Halloween 2010

Halloween this year was pretty much a week long event for us...and we loved it! The whole thing started out the Sunday before Halloween when we were invited to make Spooky Pops with the Dixons. For any who don't know, Spooky Pops are an annual tradition for the Dixon clan. We have been fortunate to join them for most of our married life. A Spooky Pop is a caramel sucker that you make scary candy faces in. The kids love them. They decorate the faces with all different kinds of candy and then Grandma Janet pours the candy over the top. Then, yum, yum, yum you get to eat them when they cool.

The kids got really creative this year, especially Ellen. She had a vision for each and every one of hers. They were also pretty good about not eating the candy for the faces. (That is a rule or else everyone eats all the candy and there is none for the Spooky Pops.) Levi, of course, didn't follow that rule very well. He didn't care about decorating a face, he just wanted to eat the candy.

Trevor did pretty well making his faces as well. He also pulled out a little of the behavior that made us worry that he had autism and insisted on lining up his candy. It was cute and made us feel like Connor was kind of there with us so we took a picture.

Our next outing for Halloween came on Friday. I was in charge of Ellen's Halloween party for her Kindergarten class. We decorated cupcakes, played Halloween Bingo, did an art project, and the highlight of the party was Halloween Plinko. Eric and Audra made a "Plinko" board this summer for the boys birthday parties and I borrowed it. ("Plinko" like the game on the Price is Right. It is the one where the game piece bounces its way down the board and lands in a slot.) Our Halloween Plinko included things such as "Walk like a Zombie," "Cackle like a Witch," "Bounce like a Bat"...etc. The kindergarten loved it.

That night was our ward's Trunk or Treat. It ended up being really warm for us and was the perfect night. The event was very well attended as well so our kids were able to score some good candy. Ellen went as Snow White, Trevor as a Ghost and Levi as a Dog.

Levi loved getting his nose colored. He sat so still and patient for us to blacken his nose. We tried to send him out trick-or-treating the trunks, but he was reluctant to leave my side. So he mostly just stayed by me and ate our candy.

Braiden and Maggie and Renee joined us that night. Braiden was Peter Pan and Maggie was Tinker Bell. Ellen decided to take Braiden out to all of the cars so that Maggie and Renee could stay with us.

Isn't she the cutest little TinkerBell ever?

Our Trunk-or-Treat ended with a ward Chili Cookoff. I entered a recipe that I got from Renee a couple of years ago and won 2nd place. That's right, I rock!

Saturday we started the celebrating with Ellen's School Carnival. I ran one of the game stations with our Halloween Plinko Board and Landon took the kids around to all of the activities. They had a blast. Then there was Pizza and treats in the school cafeteria with "The Munsters" showing on a projection screen.

Saturday night we went up to Annie and Jason's house for dinner and trick-or-treating. They were excited to get to trick-or-treat with Jaycee and the other kids. The picture is of Trevor, Ellen, Jaycee, and Uncle John's girlfriend's kids.

The Dixon clan did a Hocus Pocus theme. Jaycee and Annie were cute little witches and Jason kept getting cat calls all night out on the street.

My costume got it's idea from Levi's. I hadn't really planned on dressing up, but Ellen insisted that I come up with something. I finally told her I was going to go as Levi's dog owner when this idea hit us. I decided to go as a Paris Hilton type who carries their little dogs around in their purse.

This picture was the only one we got of Landon all night and you can't really see it well, but he went as a circa 1980's professional wrestler. He shaved his face to have a big handlebar mustache and wore his bandanna and rolled up sleeves. He would have carried a folding chair around as a prop except he knew he would end up with a kid in his arms all night instead. He looked great.

Our friends the Olsen's came up and joined us that evening and we trick-or-treated with them. Ellen went out on a long haul with Jaycee and the older kids and did really well keeping up and was extremely proud of her stash when she got back. The boys were happier to stay more local. In fact, after only a couple of culde sacs Trevor told me, "Mom, let's be done and go to Aunt Annie's and eat the candy." It was a really fun night.

On Sunday we stayed at home and decided to pass out the candy. It was our first year ever doing it and the kids thoroughly enjoyed it. They worked out a whole system so that they could all help. Trevor would open the door, Ellen would pass out the candy, and Levi would close the door. Really this was the perfect Halloween for us. We got to enjoy all aspects of the holiday and didn't feel too stressed to do any of it. Yipee for Halloween!!!! The plans have already begun for next year.