Trick-or-Treat

Halloween to me is so much more than going Trick-or-Treating.  I love the decorations, the yummy sweets, the pumpkin carving, finding the perfect costumes, sending photo cards, playing Pumpkin carols on the piano, the Louisville Zoo Halloween party, the fall scented candles and soaps, the Trunk-or-Treat with the ward, 'Boo'ing neighbors, wearing Halloween t-shirts and socks, finding kooky spooky jewelry, collecting treats in the clubhouse on Webkinz and all the other many little things that add up to a fun holiday. 

Rich doesn't get Halloween.  He says it can't be a real holiday if you don't even get time off work.  I say, that's why you have to do all the small things that make it great.

We had a lot of fun this Halloween and it was because we drug it out all month long.  It was disappointing that the actual holiday fell on a Sunday.  Our area did not do Trick-or-Treating on Saturday.  Rich didn't think Trick-or-Treating was a Sunday activity.  I polled my family and they were split on if they would go or not.  I said as long as we went as a family and only got candy on our street, then it would be fine by me. 

Rich ended up sick with a fever on Halloween night.  So while he was tucked in bed, the kids and I traipsed down to the corner so the girls could visit the house of twin boys that are in their classes.  They had amazing blow ups (which I am totally going to find and purchase next year!) and scored a full size candy bar since they knew us.  The girls grinned all the way home.

Zach was so mesmerized by the whole event, I didn't get one photo of him looking at the camera, but he did love it all and scored a few candies from his siblings since he didn't collect a bag of his own.  I loved him in his puppy dog outfit.  It was padded in the belly and made him look perfectly chubby.  I can't get over how he was just a baby last year and know next year he'll be running along side his sisters getting candy.  How time flies. 

Josh didn't Trick-or-Treat, but walked along with me and took of few pictures of me and Zach.  I think he made such a handsome doctor and I laughed when he told me me made his costume authentic by putting a pack of gum in his front pocket, just like his dad does.  Rich got the scrubs, hat and mask from the hospital, so Josh really was a spitting image of his father.

Matt was in Star Wars heaven being a Clone Trooper.  He's a walking, talking Star Wars and Clone Wars encyclopedia of knowledge.  I never like masks, but he was creative and hung his on his weapon, making is visible to all, but allowing him to breath and see too.

Trey was a super cool Hippie.  I struggled with finding him a costume.  All of our costumes are in a box safely stored in our Lexington garage.  This allowed me the opportunity to get new costumes for everyone.  Not a bad thing, as long as you can come up with an idea you and the kids like.  I searched Target and bought four possible costumes, only to return them all.  They were either too tight or too juvenile.  I visited a costume shop near the girls preschool and saw the Hippie idea.  I ran it by Trey and he thought it would be fun.  I loved it because it can be worn for years to come.  We bought a white t-shirt and RIT dye and after viewing a few 'how to videos' on YouTube we tie-dyed his t-shirt.  The only thing we forgot was the fake mustache, but he can wear it next year.

The girls LOVED trick-or-treating but Kaitlyn said next year I've got to bring gloves along in case her hands got cold.  I just hope we won't be wearing winter coats next year in Utah.  I really am going to miss the mild weather we have enjoyed in Kentucky and this year in Ohio.  I think Brynn and Kaitlyn looked adorable in their sparkly wings (Strawberry fairy) and feathers (peacock).  I saw their costumes online back in early September and knew they were perfect for the girls.  They happily agreed.

Looking forward to Halloween 2011 already!