Stratford Hall and Halloween

On October 28, we went to Stratford After Dark. It was a fun event. We have been to Stratford Hall a couple of times before this trip. Our first visit was shortly after Luke was born and then we went to an Independence Day event a couple of years ago. It is fairly close to George Washington's birthplace and that area is beautiful. Although best known as the birthplace of Robert E. Lee, Stratford Hall was also home to two signers of the Declaration of Independence and is another beautifully preserved home with a nice visitor's center.

It was at an awkward time, starting at 4. We planned to get there around 4:30 and packed a picnic dinner, since there are no convenient places to eat nearby. I am used to the Halloween events we go to being packed, but the parking lot was pretty empty and it was quiet inside. The kids got their faces painted and we did a couple of crafts, then we had our picnic.

We came back inside, had some cookies and apple cider, then decided to get our palms read. They also had Tarot Card readings, but I didn't want the kids to do that. The Palmist was a nice lady who reads palms as a hobby. She made it very clear to the kids that everything she said was just in fun and not to take it too seriously.  I had my palm read too, but Thomas did not (he took Luke outside instead). The four of us had some things in common, like we are all really smart (so far, that woman was 100% accurate!). Me and Jack had a mark showing an interest in the occult and spooky stuff. Anna and Jack both had a heart line, which I guess is more unusual for boys and the palmist remarked that the girls are going to love his romantic side. :) Jack also had a double life line, which is another rare mark and indicates protection against disease and illness. There was a lot more, like Anna has a "tremendous imagination," Kara is very creative, and Jack and I both enjoy cleverness and being around witty people. Some of it was extremely inaccurate, like Jack and Kara like change. Kara especially is all about routine. Also, that Anna keeps things to herself--maybe that will be a trait that shows as a teenager, but for now, she is an open book who lays everything on the line (sometimes in minute detail, in fact, both girls are that way). Regardless, it was really fun.

Kara and the palm reader

From there, we went outside and roasted marshmallows. We also did the trick-or-treat trail. The kids got some good candy and had fun walking around the beautiful house. After that, it was time for our flashlight house tour. It was a little spookier than I had expected and actually scared Kara a bit. They talked about ghost sightings and apparently it is one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course, none of the tour guides had ever actually seen anything, but they had some fun stories to tell and most of us enjoyed it.

Roasting marshmallows

On the trick-or-treat trail

Cute kids in a pretty setting

My favorite picture of the night

Jack wanted me to take his picture pretending to fall off the wall, I didn't notice what Anna was doing until it was over, but the final shot made me laugh. 

When that was over, we did the hay ride and then called it a night. It was a really fun event, it was not free, like a lot of Halloween stuff is, but we don't mind paying to support things we enjoy (like historical sights) and maybe charging keeps the crowds down, because it was not at all busy (it was well-attended, just not crowded).

Sunday, we went over to the Wills' house to carve pumpkins, eat cookies and drink warm cider. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of our pumpkins all lit up. They were pretty generic this year, but we had fun.

This was my only carving picture

Luke decided painting was more fun than carving.

On Halloween, we went to a neighbor's house for a potluck. It was the third year in a row and is a nice tradition. I like not having to worry about dinner on Halloween and it makes the day even more festive. After that, we did our traditional pictures and then headed out to trick-or-treat. I was really looking forward to the experience with Luke. He had so much fun last year and we expected this year to be even better. But, he was kind of cranky and difficult. He was mad that he didn't get to ring doorbells (people just sit outside or leave candy on their porch while they walk with their kids). He also wanted to be the first one to go to every house. Generally, he was just a brat. At one point, Thomas took him home because he wouldn't stop crying when someone else dared to walk ahead of him. After that, he was a bit better, but never as happy as we had expected. Everyone else was cheerful and cooperative. When we got home, Luke and Kara sat outside and passed out candy. Actually, Luke demanded to pass out the candy and got mad when Kara tried to give any away. Fortunately, for him (and Thomas and me), the older kids were really patient with him.

We told Anna she wasn't allowed to smile. Luke apparently has a new camera face.

I forgot to take a nighttime picture, we also had one of those projectors in an upper winner broadcasting spooky scenes.

Overall, 75% of our kids were great and we had fun!