Pumpkin Party

Last night was the third grade pumpkin carving party at the school.   Have I mentioned how much I love this school?   This is the first time the girls will get to wear costumes to school on Halloween and have a real costume parade and class party like we did growing up.  I'm ridiculously excited about it.

Last night we carved pumpkins in the cafeteria with all of the third graders and their families, and then lined all the jack-o'-lanterns up along the walk outside the school.   We went to the classrooms for a delicious buffet of high fructose corn syrup in every form imaginable, while someone lit all the pumpkins.   And then we did the pumpkin walk--went outside and walked past all the jack-o'-lanterns to inspect the handiwork.

 And then the sugar-rush kicked in and all hell broke loose.  It was Lord of the Flies--crazily clad third graders running and screaming all over the hillside.

Mr. Elms, Madeline's teacher who started this tradition 17 years ago, was standing next to Kolby observing all of this.  He said calmly,  "Now this right here is a great example of the difference between last year's class and this year's.  Last year I told the kids they weren't allowed on the hill, and they all stayed down.  This year...."  And there was Madeline right in the thick of it,  running and cackling in the forest like a crazy person, with her spiderweb cloak billowing behind her, acting like she's been at this school all her life.