Halloween Festivities 2009

We started our weekend on Friday night with a ward Trick-or-Trunk, chili cook-off, Carnival! The kids picked out their costumes about a month in advance. I'd been tempted to buy $20 costumes, but the more we talked about it, we decided they could put something together for next to nothing. Sarah started out wanting to be a wicked witch, then switched to a ballerina. Hers was the cheapest costume since we already had the stuff. We'd bought this outfit for her to take lessons, then decided we couldn't afford it yet. She wears it quite often to play around the house. Ben saw a costume in a magazine and got the idea to be a magician. We were given the cape, I found the hat at Savers for $3, painted a dowel ($3) and the blue ribbon and bow were in my box of hair accessories!

Kannon borrowed this pirate costume from my parents stash. And the bunny costume I found at a thrift store - he was to be Benjamin's rabbit, but Ben said he could just be a bunny, not his bunny!

At the party, Sarah found her friend Kathryn.

We ate chili, cornbread, and even dessert! They had a cake-walk, fishing pond, face painting, etc. Then we headed outside for the trick-or-trunk.

(Okay, he's stinkin' handsome! He wore his suit coat yesterday to church

and Sarah said he looked very pretty!)

It was at this point that I started questioning the whole purpose behind Halloween. How stupid is it that we put on a costume and demand that people give us candy!? And what makes that fun, anyway? Especially when the mom's take most of the candy away from their kids? I don't know that we'll "quit" Halloween, but I might have to figure something out to ease my conscience.

So, I was Fancy Nancy. She's a great story character that I love. I would have been her as a child if I could have been, or been brave enough to be!

I liked my pink hair the best out of this costume.

On Saturday, we emptied out our storage unit. We get to use that $40 a month to sign me up at the gym! woo hoo!

We hauled a load of bricks from Grandma Youngs old chimney out to my mom's yard. My brother is building an outdoor bbq place for them.

Then we came in for a party. A church friend was a having a birthday party for her 1-year-old. They had a bounce house, music, strobe lights. The kids were in that bounce house forever!

Afternoon nap!

Sarah - I don't have any friends in there! Nobody will play with me.

Musical chairs. Sarah is still talking about how she and the girl in the spiderman dress got out. Ben was one of the last 3 players.

You have to have a pinata - but we could have done without the candy - again!

We had plenty to eat at the party, so we didn't have to worry about dinner. We headed out to the Maine Street Halloween. The stores were handing out candy. We went with our neighbor-friends, the Mortensen's. I don't think we'd go again if they do that again. It was too crowded and people were smoking everywhere, so that was kind of stinky!

Sarah was quite the trooper, there was a lot of walking and she only took a "ride" for a little while.

Robbie, Sarah, Lily, Ben, and Reed!

After the downtown stuff, we trick-or-treated around the neighborhood. There weren't as many people home as usual - I'm guessing because of the downtown stuff. I was ready to go home when the baby started to cry. No sooner did I get home, though, than Kannon called to have me come pick them up. He wanted to take the kids out to my aunt and uncles house and then to my parents. Sarah fell asleep right away and we had a really hard time getting her even half awake to see my mom all dressed up for them!

So, we ended up with a ton of candy! The kids were allowed to pick out 10 pieces and the rest went into a big bowl. But, I don't want it here. I keep eating it and the chocolate is starting to bug the baby. Plus, how can I lose weight if I'm eating all that! I don't know if I can physically throw it away! I think we'll bag up a bunch of it for the Bishop's candy jar. Maybe the Food Pantry would want some?