Happy Halloween!

It's been a week of Halloween festivities for our family!

Last weekend, my IL's had a costume party at their house. Here are Emily and Lily (our neighbor and Em's dear friend) dressed for the party:


Jared's preschool had a Trunk or Treat event on Wednesday, where the families all decorate the trunks of their vehicles and the kids go trick or treating from trunk to trunk. It's always set for early evening, so it's still light outside, we all know each other and can be sure the candy is untampered with, and the kids have a blast hanging out with their friends getting candy for an hour or so.

Here's our trunk (not too shabby for being thrown together an hour before the event! ha!)


Three little trick or treaters: (please allow me to toot my own horn while you take note of the coordinating trick or treat bags I finished at 12:30am that morning...)


And the pretty bridal bouquet Emily and I made last weekend:


Once the kids had all made the rounds getting candy, the parents thought it would be loads of fun to gather all the kids up for a group photo (why do we do these things to ourselves and our kids???) #1 and #2 are cooperating, though #2 seems a little hungry and has bypassed the idea of eating candy and has opted to gnaw on the eye patch elastic instead... #3's off checking out the tractor oblivious to anything else that is going on


And now #3's wandered back into the group, looking a little lost, while #2's still working on devouring the elastic band from the eye patch.


And now #3's off getting up close and personal with the tractor, #2's given up on the elastic, SOMETHING is going on off to the left of the picture, and many kids can't decide if they want to be in the picture or not (marked with arrows; I've got several more group pics and those kids were in and out)


Jared's NEW pirate costume FINALLY arrived in the mail halfway through the day yesterday (I know, I know, the kid doesn't need two pirate costumes, but this new one is WAY cooler than our other one, and it was ridiculously cheap online, and we've had the other one for two years now already...I couldn't resist the splurge). It came just in time to put on to head over to Grandma Marlee and Grandpa Jeff's house for some early trick or treating (Grandpa Jeff has to put in a 12 hour day today and won't be around to see the kids, so we went yesterday instead).


Don't mind the little ghost in the picture. It was the only way we could get Connor to stand still for the picture. We told him he had to stand in front of the ghost and hide it. ha!

I was also babysitting my cousin's daughter, Grace, so I requested they send her Halloween costume as well so she wasn't left out of the fun:


That costume also happens to be the same one Emily Grace wore on HER first Halloween:


Today, I am volunteering in Emily's 1st grade class for the Halloween party, and I need to spend this morning making the cookies I said I'd donate. This evening, rain or shine (and RAIN is predicted), we're heading out to trick or treat around the neighborhood, and tomorrow is another Halloween costume party (this one is at my friend Nikki's house).

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! May you enjoy a day full of spooks and laughs, may your children get lots of goodies, and may we all learn to keep our hands out of the candy bags after the fact...