All Hallow's Eve... Beginning Five Days Early

Halloween this year was exciting for some, stressful for one, and just plain great for me! :)

Steve was elected (since he was the parent at home with the kids that week) to prepare Halloween Costumes for the kids this year. We always do homemade ones, unless we get lucky. This year we were lucky on a couple, and had one very special one to create. I was at the hospital with Sarah the week of the Ward trunk-or-treat, so the costume department turned to the Father this year to get everything done five days before Halloween. He did such a wonderful job, I've decided he's in charge every year. I promised not to make him do it all alone, during an election, and with a daughter in the hospital again, but I loved that he did so great...and I didn't have to!

Nathan was a Skeleton Pirate. Two of his favorite things combined. We were lucky on this one. We had the skeleton costume from when the other boys were younger, and he lives every other day of the year in the pirate costume. He was creative, and we were lucky. :)

Bryson wanted to be the Grim Reaper for Halloween this year. I got really lucky on this one. My super sweet sister-in-law, Valarie, sewed him the cloak for his birthday and sent it to him the week before so I wouldn't have to worry about it, and he wouldn't have to settle for something else. He was so very excited! Steve added the sickle and the make-up (and some warm black sweat pants).

This was the special costume that had to be created. It was kind of a stress to get it done in time, but Joshua absolutely loved putting his own "parts" on the front from his workbench collection of torn-apart electronics. I loved the aluminum foil hat. He won "most creative costume" at the trunk-or-treat and reacted as if he had won the lottery!

Here's Rachel's version of a hippie. She put it all together herself, and in my opinion, looks way too cute to really pass for one of those greasy flower children of the 60's. 

Sarah and I got to come home from the hospital the next day, so we were excited to participate in the actual Halloween traditions.

On Sunday afternoon, we carved a pumpkin (that we grew in our very own garden), and on Monday after homework and dinner were done, I took the three boys trick-or-treating like we used to as kids. In the past, we've always had the trunk-or-treat on Halloween in the afternoon, and then just walked to a few of our closest neighbors, and drove to see a few widows in our ward and our Grandmas. That's always been enough candy, so Halloween night we just stay home. This year, with the trunk-or-treat five days before, Nathan was all out of candy by Halloween, so we just HAD to go again! (Plus, Joshua and Bryson were feeling yucky at the trunk-or-treat, so they didn't get much that night.) We bundled up and I dragged the boys around our new neighborhood to collect candy. They said it was fun, and they liked trick-or-treating. Rachel went with some friends in their neighborhood (I know, she's too old, but she hasn't ever really gone trick-or-treating, either!).

In retrospect, I've decided it's a really weird holiday, with really dumb traditions. I mean, what parent  that considers themselves a "pretty good parent" would ever allow their children to go around the neighborhood, talking to strangers, begging for candy in disguise, and not even expect them to say "please"? I never did before, but it sure was fun to show the kids the way I used to do Halloween!