unnamedfeeling and chershey were having a party at their home nearby, I knew we'd be having a great evening! And we did!
I was pretty happy with the way our costumes turned out, too - here we are, Isis and Horus:
Instead of giving a lot of description, I think I'll let the photos do most of the talking . . .
The event at the museum was called the Feast of Sekhmet, although they really didn't say much about her. I assume this is her traditional feast day, though, or something. (Sekhmet is the lion-headed goddess of both war and healing). We actually arrived at the museum in the early afternoon, so we could wander around for a couple of hours before they closed; then, the party was after hours (we spent the hour-and-a-half in between at a local Denny's, where we had dinner and changed into our costumes). While we were at the museum in the afternoon, we attended a class on writing hieroglyphics - it was very interesting, and I think Connor impressed the staff with his knowledge about Egypt. This was definitely a more in-depth discussion about hieroglyphics than anything I'd heard before, so I'm really glad we were able to participate. We also bought some goodies in the gift store (they have really cool stuff there) - a Senet game (ancient Egyptian board game) and a big statue of Thoth (god of knowledge) to put in our schoolroom.
When we came back later that evening, wee spent the first part of our evening wandering around the museum. Here's Horus with his favorite Egyptian queen (although she presumably didn't believe in our beloved falcon god):
At around 6.30, they made an announcement that the party was getting ready to begin over in the planetarium, so we headed over to see what they had in store for us. There weren't a whole lot of people there, but it was a nice set-up with some fun games and food and a costume contest (Connor won first prize!!!), and I know he enjoyed playing with the other children.
Here's Connor getting "mummified" by a samurai warrior:
Some of the children getting ready for the costume contest:
Here's Isis and Horus again, in front of the local "mummy:"
And here's a better shot of Horus - I was very pleased with the way his mask turned out, and, happily, he was willing to wear it most of the night! I think he liked all the attention he got. It really was a cool costume:
After the party, on the way back to the car, Connor had to stop and pose with his favourite guy - Horus and Horus:
We'd already had a full evening of activities and fun, but there was more yet to come! We headed over to the party at K and C's place, and it was FANTASTIC! I got to see some friends I hadn't seen in WAY too long *waves at K & C & melissa_mlfeng and elite* (we are definitely going to get together again sooner - there will be a "reading night" at my house in January! I promise!), and I met a bunch of new people, as well! *waves at lexigeek* And there were some really cool costumes! (YAY! I LOVE grown-ups who will wear costumes - so many of the people I know are such fuddy-duddies when it comes to Halloween). Of course, the best thing about the evening was the wonderful conversation!
Connor had a really fabulous time, too. I think he was most excited about getting to meet The Doctor (I think it's possible, K, that he really does believe you are the actual Doctor :D), and he was also very excited to meet "The Girl in the Fireplace" (as well as Beetlejuice and Jack Sparrow, among others). Connor kept telling me he was having the "best time in his life" - I think this will go down in his memory as one of the best parties EVER! (And, it was for me, as well). :) We stayed a lot later than I'd expected we'd stay (we didn't leave until around 11.00), and only because I was starting to feel sleepy, and knew I had a longish drive home. (Connor had plenty of energy, and I think he'd have lasted quite a while longer if I'd have let him stay). :D Thanks again for inviting us - we both had a really excellent time! :)
Happy Party People:
Here's the shot of the "July Birthdays:"
And here's Connor and The Doctor:
(Note to those of you who were there - I can get higher resolution versions of any of these photos to you - just leave a comment and let me know if you want me to e-mail them, or upload, or what. And also, please feel free to distribute to anyone who was there but is not on my f-list). :)
So, it was a great Halloween for Connor and for me. I just love spending a holiday like this with my sweetest little boy - and with such a great bunch of people down in SC. *love and hugs to all*
Finally - the Jack-o-lantern shot - here are the two pumpkins that were carved this year. The one on the left is Connor's; the one of the right was a joint Kevin and Connor venture. Oh, and btw, Connor grew both of these pumpkins at the community garden, and they were spectacular!
