Halloween-ing

Halloween really took a back seat this year. I had a costume for Jade that I had bought last year, and as luck would have it, she was still super amped about wearing it. So I really didn't have to think about hers at all. She was an adorable pink dragon... complete with a bow, of course. Braden changed his mind a couple times, but he really didn't have a strong opinion for what he should be. He even told me once, "I don't really need a costume." When he finally decided to be Batman I was glad. I figured he could use pieces from my batgirl costume from last year. He also already had black boots from his Robin Hood costume. And to my joy, I found a generic batman unitard thing at a yard sale for a buck. So, all that was left was a mask. I made it out of duct tape and honestly, that mask was the extent of my effort for Halloween this year. In fact, I never dressed up in costume at all. Not even a pumpkin shirt. We went to our ward trunk-r-treat and chili cook-off at the church on Friday. That was pretty cool and the kids had fun getting some candy. We didn't really have anything cool planned for today, but then Debra Jo and Mitch, some friends of ours, saved the day and had a fun party. The kids got to go in costume and decorate cupcakes and watch Monster House and they even had a "haunted room" and a coloring contest. It was great to get out and see friends. You'll notice in the pictures, the kids had some last minute costumes... their main ones were too hot for this 85* Halloween. We decided not to take the kids trick-or-treating tonight since Spencer and I were both tired. So they instead ate some of their candy from Friday and then put everything that was left in their bags on the couch to give to "The Great Pumpkin" in exchange for a gift. "The Great Pumpkin" is a new idea that we started this year. "He" got Braden a game and Jade a little cooking set. I hope the kids like it. We really don't need candy sitting around in a giant bowl, and it's worth $10 to me that they don't gnaw on it for the next month or so and destroy their teeth. All in all, I think this years festivities held the perfect amount of Halloween-ing.