The Actual Halloween

This year Halloween was actually kind of anticlimactic.  For the past 2 years I led a flash mob on Halloween, so while I was super relieved not to be dealing with the stress of that, it seemed a bit lackluster.  Add to that the fact that Derek was working and it was raining, I just wanted to stay home.
But I'm glad I didn't.
Our festivities started at 12:30 when I got to school.  I brought the spider web cookies and modeling chocolate I made to the school parties.  I learned about modeling chocolate from a youth activity that I did a few years ago.  I have been wanting to try it.  I got the recipe and it was pretty easy!  The kids used it to make spiders to go on top of their cookies.  It is kind of the consistency of a tootsie roll, then you soften it with your hand.  Warning, don't try if you are super warm or if you have moisture on your hands.  Then it just melts onto your hands.  But otherwise, it is pretty awesome!

 The school parties were fun for Ben, except when I taught the Thriller dance (from the flash mob days) to the kids in each class.  He tried to stand right next to me, which was a little tricky.  The kids were all quick to pick up the dance and seemed to love it!  The principal managed to be there taking lots of pictures both times when I taught it.  My finest photographic hour I'm sure!  Ben also got pretty tired on the costume parade. The girls' school used to be a Middle School, so it is huge!  I had to piggy back him toward the end.
We left school a few minutes early to trick or treat at Grammy's work, an annual tradition.  My favorite part of this excursion was when two girls came in who were dressed up as characters from Greek Mythology.  Libby had just checked out a book of Greek mythology that I have been reading to all of the kids.  Ben correctly identified Medusa.  (Made me seem like an awesome parent of extremely smart kids!)  Then I couldn't think of Artemis' name and Libby jumped in and identified her.  So I was outed as the less smart parent of Really Smart Kids.

Derek tried to teach Ben to say, "Trick or Treat, and could I have a treat for my Dad, who had to work?"  But Ben didn't quite get it.

A bunch of the Shoreline Center employees noticed our green theme!  That was fun!

Grammy's purple hair was a big hit!

The crew minus me and Grammy

Grammy with all the grandkids.

Our between Trick Or Treating pit stop--Spiros Pizza.  This tradition started a few years ago when I was pregnant with Ben I think.  I didn't want to cook and made Derek decide what to do for dinner.  We invited his family and now it is TRADITION!  Ben actually ate 2 pieces of pizza and so did Libby.  So I loved it!

We did a quick trick or treat stop at Maren's house (Libby is obsessed with the fact that she is afraid of Maren's decor...but she can't look away, you know?).  Then stopped at Libby's friend Mia's house (they love Halloween).  After that, we pit stopped at home and as soon as we walked out the door to trick or treat, it started to drizzle.  Miserable.  Luckily we only needed to trick or treat the culdisacs we live on, and only about 1/2 the houses were home.  So, we got home pretty early, watched the bizarre Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin movie and they went to bed.  On time.  Awesome!