Halloween

I really don't like Halloween. I'm not a huge fan of scary, gross things and even though I like candy, I don't want to like candy. My kids like it so I do my best to not be a total Halloween Grinch so they can have fun.

This year was kinda funny in the costume department.

For Hazel, Jacob just picked her costume. Didn't even ask for her input. I was particularly amused because Jacob likes Halloween even less than I do. But in the end, she loved it. We watched the first couple of movies together and she was hooked. He's good at getting kids hyped for stuff.

Hazel as Hermione

Speed had trouble making up his mind. He started wanting to be a fireman, which was his costume last year. I wanted him to at least find something different so we worked on it. Eventually he settled on something I had to just buy. Some things I can get creative and try to make (try I said) but this one? Nope.

Speed as The Green Ninja from Ninjago

Zizah was the easiest because she had no idea what was going on! So I went the creative route with her costume. Don't worry, her cuteness evened things out. :)

Zizah as a ghost

Since our ward had a Trunk or Treat party this year, our kids had two opportunities to dress up. The "if you're gonna buy it, use it a lot" part of me was glad, but the "I don't like Halloween" part of me was annoyed. So I settled in the middle with an intense, burning indifference. The Trunk or Treat was a pretty normal evening - we talked and ate chips (there is NEVER enough food at our ward parties so we don't even try most of the time) and walked the kids around to get their candy. Zizah got really tired by the end so we headed home as soon as it was socially acceptable.

Actual Halloween night, we headed over to the cousins house to get ready and have pizza before we headed out. My own rule is the kid can stay out trick or treating as long as he can carry his own bucket and isn't crying. So my goal with Zizah was 2 houses, and she made it to 3, so that was cool. I did tie her bucket to one of her sleeves for a while, but it really bugged her so I took it off again. Speed was doing alright until he got to the house with the motion-activated dancing skeleton. He's like me: being scared = not good. It was rather fortuitous that the dancing skeleton house was the third house so Speed and Zizah were done at the same time, so Jacob was able to just take them home to relax and eat candy out of our bucket.

Bucket tied to her sleeve

The Trick or Treat Group

Cheese!!

You want me to do what now??

Hazel told me she had TONS of energy so we worked our way through the rest of the route the cousins had picked out and then decided to trick or treat our way home. We live just under a mile from the cousins's house, but since she walks back and forth to school each day, I figured she was good for it. I was surprised that her cousins wanted to come with us (the one has a muscular condition and tends to tire easily) but their dad said it was fine and was willing to come to help wrangle them, so off we went.

Hazel did pretty good. She did manage to charm her uncle into holding her bucket for a while once it got heavy (after I told her I wouldn't - I'm so mean like that). But she kept up a pretty good pace and shouted "Happy Halloween" at everyone we passed. Once we got back to our house, we dealt with the little bit of Wall Family drama that was unfolding (what's a family get-together without some drama, right?) and then I drove the cousins and my brother-in-law back to their house. Driving on Halloween night through a neighborhood is super annoying. In case you were wondering.

Went home, got the kids to bed, and packed for my trip the next morning....stay tuned!