Trick or Treat: Halloween Night!

The kids had a great time trick or treating Saturday night. We went around with friends, as we always do. And even the adults got in on the costume fun. I was the Jolly Green Giant this year. You can't quite see all the details in the picture--there are leaves on the top toga part--but I'd like to think it looked better in person than it does here. And Jeremy once again channeled his inner Thor.

We also celebrated with Mike Tyson (including his famous facial tattoo!), Kai-Lan, Kai-Lan's mom, and a 1970's Ben Wallace.

I made Reid and Blair "practice" trick or treating a few days ahead of time. I know it sounds stupid, but I was determined that they were going to be the polite kids going up to everyone's door. I know that can sometimes get forgotten in the excitement of running from door to door, and I got really tired of reminding them at every house last year. So I told Reid and Blair that they MUST say "Trick or Treat!" (it irks me when kids come to the door and just hold their bag out waiting for candy--unless they're small and can't quite say it yet, of course), and they HAD to say "Thank you!" And if they didn't say thank you, I was going to take the candy back out of their bucket and put it in my own. And I am very proud to say that the practice worked! They remembered to say both phrases at every house, and they didn't beg and choose which candy they wanted out of the candy-giver's bowl, which seemed to be another problem last year. I told them to take what they were given and be thankful for it. So after one house, Reid told me with a big smile, "Mom, I just got one piece at that house but I don't even care, because I'm thankful for it!" Yea, he actually listened to something I said! (And at the houses where he got to choose his own candy, man, you'd think it was Christmas morning!) And Blair announced after every house, "Mama, I THINK I said thank you!"

Sloane walked most of the night and had so much fun. Her little ostrich legs couldn't quite keep up with the big kids, so every once in a while, I'd have to pick her up and run one house ahead of the big kids so she would be there to go to the door with them. It didn't take her long to figure out, though, that if she went up to a door, they'd give her candy, so when I would try to pass up a house, she'd point and pull towards the driveway! She walked the whole night with one hand holding her bucket and one hand holding a piece of candy. And I am proud to say that she even said Thank You when prompted...well most of the time.

After trick or treating, we all went to another friend's house for a Halloween party. It was geared equally towards kids and adults, with all kinds of themed food and drinks. The house was decorated from floor to ceiling, complete with a smoke machine and strobe light in the garage. They had games in the garage for the kids, then went outside for spooky story time followed by smores, then back inside for a movie (Beetlejuice!) and popcorn. Kids and adults alike had a great Halloween and were worn out at the end of the night!

One more set of pictures...
The kids got to wear costumes to school, but we decided to wear old costumes for ease of wear (and to keep them hole-free--Spiderman ended up with 2 big rips after a day to school last year). :(