Surviving in the Wilde: Halloween 2009!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

It was the Halloween that almost wasn't! All day we were kept in suspense as the weather played its own tricks. By trick-or-treat time the boys had only made it half-way around our cul-de-sac when it started to sprinkle. We pressed forward, but by the time we got down the hill (maybe six more houses?) the sprinkle turned to rain and we high-tailed it home. For the next half hour it rained and we had just a few older trick-or-treaters whose parents had sent them out with umbrellas. Around seven, however, the rain stopped and we decided to venture back out with some the Burgess's (our friends who live just down the street). We knew we could have stayed in and the boys would have been fine, but it was the first year Eddie knew how to trick-or-treat and Jackson had been SO excited to go to, "a LOT of houses!" So we put our bowl of candy out along with our 'Please take one' sign (yeah, right...) and headed out to join the throngs of trick-or-treaters that had been anxiously waiting for the rain to stop. It was so much fun! Jack and Eddie did great - though Eddie needed me to hold his bucket for him... and then hold him as well... as the night progressed. :) We didn't even go to half of our neighborhood, but the boys' buckets were full by the time we headed home. The each got to eat some candy (I said four pieces, but I KNOW Daddy gave them more ;) and then they eagerly helped pass out candy when the doorbell rang. After Justin took the boys up for a bath I went through their buckets and threw away all of the suckers (too sticky!) and put aside a good amount to decorate gingerbread houses at Christmastime. (A great idea from my friend, Meredith!)

We started the day with pumpkin shaped pumpkin pancakes! Here's Jackson - already running on adrenaline and prepared for a night of candy collecting. He kept verifying, "Halloween is today?!" :) Eddie was still very tired and cranky. He's not a morning person.

How to kill the afternoon time before trick-or-treating? We took the kids to Discovery Place and had a fun time learning about luminescence and playing with all of the fun toys/experiments.

Norah took it easy with Mommy since she had been up several times during the night. We think she might have eaten something bad because she kept spitting up, but by morning she seemed okay. Still... visions of H1N1 filled my head and I was SO thankful she kept her food down and seemed okay after the spit-up episodes!

Eddie in hurricane force winds...

Both boys in the wind tunnel and going crazy. Jackson came out wanting to know how strong the wind had to be before he could be picked up... :) I told him that a tornado could lift him up, but he didn't believe me. :)

As trick-or-treating hours drew near we dressed the kids in their costumes and headed outside for pictures.

This was Little Miss Ladybug's very first Halloween! I had so much fun making a GIRLY costume... And could she look any cuter in a tutu?! I have a feeling I'll be making one of those for every holiday. ;) I got the red onesie at Old Navy for 45 cents (it said, 'Happy Holidays 2008') and just sewed a black felt belly onto the front to cover the writing. I then sewed black circles onto the back for her lady-bug spots. I got the adorable knit tights at Old Navy for $1 - I'm assuming they were leftovers from Valentine's day.

Eddie the pirate! This was one difficult kid to make a costume for! First he was a bumblebee... But then Justin thought the costume was too girly because it had wings (?!). So then I made him a Zorro mask, cape, and sash. He looked GREAT, but didn't like the mask. And let's be honest - without the mask there is no Zorro. Strike Two. Wanting to only use materials I already had I decided that Eddie was going to be a pirate - or nothing at all! :) I cut up one of my old shirts and added brown felt and string to the neckline to make it more buccaneer-ish - then cut up some of his old pants that had been a little too short on him. Another shirt I had slated for Goodwill made the bandanna and sash. Voila - Captain Eddie! Thankfully he kept his costume on this time and was even willing to let me take a picture. :)

Who wouldn't give these cuties a treat or two?! :)

Jackson loves to pose with Norah. :) Eddie was long gone after about three seconds.

"Mommy, why am I wearing this and more importantly, why am I sitting in the middle of the lawn? You know how I feel about grass."

"Oh, what the heck... Sure I'll smile for you!" :)

This year Jackson wanted to be a, "'Cary 'Pider!" (He still omits the 's' on a lot of words. :) This costume was easy! Black sweat pants and a black long-sleeved shirt with some yellow felt sewn on the back to make him a Writing Spider (which get HUGE here in the South! Gross, but they make beautiful webs). Following an online tutorial I used black socks stuffed with batting and black embroidery floss to make the legs. Then I glued 8 googly eyes onto a black knit hat for the finishing touch. Scary, right?! :)