Halloween -- Now with Pictures!

Do you ever feel a little overwhelmed and underqualified?

Me either, I was just asking for a friend.

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So, since I am officially dead on Facebook (and therefore more alive in real life), I have decided to resurrect my blog - for whatever it's worth -- and post again.

I have to say, I just love Halloween. Despite the fact that I hate candy, and I hate it even more when my kids eat it for breakfast, I still look forward to Halloween, probably more than any other holiday. This year Chelsea and I went as Indian princesses. Well, I guess I am past the princess stage, but I dressed up as an Indian all the same. We got some old brown t-shirts, turned them inside out to hide the logos on the front, cut strips out of the bottom, strips in the arms, and wrapped the waist with a piece of leather beading cord I had in my office. Viola! Indian princess.

Carter was a Jason-type character. Being 13, his costume had to balance that certain "cool" factor with a certain "I'm not trying too hard" factor. So he wore a hockey mask and a black hoodie. A friend lent him an old chain saw without a blade, but it was too hard to haul around, so he went without props. At a certain point you have to choose: props or ease of candy procurement. He chose the latter.

Spencer was a spy. He wore his suit and sunglasses and carried a briefcase. He was frequently mistaken for a "Men in Black" character, but that's okay, it's close enough. Plus, once again, certain costumes allow themselves greater range of mobility which translates into more houses visited and more candy acquired. He considered wearing a hat to augment the overall look, but it kept blowing off when he would run. And, since one must run from house to house on Halloween, one cannot have hats to maintain.

Bryce was -- what was Bryce? I can't remember. I think he went through at least four costumes over the course of the day. But Halloween night he ended up being Woody from Toy Story. Thanks to the generosity of our friends the Burrei's, he had the best Woody costume. Earlier in the morning he was Buzz Lightyear, and at some point he was also a spy, just like Spencer. Today he is Superman. We picked up a Superman costume the day after Halloween for 50% off, and he has been flying high ever since. Bryce loves that Superman feeling of relative weightlessness. Because, as we all know, one is relatively weightless during the short flight between the armrest of the couch and the floor. And no, that is not just "falling with style." Style is not a concern for someone who wears his underwear on the outside of his tights.

April also went through numerous costumes. She was a tiger, a lady-bug, and a 50's girl. At our neighborhood hot dog dinner - just prior to trick or treating - she went as a tiger, but she found that the costume got in the way of the hot dog, so she took it off and walked around in her onesie. Someone said she should go as a marshmallow, since she was all in white and has the appropriate marshmallow-belly thing going on. So we took her home, put on a clean long-sleeved onesie, some white leggings and white shoes, and she was a marshmallow.

"Agent S" dressed up for
the school Halloween Parade

Tyler of course, had the best plan for the evening. He picked up a black and white striped convict outfit and hat. Then he got out some of his DJ sound equipment and lights and played music for the neighborhood. It was quite the party. He played "Thriller" and the "Nightmare before Christmas" and other Halloween classics. His laser lights flashed onto the driveway and into the road, much to the delight of passing trick or treaters. We had people stop their cars in front of our house, get out, and take pictures. No one can throw a party quite like Tyler.