Halloween 2011

Halloween was an interesting experience this year.  It's usually the holiday that I go all out clever for, but this year with all the sickness and surgeries of this month, I couldn't quite muster up the energy for anything extra.  Decorations only happened because the kids finally told me they were going to do it 2 weeks ago.  I did manage a fun Halloween dinner including mashed potato ghosts with caper eyes, and this was the after school snack which was a HUGE hit and was devoured within minutes of the boys walking in the door.  Frankly, it was a wonder even this happened.  Lilyanna decided over the weekend that she didn't need to sleep anymore in the middle of the night, so I was a bit of a walking zombie on Halloween day.  (That way I didn't need to even don a costume...so, it was mildly convenient...)

Warren stopped by right before Lilyanna and I were about to nap during the day and thoughtfully offered to come over that evening  to take the boys trick or treating.  Here is the lot of them before they went that evening.  His dedication to the task lasted only until a female friend of his came along and he went off with the girl.  

 Notably absent from the picture is Benjamin.  Benjamin learned a hard lesson this Halloween.  As a member of his studio's tap and hip hop dance companies, he agrees to a higher set of rules than everyone taking recreational classes.  One of those rules is that he is only permitted 2 absences per quarter.  He is going to miss one week before Thanksgiving because we'll be out of town, but he squandered one of his other absences in September when he just didn't feel like going.  He didn't feel great, but wasn't sick, but decided to stay home and play that day.  So, no trick-or-treating for him this year.  He was alone in most of his classes on Monday, but he not only recognized the lesson, but also got some really good one on one time with his dance teachers.

Caleb was VERY proud of his glow in the dark skeleton costume and loved running up to his dark bedroom to test it out all afternoon before they went out trick or treating.  Nathaniel was a Ninja with spikes...he had a better name for it, but I don't remember now what it was.  Lilyanna was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.  But she gets her own separate post.

Despite all of my hoopla this year, the kids had a great time.  This makes me think that maybe in future years, I can not drive myself so crazy with plans and preparations, and we can still all have an enjoyable holiday.  We'll see if I actually remember this lesson next year.  ;)