All Hallows Eve and All Hallows Day

Last night we passed a couple of houses with their Christmas decorations up. I supposed I'd better post about Halloween before it gets too late.

Halloween was great! We started cleaning the house on Thursday, to get ready for Brian to come home, but we were still doing laundry and trying to get everything ready on Friday morning as well. Both my mom and Brian's mom came over to help watch the kids and to put in a new zipper on my costume. (The first zipper broke when I was trying to zip it up to iron it. Stink.) It was wonderful having so much company and help. Then I rushed Alyssa to school, and rushed back. I worked on the last minute stuff for Brian's costume, then rushed back to Alyssa's school for her class Halloween party.

It was so much fun! If you want to feel like a celebrity, volunteer for your kindergartner's school parties. Alyssa kept saying to everyone: "That's my mom...This is my mom...That's my mom." She was so excited to have me there! Well, I helped kids twist their pipe cleaner spider legs to their spiders, then everyone decorated a pumpkin cookie, and we went home....to a clean house! Our mother's had been busy while I was away. My mom got the new zipper all the way on my dress and Brian's mom swept and mopped the main floor. How wonderful!

So then we hurried Alyssa into her clown dress and rushed her over to Zoe's house for a Halloween party. With things under control, both mothers left, and the boys and I played in the basement, sewed down the lining on my dress, and layed out everyone's costumes so we wouldn't be late for trunk-or-treating.

After picking up Alyssa from her fabulous party, we put Disney's Halloween Treat on the computer, and I started doing Alyssa's hair. It ended up looking like this.

I was so busy parting and rubber banding and curling that I didn't see Brian pull up outside. Normally I keep looking out the windows or sit on the front porch when it's about time for him to come home. But this time I was surprised when Alyssa said, "Daddy's home!" and ran away from the comb and rubber bands.

Well, we finished Alyssa's hair, ate a quick dinner, got our costumes on, and headed out the door almost a half hour after trunk-or-treating started. Oh well. The kids were bundled in two layers of clothes and their costumes, so no one complained about being cold while we went around collecting candy. Brian's dad took Ethan around, and apparently at one car they had a hand that popped out of the candy bowl. It scared Ethan so bad that he jumped backward and landed flat on his back on his dinosaur tail.

After trunk-or-treating we went to Grandma Orton's house for her traditional sucker ghosts, then we went up the block toward Brian's parent's house. (I am seriously boring myself writing this. A travelogue of Halloween! A part of me wants to erase the whole post and put in pictures, but it is written already, so it stays. Sorry.)

We stayed at Brian's parents for a while to have some brisket sandwhiches, then we went to Great Grandpa Jacks' house, then Christina's. My mom was at Christina's house, watching kids so Chris and Nate could go to a party. We hung out there for a bit, then went home and went to bed. Halloween over.

On Saturday we went to the carnival at Alyssa's school. They said the kids could wear costumes, so this was my chance to get the pictures I missed on Halloween.



After the carnaival we had a short visit from Brian's old roommate, Jeremy, and his girlfriend. And that evening Brian and I went to the Ransom's halloween party, which was a blast. Brian ended up going as Michael Phelps. Count the medals. He refused to wear a Speedo, so we settled for his red swim trunks and a bath robe.