Halloween Highlights

I love Halloween for the fun of dressing up, carving pumpkins, and running through crunchy leaves with an open invitation to stop by any neighbor's door and say hello.  I can't say I love all the candy or over the top creepiness but we always choose to celebrate in a way that enlivens us.  Here's what we did:

The girls baked up some yummy gluten free pumpkin bars for lunch. 

The boys worked on pumpkins.  This use to be a family event but they (actually it was mostly James) took over completely this year.

This was the first one done.  At first I really couldn't tell what the design was and wasn't too impressed until we lit them up (as shown farther down the page).

Henry napped in his costume.   This penguin suit has been his choice of outwear for about a week straight and is covered in a nice layer of dirt.  It also has one singed wing after a campfire incident where William was quick and heroic in stomping it out.  As of today the costume is now complete with a layer of sticky candy drool.    

George is wearing a size 4T Michigan Football costume and with all the warm layers beneath he really does look tough and ready to play.  The penguin suit was originally picked up at a thrift store for him but as I've already mentioned it has been hard to keep Henry out of it.

James wasn't sure he wanted to dress up this year.  He tried to convince me he was too old and mature for it, but when he got a Denard Robinson jersey for his birthday it was easy to persuade him to make a costume out of it.  The pants are real practice pants that Paul picked up at a U of M garage sale several years ago.  Anyone notice how he purposely left his shoes untied?

The base of this Jango Fett costume was picked up at a thrift store.  We made the belt and gun holsters out of vinyl, the helmet out of foam sheets and jet pack out of an old Muesli box, toilet paper rolls, paper cups and spray paint.  William is always enthusiastic not just in dressing up and acting the part but also taking part in the making of the costume.

Peter pulled out his old army costume and I suppose I should not be surprised at how quickly it seems he is out growing it.  This costume sees frequent use and I was relieved of additional sewing duties when Peter said he wanted to wear it for Halloween.  

Maryanna's Wonder Woman costume was also picked up at the thrift store.  I simply had to make the crown, belt and arm bands to complete the look.  She really took to this character and has been "flying" all around the house attempting to pick up both family members and furniture in an attempt to "save the day".  Needless to say those episodes usually ended in some sort of a crash involving crying so I've since convinced her she could "save the day" by lifting loads of laundry and flying around the kitchen with a cleaning cloth.  

Clara was sure she wanted to be a pink ballerina.  For as much as she wears her pink princess dress I couldn't get her to commit to it as a Halloween costume.  So with a pile of tulle and my favorite leotard pattern we were able to sew something up in just one afternoon.  The problem is now Maryanna wants one as do both their dolls. Hmmmmm....

And here's Henry the penguin again, awake and ready to hit the houses.  He kept saying, "Nanny and Poppy are going to love my costume!"

On our way to Nanny and Poppy's I made a little detour to the home I grew up in.  I've always wanted to stop by there but felt awkward doing so for no reason.  But on Halloween any home with lights on is fair game so I watched with a huge smile as my children ran across the same lawn I use to play and run across daily.  The kids were also very amused when I pointed out the very window I'd climb out of and roof spot I sit while chatting down to Paul below during his occasional late night visits.  

Of course I couldn't resist an additional stop at Mrs. Breer's house next door.  That was always my first stop trick-or-treating.  She still looks the same and still just as generous with her candy hand outs.

The next stop was Nanny and Poppy's.  We were treated not just with treats but also a warm and filling meal.  We trick or treated their neighborhood and Paul was amused to stop by some of the same homes and say hello to the same neighbors he knew as a child.  My favorite stop was a surprise visit to one of our old friends from school who has since settled in that neighborhood as well.  When it comes to old friends, face to face is way better than facebook. 

We counted and weighed the candy - Peter won with 4 lbs. 9 oz!  James, William and Maryanna were around 3 lbs. 10 oz and Clara and Henry came in just under 2 lbs.  That is way too much candy for our family.  We counted it, gave a nice pile to Poppy and will reserve some for gingerbread houses.  The rest I'm not sure if I should toss out or donate.

Back at Paul's parent's home we were treated to a magic show by James and then each child decided they wanted to put on a show with their costumes on.  William and Peter put on a dual, Maryanna lifted some furniture, Clara danced, Henry slid on his tummy and we all laughed and ate candy till our tummy's hurt.  

And here are James' pumpkins, they were much more impressive with the candles lit.  I have to say Halloween gets better every year, simply by the joy I feel in celebrating it in simple ways with those I love.