I Wasn't Sure What to Do on Halloween

I'm not a big fan of Halloween; but despite that, it seemed like it might be a good evening to do something a little out of the ordinary.  But what, I couldn't decide.  There were a few options, but none that were jumping out at me and screaming "PICK ME!"

Until it hit me: why not let the kids dress up in costumes from our costume box, then take them to the nursing home to visit my mom?  Surely she and the other residents would enjoy seeing them in costume!  Besides, Josiah and David could each take their violins; and they could run through the pieces they're playing in an upcoming recital.  Extra practice and experience for them, and the beauty of music for the residents.  A win-win situation all the way around!

So that's what we did.  :)

On the way, our little giraffe got hungry; but munching on an apple we got at our nearby orchard two days ago did the trick.  :)

 Waiting at the entrance for the employees to let us in...

 It is a JOY every single time to watch my kids run headlong to their grandma, calling her name as they go.  :)

 Lola is another resident there.  She loves to do puzzles and listen to my mom play the piano.

 She also happens to love visits from my kids.  :)

 My mother and my daughter together, smiles on their faces = pure sweetness for my soul.  :)

 We didn't get to stay too long because dinnertime was fast approaching for my mom, but we did indeed play some music--Josiah and David on violin and me on the piano.  And then, before we left, we propped our camera up on a shelf and used the timer to try to get a good group picture.

 I'm not sure how well we succeeded...

 ...but we had fun.  ;-)

 I handed the camera over to Shav then, and he took the last two pictures.

And then with hugs, "I love you's," and "we'll see you soon!", we said goodbye to the Gardner Wing and headed on our way.

It was a VERY worthwhile way to spend part of our Halloween!