Halloween!

We had really really really really wanted to carve pumpkins last weekend. But our weekends are always so jam-packed with kids' activities that we didn't get to it. Bill was out of town all week and I never could muster the energy to do pumpkin carving by myself with the kids on a school night. So here we are, right as we are all trying to get dressed and leave for a party frantically trying to carve one of our three pumpkins.

Bill sure is a good sport, isn't he? :)

Peter Pan, Wendy and Tinkerbell

Will didn't really want to but he stuck with the family theme. He is supposed to be Peter Pan. Eva is Wendy and Lyra is Tinkerbell.

We discovered as we was planning our costumes that the whole world has the Disney Peter in their head when they think of Peter Pan, but none of us have ever seen that version of the movie. Plus I am fairly certain there is no way in hell Will would have worn green tights (and I never would ask him to, cool mom that I am). The Peter Pan movie we watch is the one with Jason Isaacs as Mr. Darling and Hook. That is a good one!

We are taking suggestions for next year's theme. Will says it's his turn to pick. I am lobbying for Phantom of the Opera. Who has some fun and creative ideas? Halloween where we are is a Big Party and we love all the planning and building of costumes as much as the actual night.

I made this mask from posterboard, construction paper, staples, tape and a baseball cap. This was the best way to wear it but I couldn't see well so I spent the evening with the lower jaw up closer to the upper jaw (see below). But of course, we needed a dramatic photo!

Will made me a severed hand with a wrist watch out of construction paper and that is what is stapled to my shirt.

The Whole Cast

This is the best of the worst and will certainly not be appearing on this year's Christmas card so see it here and now!

Bill's/Captain Hook's hook is in Tinkerbell's/Lyra's trick-or-treat bag so he can hold his beer. My Tick Tock Crock mask is denting my forehead (hopefully not permanently) and pulling my eyebrow skin so I have a funny expression on my face. I don't know what Will/Peter Pan is doing. Eva/Wendy looks pretty good.

As expected, our costumes only made sense when we were together. On our way out to a pre-trick-or-treat party, a parking enforcement guy pulled up on the sidewalk in his little 3 wheeled car, jumped out, told us to hold still and took a photo on his cell phone! I've never been pulled over on foot before. As the night went on, it was difficult to stay together so we all had to do costume explanations after that.

Look at all that LOOT!

Even when trick-or-treating is done, there is still more fun to be had! I think Will and Eva (and now Lyra) think the big "candy sort" is the best part of the night. My running buddy, Tehan, comes to trick-or-treat with us each year and help with the candy sort-n-trade process. About half of Eva's candy is off limits every year due to her nut allergy so she trades the stuff she can't have away to Will and Lyra.

The grown ups sit and watch the chaos over a glass of wine. Every year, we wish we remembered to order a pizza or something but every year we forget and so there's not much in the way of a normal dinner.

So what camp are y'all in as far as letting the kids have their candy? I have friends who have their children trade their candy in for a toy or something else. Others ration it. I let the kids eat whatever they want on THE NIGHT (what the heck...then lots of it is gone and I brush their teeth ONCE). Then I hope to stick to one piece a day after that. They can have it whenever they want, for breakfast if they want but then they have to wait til the next day for another piece. This is a great way to teach the joys of delayed gratification!

Lyra looks drunk on candy, doesn't she? Here is our friend, Julie, with her new baby boy, Zach. This is Zach's first American halloween. Julie adopted him from Russia last spring. You can read Zach's story on Julie's blog. It is a great story with a happy ending. Anyone interested in international adoption should take a look.

Now Will isn't in any of the candy sorting pictures because he is very proprietary about his candy and so took it to the living room away from the distraction of others. He built a castle from it but then hid the whole thing so I don't have a photo of it.

ARRRRGH! Avast Ye Matey!

Bill is Captain Hook for halloween and his is the costume with the most purchased parts (though Eva did help him make a hook for his hand). We bought a cheapo pirate face painting kit at CVS and Will tried it out the other night. Isn't this gross? Will might have a career as a make up artist!

The Stock Market Crash

Will's school has a costume contest every halloween. This year, Will dressed as "the stock market crash." He built this cardboard car, spray painted it red and decorated it with the names and logos of failed companies. If you look closely, you can see the bumper hanging off the back and the STOCK MRKT license plate.

For our neighborhood halloween fun, we go out as a family and dress up in unison. This year's theme is Peter Pan. Stay tuned for photos....the kids haven't even gotten home from school yet. And I need to finish my costume!