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Happy Halloween 2011

Halloween went on for days around here.  Friday night was the school's First Annual Mako Monster Mash which Craig took the kids down to.  Saturday night was our ward's Trunk or Treat.  And then actual trick or treating on Halloween night.  Phew!  All that for a silly holiday that I'm not even sure why we celebrate!

Ashton (Nerf Warrior) and Nathan (Harry Potter) ready to go on Halloween night.  

 

Maren wanted to be Rapunzel from "Tangled".  I happily bought her the costume and wig.  I'm just grateful to have one more year with a little girl who wants to by a princess for Halloween.  This could be the last year :(

 

Ashley wanted to be a Barbie.  She even spent her own money on a blond wig, which she wore for part of the night at the ward Trunk or Treat, then decided it was too hot and itchy.  This is where Mom gets to say "I told you it was a waste of your money to buy that wig!" :)

 

Lauren (recycling her costume from last year) met up with her friends in the neighborhood for trick or treating Halloween night.

 

Emily (as a cowgirl) and her friends at the ward Trunk or Treat.

 

Maren and friends at the Trunk or Treat.

Emily (as Anikan Skywalker) and Alexa (as Darth Vader) on Halloween night.  They went to a Halloween party at a friend's and trick or treated in that neighborhood.

Nathan and his 8 pounds of loot!  Craig bought it off him and Nate bought himself some Lego Ninjagos.

Our neighbor, Jenna, with Ashley and Nathan, organizing their candy.

Fun nights!  Glad they are over!  Counting down the days til our annual Thanksgiving trip to the desert!

 

SURPRISE!!!

 

"Hey Moms

I am throwing a Halloween-inspired SURPRISE 12th birthday bash for Lauren. Let's keep it a secret from your girls as well for now.  But save the date and watch for more details to come.  I'm thinking costumes, mystery menu dinner, and a fun, kid appropriate Halloween movie under the stars.  Hope your girls can make it!"

And so the secret-keeping began.  

I made the mistake of leaving a list of Lauren's friends' names on my desk next to the computer after sending out this evite 3 weeks ago.  I had gone to the trouble of logging out of my email account that was linked to the evite so she wouldn't see any responses if she went to check her schoolloop account (an email that comes home each day with her grades and progress report).  Lauren found the list when she got home from school and asked me about it.  I did some backpedaling "Oh, I was just thinking about what we should do for your birthday and who we should invite.  What do you want to do?..."  And so it went.  So I kept asking her what she wanted to do for her birthday and finally sent out decoy invitations that she hand delivered at school to two friends for a birthday make-over and dinner the week following her birthday.  

The party was planned at our friends' home.  The mom, Andrea, asked Lauren if she could babysit for her. She was going to the USC game with her little son (true) and husband (not true) and the sitter watching her two girls needed to leave by 6:30 (not true) and Andrea wouldn't be home until 7:30 (true).  I was going to a play in LA with Craig's mom (not true) so couldn't drive her to the babysitting job, so Craig would have to take her over (true).  (Get Lauren to the party: check)

Friday: Day Before the Party

The weather was not cooperating with our out-of-doors dining and movie watching plan, so our venue changed to the Ewell's dining room (fortunately it's not yet furnished) and then we'd shuttle the girls to our house for the world premiere of the new Scooby Doo movie on Cartoon Network (big time, people!)  I spent the day prepping food and decorating at Andrea's.  

After school, Lauren was mad because I scheduled an appointment for her after school and then our family was going to the pumpkin patch and out to dinner when all Lauren wanted to do was have a late night with her friend Naomi and go shopping for their Halloween costumes because they are going to dress like babies for the ward Trunk or Treat this year. Knowing Lauren and Naomi needed their costumes for the party the next night, we went to Target between the appointment and pumpkin patch and picked up feety pajamas and binkies for both girls. (Get Lauren her costume: check)

Yesterday: Day of the Party

Lauren still wanted to have a late night with Naomi.  I told her to see if maybe Naomi was available after her babysitting job to come over and watch a movie.  "Better yet, why don't you see if Naomi can babysit with you?"  I called Naomi and told her to convince Lauren that it would be funny to wear their costumes to babysit in.  (Get Lauren to the party in her costume: check)

Party time!

