Halloween Week

This last week was red ribbon week at the schools. Every day the kids were encouraged to dress up for the daily dress code...the problem was 3 schools with 3 different ways to dress and nobody but Ashley had any notes home about it. Needless to say it didn't happen very often. Ashley got mismatched day, green day and

sports day, and red day.

Jacob only got red day but he still won the drawing for a $10 dollar Itunes gift card even though he only had one ticket in.

Taylor missed every day...he didn't realize he was supposed to dress in a costume on Tuesday! He laughed at the banana running through the quad being chased by a gorilla and the German boys dressed in leiderhosen drinking pretend beer and singing loudly...there's always next year.

Jacob was allowed to wear Halloween costumes this year (they have so much more freedom when they get out of elementary school) and so he agreed that he would be OK being a skeleton (he has hated costumes for the last 5 years).

We looked for a costume and couldn't find one so late the night before we just bought him a black outfit and I got out my paints to paint some bones on it. I was up late that night and up early the next morning to get it on and dry before he had to go to school.

Jacob wasn't too sure in my abilities before I started...but he was happy with the end result. (Jeff was also a little worried that it would look very "homemade" but he thought it looked good too)

The final touch was his face paint slapped on minutes before he was running out the door.

(My toll paints and brushes right out of the cupboard work better than any drug store Halloween paint I've ever bought)

He came home excited that he had won best costume at lunch that day...I guess his picture will be in the yearbook now too. :0)

Oh the night we were getting the costumes Taylor found this mask and was trying it on...he loved the stares and reaction he got from the store patrons. He hopped up and down and asked to buy it, so he could scare people in the store with it...luckily it wasn't expensive.

He wore it the rest of the time and got a lot of stares. Taylor said "For the first time I'm getting more attention than Jacob!"

It was hilarious when we were waiting in the long line to check out there were two young boys with their dad right behind us who didn't like Taylor's mask.

The would yell "GO AWAY!"

"I DON'T LIKE YOU!"

"I'M GOING TO PUT YOU IN JAIL!"

Taylor started pointing slowly to them and they freaked out more. I told him to show them his face so the poor boys wouldn't go home with nightmares. He pulled up his mask and laughed and they stared at him relieved...and then he put it on to tease them some more. It was a game the whole time...the Dad tried hard not to laugh.

Sure enough we're loaded in the car and the same family ends up walking right by us..the boys called out "Bye Monsty!!!"

As I was painting bones I was also getting snacks together for...Ashley's party for school, seminary, Jeff's office and Taylor's mini party in his language arts class.

The only party I was actually able to attend was Ashley's.

They had a nice 1/2 hour party passing out and consuming lots of treats.

The teacher just sent home a blanket flyer asking for goodies...so they got 6 or 7 cupcakes for each child, probably 5 cookies for each child not to mention enough drinks for the class 3 or 4 times over, chips, candy and all kinds of stuff. What a party.

I had just enough brownie cookies left over to put in Jacob's soccer snack bags for the next day.

Friday night Taylor had a Halloween party at Becca Nelsons and got to wear his costume. (He said he wanted a costume that was unlike him and surprising...so a fat personal trainer was his alter ego)

He came home saying he loved his costume...all the girls wanted to hug him to get the air out ;)

Jeff and I had a party at the Elsworths. We got out our "Queen of Clean" outfit and "Dirt Devil" (along with his dirt bag)....

We got there just as Erin was getting all the food put together...rat tails, lizard eyes, piggy pie and such.

What we weren't prepared for the fun costumes that we would see that night...

Here we have the Bounty Hunter and his classy wife (complete with long mullet)

Officer Lauritzen and her inmate complete with cholo mustache and beard and kiss tattoo on his neck.

(No lie when I went to soccer the next day I noticed that one of the dads had the same tattoo on the same spot.)

Luchador Williamson and his cat.

He was hilarious in this costume and it was hard to take him seriously. (he "borrowed" his wife's shirt and her cape from last years costume)

We got the 70's duo

And Lindsey Lohen (complete with house arrest ankle bracelet) and white trash

Ethan was the bravest walking in the house in a full on speedo and swim cap...all we could do was laugh. After his entrance he put on his towel and then went in to change...

Here we have Octomom and gansta boyfriend...can you pick out the real baby??

Erin planned fun games for us all. We played pictionary and then wrap the mummy before Jeff's migraine took us home. I heard there were all kinds of Halloween party games to follow.  

(Way to go Elsworths! They are a great party couple ;)

When we got home Jeff went to bed until 11:00 the next day!

Saturday after soccer and errands it was time to get ready for Trunk or Treat at the church. Two of our costumed kids complete with toll painted faces.

I grabbed what I had to pull together a witch costume. (I forgot I had tailored these tights to fit Ashley long ago so I cut them to make them knee highs as we were walking out the door.

Our three beautiful children

Can you guess what Jeff is???

He bought his first cigar ever (when he couldn't find a fake one) so he could be Shorty from Pit Boss. (He borrowed the Marquette's hat the night before and looked so much like him we said that should be his costume.)

All our friends from Little People of America who came to the trunk or treat loved it. 

People who have seen Pit Boss on Animal Planet knew immediately who Jeff was supposed to be but people who hadn't seen the show didn't have a clue (hee hee).

We played a game where they had to throw a ball into our bucket. If it got inside the smaller bucket inside they got a full size candy bar if not they had to pick from the smaller candy around it.

Simple game but people seemed to like it.

This year instead of me single handedly running a LPA Halloween party I piggybacked it by inviting them all to our trunk or treat. We got about 50 people there which was great. The ward loved having them and I got a lot of good feedback from the LPs who said they would like to do it again next year.

Taylor with his crew playing keep away from the girls all night.

Tired children ready to go home...

and check out their stash. (Jacob had the most this year by far)

Sunday was filled with church and then a Road Show meeting and then immediately 2 different missionaries open houses. We went from one thing to another...and got home after 7:00.

We weren't really planning to do much for Halloween but we did save a bowl of candy to pass out since we always get bombarded by a million people who caravan and park at the park across the street.

Taylor stood at the front of the house in church clothes greeting the trick or treaters (he probably hasn't had that much fun on Halloween in a long time).

We weren't going to trick or treat but with all the kids coming to the house I agreed that Ashley could do a few neighbors. We saw a lady we visit teach and talked to our neighbors up the street. We went as far as Jenna's old house so she could see who had moved in after her.

The farther down the street we went the more candy people had left..it seems that the closer to the park the more you get hit. Her last house she got 2 full sized candy bars and the guy had a whole bowl of them untouched!  

We got back about 40 minutes later and the light was off, the candy was gone so Halloween was over and we could spend the rest of it undisturbed as a family. (People were still running around about 10:00)

To end my post I have to give props to my sister Virginia in Seatle. This is her pumpkin

(we didn't even carve any this year!)

It's a banshee pumpkin. Pretty talented I must say.