We started celebrating Halloween a little early this year, since Fin wanted to have a "scary costume party" for his sixth birthday (really should get those pictures up!). Fin was a mummy at his party, but got frustrated with all the hanging pieces and wrappings, so he quickly decided he wanted to be a vampire for Halloween. Which is just about the easiest costume in the world. He already had the white turtleneck for the mummy costume, so we headed to the Halloween shop, bought him some super cheap teeth (29 cents!), a cape and a medallion. Parker had about a bajillion different ideas for her costume (including an "underwater cheetah" when you figure out what that is, let me know), but when I suggested we could both be owls, she jumped at it. I bought some sweaters at the thrift store, cut the arms off and used those as the chest feathers, along with some real feathers. Some pieces of felt for the eyes and wings and a whole lot of hot glue and we were owls! I swear I could make you anything with a little bit of felt and my hot glue gun, though I've yet to learn how to NOT incur third degree burns every time I use that thing. They held up through Fin's party, my sister's annual pumpkin carving party, her halloween party at school and random wear throughout the month, so I'd say it was pretty successful.
On our walks to school we discovered a house that does a whole haunted house in their front yard and Fin has been closely watching its progress. They opened it on Saturday and we headed over. Parker and I wanted nothing to do with it, but Fin was brave and went through with Josh and loved it. Those two just love to be scared. Fin went on and on about how "awesome! so awesome!" it was. We also went to the haunted house they made at our clubhouse, but didn't go through the actual haunted house (it was billed as being for "adults and teens" so we thought we better not). They had decorated another area and had candy and games and Charlie Brown's The Great Pumpkin playing.
For Halloween night my parent's came over and we headed out to do some trick or treating. We went back to trick or treat in the neighborhood with the haunted house, and found out there was not just this haunted house, but two more, and lots of decorations! There were a lot of neighbors having little parties in their driveways and it was a fun, festive atmosphere. I went through a little tiny haunted house by myself, thinking my mom and Fin were following me and begged the man squatting in the smoke in a mask to not jump out at me. The other haunted house was INTENSE, so intense we couldn't even walk by it. We could hear a chainsaw, and banging on trash can lids, and saw monsters chasing teeny boppers out of the maze and down the street. From a distance it was awesome, but we stayed on the other side of the street. It did remind me of the haunted houses we would go through when I was little, and a part of me was heartened to see that people still do them. There is something thrilling about them, even if in the moment I always think, why in the world did I do this. The kids had a blast, Parker told me after every single house, "This is fun! I wuv dis!" and thanked me a couple times for taking her trick or treating, "Dis is fun, I'm habing fun mama, fanks for taking me trick or treating!" :) We came home and immediately sorted the candy and the kids brokered some trades and begged and pleaded to eat just one more piece. Parker has already asked me if she could be about thirteen different things for next Halloween.
Getting all set to go trick or treating!
At my sister's annual pumpkin carving party
We spent a good portion of our night coming up with names for this bump!
I've had this stuff up since the day after Halloween (I was itching to use those yarn pumpkins the kids and I made!) but just got my camera batteries so I could actually take pics. Since the decline of business at my store (and now its sad sad closing) I've had to scratch my merchandising itch at home and I love love love that we have a mantle now for me to "merch" every season. :) I especially like the challenge of using stuff we already have. The only thing I bought for this mantle was the wheat. The fabric pumpkins I made out of the scraps from our owl costumes and the acorns and pinecones we found on walks. The gigantic pine cone came from my dad. Before Griffin's birthday whenever he'd ask me what I was getting him, I'd tease him and say I was getting him pine cones. I told my dad about the ongoing joke we had and he of course got right on board and showed up to Fin's party with a giant bag filled with pine cones of every shape and size. While it was supposed to be a joke, Fin was actually really stoked on it. I am too, that thing looks prehistoric! And thanks to my Aunt Kathy and Laura for the flowers! I took them from my sister's baby shower. I pulled out the blue daisies and added some feathers. Makes me so happy to look at. :)
