Halloween {Weekend}

Halloween used to be my FAVORITE holiday--all through high school, college and the first few years of marriage.  Not so much any more.  I still get into it, but more out of obligation than enjoyment.  Coming up with a million costumes is annoying; decorating the car is annoying; throwing away thousands of candy wrappers is beyond annoying.  But I don't really mind any of this.  What I do mind is getting the kids in the costumes and then getting the car decorated.  I spend more time yelling and them whining for me to just hurry up than I fell like a bucket of candy is worth.  So every year I try to make the costumes simpler but then nobody knows what we are so...And my kids don't have Halloween parties at school--they aren't even allowed to dress up.  They have book character day, which means one more costume for me to come up with.  {insert giant sigh and massive eye roll}.  I'm just ready for Friendsgiving--my legit favorite holiday because it doesn't get much better than Friendsgiving.

Halloween weekend started Friday night with the ward trunk or treat and chili cook off, which Greg was in charge of.  He did a good job, but I could do with them being separate activities.  It's just hard to keep the kids inside for the chili cook off when they just want candy.  No body died and the chili was all really good.

Alice decided to go as Alice from Alice in Wonderland.  I borrowed the dress from a friend.  We even read the book this month for our Book/Movie club.  The book and the movie were both pretty nonsensical.  We made mint tea from my garden for our movie snack, in case you were wondering.

 Henry decided to go as the Cheshire Cat, which is pink in the animated movie so we went with the red and blue striped jammies that we already had, added a tail, ears, and drew on a nose and whiskers.  He did not want a big smily face and his ears kept falling off so he just looked like a kid in PJs by the time the trunk or treating started.

 Rex saw this shark head at Wal-Mart at the end of September and decided to be a shark.  His costume, as usual, was the most time-consuming and expensive.  We bought the head ($20) and then I made the little jump suit thing.  People knew what he was but he couldn't see very well with the head on.

 Zora was the White Rabbit.  I bought the ears, bow tie, and tail and the white skirt actually because we didn't have one (shocking I know) and made a little felt watch out of fabric scraps for her and she borrowed the suit coat from Henry.  The ears wouldn't stay on and Alice insisted on doing her make up, so nobody knew who she was either.  Like I said, I'm kind of over Halloween.

 I did a Mad Hatter's Tea Party themed car.  The only thing I bought was the pink plastic table cloth I used as a back drop for $1, unfortunately I bought it at the dollar store so I walked out having spent $21.  Oops.  My cheap car decor got pretty pricey.

I also dressed up as the Mad Hatter--basically I just wore mismatched clothes and a top hat.  Nobody knew who I was either.  Greg didn't dress up at all.  We didn't even get a family picture because he was inside doing the chili cook off while I decorated the car. 

I mean, really, look how adorable she is.

This lady, the bishop's wife, would have won best car decor if they'd had a contest.

There didn't seem to be very many kids there so my kids each filled up their candy buckets.  Vomit.

Saturday morning I woke up to the three oldest hiding in the bunk bed room, sorting and trading candy.  {Cue sweet memories of doing the same with my siblings} This went on for hours.  Eventually the neighbor boy came over with his candy and somehow conned my kids out of all the chocolate.  My kids are such half-wits.  Rex was super pleased that he had every Twizzler.  What is wrong with my children?

That night we roasted hot dogs in the back yard and I carved the pumpkins.  The kids started carving but then they realized the inside of a pumpkin is kind-of gross so I got to finish 3.  Greg carved Zora's.

Sunday my kids continued to gorge themselves on Halloween candy.  It was disgusting.  After church I talked Henry, Alice and Greg into going on a little hike on the bike trail behind the house with me.  Rex stayed home and babysat napping Zora.  It was a nice hike and it felt good to walk off some of the candy (I was not innocent in the candy gorging).

 Monday we were at it again.  We trick or treated for nearly 2 hours.  I wish I tracked how far we walked.  You know how it is--just these next few houses with their lights on; oh but wait, that house has a cool yard, let's just go to that one.  And then we were led astray on a side street with a promise of a haunted yard so we walked quite a bit.

  Zora was super into trick or treating.  Usually kids get like one piece of candy, then they're done.  Not Zora.  She walked right up to every house, put her bucket on the mat, and waited.  She'd walk a few feet away and then turn around and try the same thing at the same house.  It was pretty cute. Alice wore heels so she ended up in the stroller with Henry while I carried Zora and Rex walked.  The kids, for once, went straight to bed.  I think we might take a 2 mile walk every night before bed.

We ended up with approximately 5 gallons of candy, which sustained my children all week.  I don't think they ate single real meal.  Today, Sunday, nearly a week after Halloween, I finally took their candy away and said it's fast Sunday so they can fast from their candy.  I think they're going through withdrawls.