All the food was ready.  Grammy, Emily and I spent an hour and a half before the guests' arrival putting the finishing touches on the decorations and assembling food.  The 11 girls all arrived well before Lauren. Six-year-old Ellie, whom Lauren was suppose to be babysitting was on look-out at the window.  Andrea actually arrived home from the USC game early, just minutes before Lauren arrived.  Ellie let us know when Craig pulled up.  The guests were all hidden behind the tables, Emily and I were ready with the cameras, Ellie answered Lauren's knock.  I heard Lauren ask Ellie whether the other babysitter was still there. Lauren, Naomi and Ellie all came into the dining room, which I couldn't see from my hiding spot and none of the other girls jumped up.  Lauren said something like "Oh, are you having a party?" and finally the girls all jumped up and yelled "Surprise!"  I think she was truly surprised.  The rest of the evening was a huge hit, with our halloween inspired menu, gift opening, and movie watching.  And then impromptu dancing in the street out front of our house while the girls waited for their rides.  It was truly a memorable night.  I hope Lauren felt special and loved.  She is such a fun girl and a special part of our family.  

 

The dining hall in the Ewell's Haunted Manison

The place settings with the night's menu

Our appetizers included Witch's Fingers (below), werewolf fingers (breaded mozzarella sticks), monster toes (mini hotdogs wrapped in puff pastry) served with ketchup and marinara... I told the girls they were sides of blood - types A and B.

Our beverage for the night:  Swamp Juice.  

Our main course included Mummies, Swamp Creatures, and goblins' eyeballs.

And for dessert:  Jack Skellington and ghosts.

The servers:  Me, Emily and Grammy

waiting for Lauren to arrive

Lauren is surprised!

 

What a fun night!  I got all my ideas from Family Fun's Website.  Check it out and plan a fun party or family dinner!

beauties and grannies and dolls, oh my!

Another Halloween has come and gone.  Friday night we went to our ward's annual "Spooktacular".  It's held at the park across the street and is a carnival, dinner, costume parade, and "trunk" or treat.  This year Emily convinced Craig to turn our trailer into a spook alley.  So Craig, our kids and several neighbor kids spent many hours creating a tunnel of washer and dryer boxes from the door of the trailer, out the back and down the ramp.  They cut holes in the sides of the boxes as windows and our own and the neighbor kids sat with masks on to mildly scare the kids crawling through.  It was the hit of the party!  Hopefully a full year will give time for Craig to recuperate and work up the enthusiasm to do it again!  Lauren was also able to finally have her friends over to celebrate her birthday.  They baked and frosted cupcakes, and did hair and make-up in preparation for the "Spooktacular".  Lauren also amazed everyone with her hidden talent of being able to jump rope and bounce on a pogo stick at the same time.  Look out, America's Got Talent! 

 

Lauren and friends - Nana made Lauren's great Raggedy Ann costume

 

Ashley and Ellie

 

our talented Lauren (thank goodness for Amy's great camera and photography skills to capture this picture)

 

 

the very popular spook alley

Then Saturday we had a chili dinner here at home with our family, Grammy and Grandpa, who were just back from Mexico, and neighbors Allison, Reagan and Paige Hoffmann with one of their friends.  Then the kids took off trick or treating.  Actually, Emily took off to the Galland's neighborhood with her friends before dinner -( she's out grown us!  It's the beginning of the end!)  Nathan took off with the Powers in our neighborhood, but the girls stuck with me.  Craig and Dianne sat on the porch and handed out candy.  I think the kids ended up with over 22 pounds of candy between them.  One of the local orthodontists pays a buck a pound, up to 5 pounds per kid, if you turn in your candy to him.  He matches what he pays the kids with a donation to their school as well and sends the candy to the soldiers overseas, so it's a win-win-win situation.  My kids are not wanting to give up their candy, but too bad!  We've had too many cavities this year.  I'm just happy to have it all behind us now, and looking forward to desert season!

 

the neighbor kids (and the only picture I took of Nate, the motocross racer)

 

Sleeping Beauty Maren - this is the costume she chose last year, but never wore

 

Ashley wanted to be a grandma - I don't know that Nana and Grammy appreciate this representation!

 

hammin' it up!

 

Emily and her friends made it over to our neighborhood after making the rounds in Abi's

I don't know why I thought I would have so much free time with Maren in school 3 afternoons a week.  Definitely not the case!  Too many activities, too many appointments, too many half days of school or no school at all or kids home sick from school!  So my blog has fallen to the wayside and I'm tired and it's late and I can hardly formulate a sentence right now, much less some story worth journaling.  But I'm feeling guilty for not posting anything in such a long time, so here's a few pictures of Maren and friends.  Her preschool teacher is in Israel for two weeks and Maren in out of school this week and has a sub next week.  So her teacher planned their annual field-trip to the petting zoo and pumpkin patch early as well as their Halloween party so that she could be there.