...well, a couple of tricks.

At first, Madeline didn't quite understand the whole knock-on-the-door-and-they-give-you-candy idea. She simply followed Campbell and Cooper around to each house. After about 30 minutes, though, she caught on to the scam. No matter what costume she was wearing, whether or not she said "Trick-or-Treat", or if she looked scared by the decorations, the person behind the door would reach their hand into a large bowl of candy and hand her several. She was delighted! Her cavity pot was getting heavier and heavier to carry. That's why we came along, actually. Soon, she was outrunning the boys to get to the next house.

At this particular house, she looked up and saw a large, hairy spider hanging from the eaves. She wasn't quite sure what to think. After she rang the doorbell, and no one answered (to her chagrin), she knew exactly what to think: "I've been tricked!" Later, she told me and Jay that she got "a little frustrated" when she knocked and they didn't answer.

I'm surprised Mason wasn't giving me a scornful look. "They dressed me up in this silly thing, and I don't even get any candy!"

We really did have a great time. It's wonderful to see how big and spooky our family is getting each year.

All Treats, No Tricks

This Reformation Day we went out and plundered the egyptians. We joined our friends, the Ficketts, who live near several streets where they do it up big for Halloween.
The "Pirates" house is always our favorite.

Campbell dressed up as a swamp creature and Cooper donned his Darth Vader costume. Of course, Bill and Kerry looked fresh from the kitchen in their chef's attire; Notice what lurks under Bill's hat, hailing a recent animated movie. Kerry informed Jay and me that we are required to dress up next year. I thought we were dressed up: a working dad and a housewife with 2 kids.

Neighborhood Harvest Party

Several families from our subdivision hosted a Harvest Party for the kids. They had games like "Mummy Wrap", a cupcake walk, and a wishing well (hook a bag of treats). They also provided activities like making magnets, face painting, pumpkin decorating, and coloring. And of course we had food; the parents provided lots of yummy dishes like: vegetable soup, pizza, chips and homemade salsa, croissant wraps, chocolate-dipped pretzels, cupcakes and lots of candy. Madeline and Mason wore their costumes; Madeline was a buzzy, bumble bee and Mason was her "Hunny" pot. They were adorable! Although we did get some needed rain during our festivities, it didn't dampen the spirits of anyone there.