Happy Halloween!

Hope you all had a "Hauntingly Happy Halloween"!  Ours began in tears once Anna realized that her witch pumpkin we had carved the weekend before had collapsed into a pile of mush.  Fortunately, we had a few pumpkins that Doug had grown in the garden lying around and so together Anna and Doug carved a new pumpkin, although Anna opted for a mermaid instead of a witch the second time 'round.

I spent most of the morning trying to finish an airplane costume for Jacob.  Pottery Barn Kids had a cute airplane for toddlers this year and even though I tried to purchase it at the beginning of October, it was already sold out in Jacob's size.  There were eBayers attempting to sell it online for almost 5 times the original cost.  After fuming about the indiginity of those aforementioned dregs of humanity that buy up all the costumes in a certain size and then try to gouge the rest of us, I resolved to just make one myself.  Since Doug was a U-2 pilot at the end of his career, I thought it would be cute to make the U-2.  I made Jake a little yellow flight suit similar to the spacesuits the guys wear and a black felt airplane with the appropriate tail markings.  He...would...NOT...wear it.  I guess it was for the best as Doug said it resembled certain male body parts.  Oh well.  I really like the idea though.  Maybe I'll try again next year. 

I also made a partial costume for Lauren.  She was going to be a knight (Joan of Arc).  Just to be safe I purchased a back-up costume for both Lauren and Jacob.  Lauren decided she liked her back-up Batgirl costume better and chose to wear it.  Anna had picked Cleopatra early on and was pleased with her choice.  Jake's back-up costume was a cowboy/horse combo, the kind where his legs are the back legs of the horse.  Again, he....would...NOT...wear it.  So, in the end, at the last minute I stuck him in jeans, a plaid shirt, a bandana, and a beaten up cowboy hat that we still had stuck in the toybox from Lauren's cowgirl party years ago.  I could only find one boot and so he ended up in tennis shoes.  He was happy as a pumpkin.

Our friends came over and we all had pizza before we headed out trick-or-treating.  The kids all looked adorable.

                                                                                           
Courtney's girls always look so beautiful.  She embellished both of their costumes and did an amazing job.  Caroline was Rapunzel from "Tangled".  Courtney found dollar store hair that matched Caroline's exactly!! 

                                                                                      
Jason and Isabella definitely took the prize for cutest brother and sister pirate duo!

                                                                                            
I tried my best to get a picture of our three together but Jake wasn't buying it. 

                                                                                  
I had planned to wear a bird mask with a nest and eggs in my hair but it fell out while trying to get pictures of the kids.  So, I grabbed Lauren's circus hat instead.

                                                                                          

                                                                                            
We began to wonder if Halloween had been cancelled as there were no other kids out on the street.  It was a school night and so we thought everyone would start early.  I guess we were wrong.

                                                                                             
Wherever we went little brother was always pulling up the rear.

                                                                             
Once he made it to the door, he would push his way in to make sure he got his candy.

                                                                                    

                                                                                              
Some sweet person would help him back down to the sidewalk and it would begin again.

                                                                                      
If he didn't make it to the door before the person was done handing out candy, Lauren would make sure the candy-giver held the door open until Jake made it.  She was such a good big sister.

                                                                          
I practically had to bribe the girls to get them to stand still long enough for "just one more picture".  You can imagine how often they hear that. :)

                                                                              
Jacob wasn't quite sure what to think about this skeleton and graveyard.

It was a great night, fun was had by all, and the candy haul was extreme.