Happy Halloween!!!!

Oh Halloween. It was one holiday I was thankful it was warm and clear in California. One and only one Halloween do I remember it really raining and I of course was a china doll that year. I was wearing real Chinese silk pajamas and had white paint on my face and black spray in my hair. By the end of the night I looked like a drowned rat. Here in Washington, the weather forecasters start deliberating on what the big night will look like weeks ahead. But 7 days before it makes the news hour and then because our weather is so unpredictable it changes like 20 times between then and the actual day. The last time it rained SO hard was the year before last and we seriously gave up trying to stay dry moments after walking out the door. Last year it was dry BUT FREEZING!!! I was so thankful for a dry night last night. We were due :) Not that my kids would have cared. There could be a flash flood coming through the neighborhood we haunt and they would probably just grab a raft. They are getting that candy come hell or high water :)

I awoke yesterday morning to the "%@#*! I forgot to make lunch last night! Better figure out my game plan before I get out of bed" moment. The thing that popped into my head...

 Jack-O-Lantern quesadillas! I cut the faces out of the tortilla with my pairing knife and then put cheese on the bottom full tortilla. Put the face on top, microwaved it until the cheese melted. Cut it into 4 pieces with my pizza cutter and sent the kids to school with a  Jack-O-Lantern face quesadilla puzzle, kind of :) When you are cutting out the mouth you have to think ahead so you can give him some teeth. It is just like a real pumpkin :) And I never remember on my real pumpkin. Toothpicks are always a necessary buy right before we carve :)

 

This might sound crazy but we actually FORGOT to carve pumpkins!!! I am actually happy because now I have them until Thanksgiving for decoration. But the kids last night were kind of like Um Excuse me Mom. Did we forget something.The kids were all excited after school, I was excited for today :) I feel like this was a marathon Halloween. We had our school carnival Friday and then a couple costume birthday parties over the last couple weeks and then by the time the Actual Holiday comes its been a lot of opportunities to wear our costumes :) Our FREE costumes. I was so proud. Here is Maddie who did not get her whole nap in yesterday and was not ready to get dressed :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

The Whole Gang

STILL HAPPY!

The neighborhood we go to is AWESOME! I would say 80-90% of the houses participate. There were hundreds of trick or treaters. Look at the work these folks did! Those white glowing objects in the back were people in black besides their white gloves and faces. Puppets in their own puppet theater! Awesome! There were so many lights and blow up decorations it felt like Christmas...but with lots of bones and bloody creatures :)

That spider freaked Maddie out. It was a giant spider that moved up and down the driveway :)

My sweet girls

So for the Halloween Costume Challenge! 

They DID IT! And they rocked it! 

Keegan went as....Joe :) Well a construction worker who looked just like Joe :)

Cam an "Army Dude" Thank you camo clothes in the closet.

Maddie went from a ladybug to a pirate to a mermaid. The last one she put on literally as we were walking out the door. "I be a PIN-cess" she said :)

Delaney rocked my sisters 20+ year old genie costume. She was not happy I made her wear a shirt under it. Reminder Laney- We live in Washington, not Southern California like the costume was intended for. I think her favorite part of the whole night was the eyeliner, teal eyeshadow, lip gloss, dangly earrings and facial jewels she got to sport. She was a happy girl.

We did a big loop through the neighborhood and ended up home with a lot of loot. Maddie was not ready to go to bed and staked herself in a position of "Hell no I won't go!"

I have a lot of memories that look a lot like this. My sisters and I sitting in the family room candy spread out. We sorted. "DOTS here, Hershey Bars there, Milky Ways over there, Licorice right here. I will trade you all my Three Musketeers for all of your DOTS" :)

Delaney eventually had enough and cracked. Crying, kicking and straight to bed. Oh I love the Holidays :)

We all settled in. I surveyed the damage. I still need to figure out where all the candy is, figure out how much we are keeping and how much we are tossing. I even have a few kid-less friends and family to donate too. I told the kids to enjoy their candy but not go crazy so they don't appreciate it any more. We shall see if they listen :)

I love that Halloween is the kick off to the Holiday season. I even started thinking Thanksgiving today. Free Range turkey or Free turkey from Fred Meyer? Home made cranberries or pop open a can. I admit I love that jellied deliciousness shaped like a cylinder :) I don't know. I'll spend the next few weeks planning my menu, table decorations and seating arrangements. Halloween is a kid holiday full of fun and it leads to weeks of so much family fun. I am eager to enjoy each and every day leading up to the coming holidays. These weeks ahead are busy ones for us and every year they fly by. I want to slow them down and take them in slowly. Enjoying them but not going crazy so I don't appreciate it. We shall see if I listen :)