Halloween is Just a Big Picture Day

 I have mixed feelings about Halloween. As a kid I loved it, of course - the costumes, the candy, the adventure. As a mom, it's like four straight days dedicated to sugar. And more sugar. And then some candy, and then even MORE sugar! I try to make it fun for them and not be a kill-joy, and we had a great movie night with Bedknobs and Broomsticks, pumpkin carving, and Halloween mad libs at dinner. But seriously, what is the redeeming value of Halloween? Do the kids learn anything in particular? Well, we do have the "thou shalt be safe, stay in a group, and not steal anyone elses' candy" talk before the big night, but I don't really count that.

Scary decorations I just don't do... yet. That will probably change when I have teenagers and death and blood and guts are more on our minds, but for now, we stuck with some autumn colored flowers and some holly jolly pumpkins, like Gary's below:

(Yes, it's The Scream by Edvard Munch. You should have seen it while it was lit - gorgeous! Gar outdid himself. I think it's fairly appropriate subject matter considering his stress level right now, trying to finish the PhD dissertation this year and Dance Alliance coming up in the fall... we all feel a bit like screaming!)

Even Bella got in the mood. Though she could not understand why we made her dress up like, of all things, a CAT!

 Senorita Maggie, in the dress we got her in Barcelona this summer.

 Sophie and her darling second grade teacher Mrs. Dennis.

I helped out in both Sophie's and Spencer's class parties (but only had my camera for Sophie's). Here is Sophie at her school costume parade. She's the little witch on the left. Spencer was a knight, as usual, with about three different swords tucked into sundry parts of his costume.

 

We did stations with crafts (make your own skeleton), games (roll the pumpkin and toss the ball into the Halloween cup) and bag decorating. I helped with the treats, and I think I get extra Good Mom points with my awesome little apple monsters, below. Rawr!

Hyrum with his skeleton - this was my station. We liked adding the extra blood and guts to their creations. It is Halloween, after all!

The night before Halloween our ward did a trunk or treat with a chili and cornbread dinner, costume parade, and pumpkin carving contest. Gary's pumpkin won a prize, of course, 'cause it was so awesome. Then we went out the the cars all lined up in the church parking lot where the kids proceeded to fill their buckets every two feet with every kind of cavity-inducing goodie imaginable. I can her me calling the dentist now...

And the big night itself. Gary was his Used Car Salesman alter ego, Sophie was her witch, Spence a knight, me a Southern Belle (thanks Festival team for the costume) and Maggie was a Spanish dancer. Until the sugar high from her school party wore off and she had a meltdown, after which she changed into a princess dress.

 

Setting out on the big adventure! Daddy even came home early to take the kids around. Maggie eventually ended up at Eliza Hibbards house where she jumped the family ship to complete the rounds with friends instead. It was bound to happen someday - stop growing up, Mags! ;-)