Halloween 2013

Halloween kind of had my number this year.  You know, some days you let the little things roll right off your back as you should, and other days you let them drag you down.  What can I say?  There were a lot of little things that went wrong all day, but none of them really should've mattered.  

I guess it was the weather?  When you're spray painting a cardboard trident the day before, but the forecast calls for cold rain and more of it, it's easy to get bummed out.  Then again, no one should care about a two year old refusing to wear a costume, though, right?  Well, I guess I kind of did, more than I care to admit.  I want to be a more flexible person than I am. 

Anyway, it's all ancient history now, and I only mention it here for the sake of remembering when I look back on these good ol' days that it wasn't all roses.  That said, I sure hope the kids just remember the best parts.  The night really ended well with good friends and good food.  So, with no further ado, I give you our happy moments of Halloween. 

...

Georgia decided over six months ago to be the Statue of Liberty, after donning this photo booth prop last winter.  Joe and I weren't planning on dressing up for Halloween this year, but after June decided to go as a mermaid (a.k.a. Ariel), she announced that, "Daddy can be King Triton!"  And there's pretty much nothing Joe won't do to make his little girl happy.  As luck would have it, donning a King Triton suit for the sake of pleasing your little girl apparently runs in our family, so I was able to borrow a used muscle shirt and full beard from my cousin.  Waylon was supposed to be a garden gnome, but after he took off his beard, hat, and over-sized belt, he was left wearing a blue button down and pants, so we all laughed and declared him a suburban train commuter.  Not wanting to be the only one not wearing a costume, I opted for a foam Medusa wig from Target - done and done!

We trick-or-treated with my friend Maggie and her family over in their neighborhood, because their neighborhood knows how to do trick-or-treating right, whereas our neighborhood is ill-suited for such activities (houses set far back from the street, no children on our block, dead end fronting a busy thoroughfare).  [Have I mentioned before that I sometimes feel like we are living on an island?  But I digress...]  It was POURING when we set sail for the five minute drive to Maggie's, but we totally lucked out; the rain let up for about an hour while we hit the streets on foot to beg for candy.

Another funny memory:  Georgia lasted about a block or so before her mood suddenly took a nose dive, and she declared that she had already gathered enough candy and wanted to head home.  Fortunately, Maggie's dad was in town, manning their front door, so I was able to quickly walk Georgia over to hang out with him while the rest of us forged ahead for a few more blocks of trick-or-treating.  I consider it to be huge progress that she was comfortable enough to stay with him by herself.  Later, when I asked Georgia what her favorite part of the whole Halloween day had been, I should've known better than to assume she'd say "school costume parade" or "the candy!"  Instead, she reported most sincerely, "The best part was talking to Mr. Thurman."  In the case of that child, I don't doubt it for a minute.  I'm just glad she was happy.  

Here are the pictures you've been anxiously scrolling down for.      


The costume trial runs...


I should've let him go as "Naked Gnome".


Heading off to kindergarten. I was rushed through my pinning (or binder clipping, as the case may be)!


Heading off to preschool.


Love is... Painting an empty cereal box to look like a book that's actually hollow and functions as a candy holder and then covering it in packing tape to protect it from the rain. I'm pretty sure no one else got half as much of a kick out of the authenticity of this prop as I did.



The whole gang, ready to head out. Thanks to Maggie's dad for the picture!


When the muscle shirt arrived in the mail, the girls said to Joe, "Or, you could just go without a shirt, Daddy!" So, I guess this is pretty much how they see their dad in real life.  (Except for Waylon, who got scared and bawled when Joe first stepped out wearing this thing.  For about the next three days, every time Joe went to get Waylon from his crib, the first thing Waylon would say to him was, "No more costume, Daddy.")


Let us not dwell too long on the back view of this fin, or my utter lack of sewing skills. Hey, it got the job done.


I love the above shot of our gang limping along.

...and this one, of Joe's towel-fin soaking up more water, and Waylon having a screaming fit while yelling, "OPEN IT!!!!" as he did after every house.


While he may not have been down with the idea of the costume, he definitely caught on to the asking for candy part.

Bribed.


Now we are just waiting to be invited to a Greek mythology party to put these costumes to use again.




Wait, let me get this straight, Waylon. You don't like your gnome costume, but you'll put on THIS terrifying mask that Maggie's dad brought?

I can't resist sharing some photos from June's preschool party the next day.
 

Oh, Waylon opted to be a black cat for this event. You know, the 1970's black cat suit that I once wore.

He wasn't digging the head piece, though.

And then, our Day of the Dead antics continued at home, where June donned the cat suit, and Georgia designed her own jaguar costume. I'm loving their creativity lately.

So, let me get this straight, Waylon. You won't wear your gnome costume, but you insist that I draw cat makeup on your face to match your sisters? Okay, little man, you got it.