Halloween celbration

Maybe my memory is fuzzy, but when I was a kid, I remember donning my costume one time: for trick or treating.

You are about to see the first of many opportunities for our boys to put on their costumes, to Zach's delight and Charlie's dismay. Zach would wear his costume every day if he could; Charlie could do without the hood.

Our friends the Brodds throw an excellent fall "celbration" (nope, can't miss an opportunity to remind Adam of his spelling mishap). We had another beautiful sunny day, lots of good food, good friends, and an ever-expanding pack of kids running amok. We try to manage the chaos with activities like pumpkin-carving, wild wagon rides (generally for the kids, but not always, as you'll see), a bonfire, and the big hit - the pinata. This year there was even a movie showing, projector and all!

Unless you are a big Mario Brothers fan, you are probably wondering about Zach's costume. This is the second year he chose his own costume, and we went through many options, almost all of them from the Mario Kart game. He did not want to be Mario or Luigi, the most recognizable characters; don't ask me why. First he wanted to be someone called Waluigi, but we had a hard time finding that costume. Then it was Toad, who is a mushroom (again, don't ask me why). Zach eliminated that option when I asked if he'd actually wear the big mushroom cap on his head. Then there was Yoshi, a dragon/lizard creature... cheapest costume I could find was $100 - not gonna happen.

So he picked Wario. And even let us draw on the mustache. So while I may not know who the guy in purple overalls is, my kid is happy. And on Halloween, that's pretty much all that matters!




^ The two smallest party-goers; Violet & Theo


^ The Rose family finding a quiet moment; more small party-goers: Reagan with dad Rosie; Charlie with Scott, and Eliza with mom Tara.


^ Buzz (aka Sawyer) climbing his way to infinity & beyond; Zach was actually involved in carving his pumpkin this year.



^Pinata time! Notice #73 off to the left? That's Sidney, doing his best to patiently wait his turn, which is always last since he's the guy who takes down the pinata every year!