I was pretty happy with the way our costumes turned out, too - here we are, Isis and Horus:
Instead of giving a lot of description, I think I'll let the photos do most of the talking . . .
The event at the museum was called the Feast of Sekhmet, although they really didn't say much about her. I assume this is her traditional feast day, though, or something. (Sekhmet is the lion-headed goddess of both war and healing). We actually arrived at the museum in the early afternoon, so we could wander around for a couple of hours before they closed; then, the party was after hours (we spent the hour-and-a-half in between at a local Denny's, where we had dinner and changed into our costumes). While we were at the museum in the afternoon, we attended a class on writing hieroglyphics - it was very interesting, and I think Connor impressed the staff with his knowledge about Egypt. This was definitely a more in-depth discussion about hieroglyphics than anything I'd heard before, so I'm really glad we were able to participate. We also bought some goodies in the gift store (they have really cool stuff there) - a Senet game (ancient Egyptian board game) and a big statue of Thoth (god of knowledge) to put in our schoolroom.
When we came back later that evening, wee spent the first part of our evening wandering around the museum. Here's Horus with his favorite Egyptian queen (although she presumably didn't believe in our beloved falcon god):
At around 6.30, they made an announcement that the party was getting ready to begin over in the planetarium, so we headed over to see what they had in store for us. There weren't a whole lot of people there, but it was a nice set-up with some fun games and food and a costume contest (Connor won first prize!!!), and I know he enjoyed playing with the other children.
Here's Connor getting "mummified" by a samurai warrior:
Some of the children getting ready for the costume contest:
Here's Isis and Horus again, in front of the local "mummy:"
And here's a better shot of Horus - I was very pleased with the way his mask turned out, and, happily, he was willing to wear it most of the night! I think he liked all the attention he got. It really was a cool costume:
After the party, on the way back to the car, Connor had to stop and pose with his favourite guy - Horus and Horus:
We'd already had a full evening of activities and fun, but there was more yet to come! We headed over to the party at K and C's place, and it was FANTASTIC! I got to see some friends I hadn't seen in WAY too long *waves at K & C & melissa_mlfeng and elite* (we are definitely going to get together again sooner - there will be a "reading night" at my house in January! I promise!), and I met a bunch of new people, as well! *waves at lexigeek* And there were some really cool costumes! (YAY! I LOVE grown-ups who will wear costumes - so many of the people I know are such fuddy-duddies when it comes to Halloween). Of course, the best thing about the evening was the wonderful conversation!
Connor had a really fabulous time, too. I think he was most excited about getting to meet The Doctor (I think it's possible, K, that he really does believe you are the actual Doctor :D), and he was also very excited to meet "The Girl in the Fireplace" (as well as Beetlejuice and Jack Sparrow, among others). Connor kept telling me he was having the "best time in his life" - I think this will go down in his memory as one of the best parties EVER! (And, it was for me, as well). :) We stayed a lot later than I'd expected we'd stay (we didn't leave until around 11.00), and only because I was starting to feel sleepy, and knew I had a longish drive home. (Connor had plenty of energy, and I think he'd have lasted quite a while longer if I'd have let him stay). :D Thanks again for inviting us - we both had a really excellent time! :)
Happy Party People:
Here's the shot of the "July Birthdays:"
And here's Connor and The Doctor:
(Note to those of you who were there - I can get higher resolution versions of any of these photos to you - just leave a comment and let me know if you want me to e-mail them, or upload, or what. And also, please feel free to distribute to anyone who was there but is not on my f-list). :)
So, it was a great Halloween for Connor and for me. I just love spending a holiday like this with my sweetest little boy - and with such a great bunch of people down in SC. *love and hugs to all*
Finally - the Jack-o-lantern shot - here are the two pumpkins that were carved this year. The one on the left is Connor's; the one of the right was a joint Kevin and Connor venture. Oh, and btw, Connor grew both of these pumpkins at the community garden, and they were spectacular!