Halloween Happenings

As many of you are probably aware, there was a holiday of some import celebrated earlier this week. And, as seems to be par for the course, it was a busy (but still fun) holiday for the Barrett family.

It seems like EVERY kids' organization just has to have its own Halloween party, doesn't it? For parents, that means putting your kids' Halloween costumes on & off at least a dozen times a week, or more! Celeste was a special case in point this year; she appeared as a cheerleader in a number of places (she originally wanted to be a "Rapunzel cheerleader," but thankfully that fell by the wayside, as I really didn't want to create a Rapunzel wig). First, she went as a cheerleader to her Creative Dance class...

...then her preschool class...

..and then, of course, to the LDS Trunk or Treat Saturday night, and actual trick or treating on Monday night (more pictures of that just ahead). Whew!

And since Aurora tagged along for a couple of these activities, she had the opportunity to show off her costume a bit...a bumblebee "jacket" we borrowed from a friend. Since Aurora is my most roly-poly daughter, I have to say this looked very cute on her!

Lorelai also got her time to shine. At first wanting to be a movie star, she eventually changed her mind & wanted to be a pirate. No problem; what an easy & fun costume to throw together! She rocked the look at her school Halloween parade, and later in her class before the Halloween party:

What a cute little pirate! (of course, she also has a huge, bloody sword she found at the dollar store, but that makes her look a little more menacing & a little less cute. Thankfully, she had to go without at school).
Starting Friday, October 28, it was all Halloween all the time. Nathan & I got to work carving the kids' pumpkins:

(Mmm, pumpkin guts)
While we enjoyed carving them, we have to admit we didn't get any pictures of the finished product! It's probably just as well--this was our first year using printed patterns to carve designs in the pumpkins, and the results were mixed. One pumpkin had a standard "happy" face, but the other pumpkin was supposed to be the silhouette of an owl perched on a branch, and it...just didn't look like that. Oh well, we're chalking it up as a learning experience and we'll try again next year.

After pumpkin carving, we popped popcorn & settled down to watch one of my favorite Halloween films from childhood; The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad. It's a Disney double feature that includes The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. This short film concluded with the main character running for his life from the Headless Horseman, a scene that gave me a delightful case of the shivers every time I watched it in my youth:

I think the kids enjoyed it...and even Nate, who'd never seen it before, approved (however, he said he wasn't scared by it...oh well).

On Saturday the 29th, we had our annual Trunk or Treat at the church building--where I finally got to photograph all my little trick-or-treaters together:

Granted, they don't look too thrilled here, but trust me!! They had fun.

Here's my one picture from the actual Trunk or Treat; our new phone/camera has a really bright flash which was painful after wandering around in a dim parking lot! Anyway, we gave out (and got) quite a lot of candy, as usual. That's okay, though...we just gave a lot of it away again Monday night to the trick or treaters!

Right after the Trunk or Treat, Nate & I had to hurry and get the kids ready for bed--before heading out to an actual adults-only Halloween party! I literally can't remember the last time I've been to one of those--college, maybe? Anyway, here's our costumes:

We were a bit tired out after the Trunk or Treat, but it was still fun to see friends there, munch on some goodies, and have some time away from the kiddos. My visiting teaching companion & her husband were the hosts, and their house looked awesome! It was a great time.

Finally, Monday night arrived--Halloween night itself. And, since Nate was a little late from work that night, it fell to me to take the kids trick or treating:

I had as much fun as they did! I've never actually taken our kids trick or treating before--it's almost always Nate's job. But I had fun leading them up & down the neighborhood, and seeing their excitement as their Halloween buckets got more & more full. It was also fun to see them tremble with fear at some of the scarier houses; does that make me a bad person, to enjoy seeing my kids' discomfort? There was even a full-on "haunted house," with a smoke-filled interior, and tons of "haunted" items lining the walls & floor, that you had to walk through to get your candy. Lorelai & Celeste weren't having any of it, but I carried Aurora through myself & got the prize!

You can probably tell from these posts that I love Halloween. I realize that some see it as an "evil" holiday, and it can certainly be taken too far. For me, it's a fun time to let loose a little, play pretend, and mock all this so-called "scary" stuff. It's also a good palate-cleanser before two much more meaningful holidays--Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love this time of year!