Halloween ... just in time for December posts

Sigh.... this is my life always a little behind..but never fear Halloween pictures are here...
This year our ward's Fall Festival (fancy way of saying Trunk or Treat) was October 24th. Yes I know a little early but the two other wards that share the building had taken all the other primo days. So the day before I grabbed a pumpkin at the market for carving...just one mind you because I have learned that my children don't like pumpkin carving and one pumpkin is all I can handle (guts wise). Nika had been on a field trip with her preschool class to a farm earlier in the week and had brought home a cute pumpkin. All the other kids decorated theirs with paint and stickers but not Nika, she liked it just the way it was. This would later prove helpful to me when I was deciding what pumpkin to carve. Here is Liam excited about the new footstool he has discovered. Just big enough to give him a boost so he can climb all over the couches!
This is the trash bag spider that I made... again an idea I had as a family activity which ended up with me crafting, while my merry band of misfits ran circles around me on the floor. This is my photo shopped attempt to make it look scarier than it really was...
Here is my pumpkin with Nika's little pumpkin held captive in it's mouth. Nika saw what I was doing and wasn't too happy that as she put it "My pumpkin looks sad!"
I just told her the big pumpkin was hungry and then she seemed OK with it. The kids were pretty proud of it at the ward party and kept telling everyone to come look how hungry their pumpkin was!
Here we are dressed for the party. I was not feeling like dressing up and then at the last minute decided I could use some of my old swing dancing attire to be a 40's girl...I was stationed at a "pin the nose on the pumpkin" game. So Ben graciously took over the camera duties that night.
A little blurry but cute all the same... Try not to notice that Liam's candy bag was indeed an Easter basket... way to go Mom! It didn't really matter since he ended up sitting with me and passing out candy. So really he didn't need a bag right!?
The best part about Halloween...candy...
I wish Ben had gotten a picture of me and Liam passing out candy. He was so proud of himself. He did all the doling out by himself, all with this proud little smile on his face. This was taken towards the end of the evening with Anja done trunk or treating and taking a rest with me.
So on Halloween we decided to ditch our neighborhood which has proved disappointing in years past. (Last year we would maybe get one door to open out of ten...even though their lights were on! Come on people if you don't want to open your door then don't turn your light on!) So anyhow rather then hear my kids disappointed voices asking me why they won't open their doors we asked our awesome friends Danny and Lisa if we could come hang with them in a nicer neighborhood (east side) Here are the kids ready to go again!
Their cute little daughter, Kassidy the Witch. Love her little red shoes! I didn't get a shot of Danny and Lisa with my camera but she was dressed up as a punk with a cool purple wig and fake rings hanging out of her face everywhere. Danny was the bling king complete with a fake grill and lots of jewelry.
They live in a neighborhood where the neighbors actually talk to one another! Amazing! Anyhow they were having a block party so off we went. It was mildly embarrassing since we ended up being the only adults dressed up and half the night people kept asking me if I was even dressed up. I mean come on do I really wear vintage dresses and two toned shoes every day.... oh well... The best was when a lady asked me (with drink in hand) if I was Pam. I thought she was confused and thought she knew me but soon reasoned out that she thought I had dressed up as Pam from the office... wow! Way Off! But funny none the less.. they must have all thought I was some freakish girl who thinks Halloween is every day... (-=
Anyhow there was lots of good food and the kids had fun and then we went trick or treating. People in this neighborhood had the good stuff! Some had full size candy! Who does that!? Oh well we reaped the benefits and had lots of fun! Thanks Guys!
I love the idea of Halloween. The concept that for one night you can be whomever you want to be. It is a magical night for kids and I am glad that they had fun. I miss being a kid and just changing into your costume after school. Being a mom you realise how hard Halloween can be. Especially if you have four kids who all want to be different things... putting all those costumes together can be rough but it is worth the magic you give your kids for that day!