The 2007 Halloween Report

First of all, it must be mentioned that we took a very laid back approach to Halloween this year. All costumes were assembled from whatever we had in the dress up boxes. I didn't take any pictures. And *gasp* I didn't weigh the candy. This is because of two things:

1. I am lazy.
2. The kids ate significant amounts of candy before we even got home.

Here is a glimpse into a typical house visit during trick or treat. Jack runs up to the door and rings the doorbell multiple times. Multiple times. Whoever lives there opens the door holding a bowl full of candy. By now the rest of the kids have made their way to the steps too. As the homeowner reaches into the bowl, Jack decides he needs a better view of his options and he grabs the edge of the bowl, bringing it's contents down to four year old eye level. He makes his choice, or choices depending on how forgiving the candy distributor is. He cheerfully chirps his "Thank you", and heads off across their lawn, leaving the wrapper on their grass while he stuffs the candy into his mouth. It was a humbling experience to say the least. Don't think for one minute that I didn't drill him with the etiquette of trick or treating before we left our house. I even gave refresher courses after every house we visited. But he is four and was on a mission. A mission for candy.

The costumes this year varied depending on what event we went to. We had three events to dress up for and here was the rundown:

Tyler: Nothing, nothing, and Uncle Rico. He was officially too old for Halloween this year. He dressed up for our church harvest party because he was working at one of the games. The Uncle Rico costume came together about an hour before he was supposed to be there. It consisted of a very bad wig, an eyeliner mustache, a puffy brown vest with no shirt under it, some very, very tight jeans, and moccasins. Cracks me up every time I think about it.

Noelle: Roadkill, roadkill, and A girl with a lot of injuries. She wore Tyler's old roadkill costume, which is another Laundrypile classic. I feel like I was at the top of my game when I came up with that one. We used an old grey sweatsuit and sewed some fur down the back as a stripe. I sewed a furry long tail onto the pants, and some fur and ears onto a black stocking hat. I think there used to be gloves involved too but they are long gone. The best part though is the tire mark across the front of the shirt. I took a can of black spray paint and sprayed the tread on the front tire of my van, then I quickly stuck the shirt under the tire, jumped in, put the van in drive and drove over the shirt leaving a black tire mark. LOVE that costume. Her injury costume was Jack's sling from when his arm was broken, a wrist guard on the other hand, gauze wrapped around her head, and a black eye made with my purple eyeshadow. Not sure where she comes up with her ideas but we just went with it.

Cam: Padme Amidala, Padme Amidala, and Pipi Longstocking. We had the Padme costume in the dress up box. (it's a Star Wars thing people) Easy. No one knew who she was but she did. We slicked her hair back and did the little twisty bun thing that she wore in Episode Two. Pipi was a last minute decision, also easy. Looooove easy.

Caedmon: I can't even keep track of what he wore for what event. He kept switching back and forth between Link and a ninja. Either way he was cunning and swift with a sword. Which, by the way, he wasn't allowed to take to school. Good idea. Spazzy kindergartner hyped up on sugar + sword = a call from the principal.

Jack: Jack was the Hulk. There were no other options, why would he even consider being anything else? Green face paint made his day. The costume itself was a little tired after being worn almost daily by the Laundrypile children. Let's just say that the costume is "loved."

Gemma: Tinkerbell, a clown, and Me. The tinkerbell costume only made one appearance since the skirt was so long that she repeatedly tripped on it. The clown was cute. The night of the harvest party I decided that we needed something reeeeally easy so I put her little wrap on her, stuck one of her dolls in it, and she was me.

Toby: Nothing, nothing, a bee.

Nate dressed up as some sort of a used car salesman type guy in a nasty plaid suit with his hair slicked over. It was a hot look for him.

I was the 50's housewife, complete with a dress, apron, and heels. In honor of my costume, I spent the whole next day in my pajamas doing absolutely nothing except eat candy. It was one of my more impressive days.

So that's the summary. Yes, we got gross amounts of candy. By the end of the night, the little ones were literally running in circles around the living room with their eyes rolled back in their heads. Not a pretty sight. I gave half of the candy away to my parents and siblings who are way too old to trick or treat but not too old to love a little chocolate. The big green bowl at our house has been hiding in various up-high places in the kitchen. The children find a way. They always find a way. Shhhh, right now it is in the freezer. It's been 24 minutes undiscovered. But not undiscovered by me.