The Halloween That Wouldn't End

I can't believe we finally made it to November 1. I was really starting to wonder if we were ever going to get past All Hallow's Eve!

I went to Halloween Bunco last Thursday night and dressed up for that. The big festivities started last Saturday, the 27th, though, when our across-the-street neighbors had their annual Halloween party. Costumes are not optional for this party and this group of friends never fails to impress. The kids came as the usual characters -- super heros, witches, a vampire, a princess, etc.

But it's the adults who really get into the occasion. Here's a run down of who was who:

Next-door neighbors, Gina and Guy:
Pimp and Prostitute
Guy's costume was so disturbing, I couldn't have a conversation with him. It creeped me out that much. Check out the mustache and beard -- he worked on it for an hour! It's even worse in person.



Party Host and Hostess, Elena and Kurt:
Britney and K-Fed
Photo to come!

Other Next-door neighbors, Billy and Lisa:
Bexar (pronounced Bear) County Jail Inmates
Billy is a Lieutenant for the SAPD, so the orange jumpsuits were real. Billy and Lisa also decorated themselves with homemade tattos, including tattoos on their knuckles. Billy's read, "COLD BEER" and Lisa's read, "HGTV" and "WAMU" (stands for Washington Mutual where Kurt just started a new job).
Here they are with their son, Dillon.



Across-the-street neighbors, Susan and Duke:
A doctor (Susan) and University of Texas Football Fanatic (Duke...which he is)
Photo to come!

And finally, us.

You have to understand that Halloween is a huge deal in our family and we work on our costumes dilligently for weeks. The kids were easy - a ninja for Devin, Tinkerbelle for Faith and Minnie Mouse for Grace.

But Todd and I are expected to come up with something very original.

Since Todd works at a scientific research institute, he thought it would be appropriate to go as a Nutty Professor/Wacky Scientist. He nerded it up really well with things like dorky glasses and bubba teeth.

I was Tropical Storm Erin.

Back in August, a tropical storm, deemed "Erin" by the Big Wigs at the National Weather service, rolled through Texas and dumped inches upon inches of rain around here. It flooded out dozens of South Texas areas and FEMA has been here ever since, helping out those whose houses and lives all but floated away. The storm made news nationwide, but I wouldn't expect anyone who's not from around here to remember it.

But in San Antonio, Tropical Storm Erin is still a weekly, if not daily, headline.

And so...my costume was born. I'm wearing Todd's Hawaiian shirt in this picture, so I look like about as wide as a linebacker!


I'm very proud of my costume because I came up with it all on my own. I live with the world's most creative person and the creative ideas I do come up with are usually trumped by Todd's. But this time, I did it all on my own. :)

So Saturday was a fun night. The girls pooped out early, but we still got in some good party time.

Sunday rolled around and ZZ, our friend Erin and I threw a family Halloween party. Kids and parents alike came to play musical chairs, bob for apples and show off their costumes. It was a blast and we're already looking forward to the 2nd Annual 2 Erins and a ZZ Halloween Party.

Monday was our MOM'S Club trick-or-treating event at the local assisted living home, so all three kids were dressed for that big event, as well.

Tuesday was Devin's Pre-K Halloween party. It was the last hour of school and I took the girls (sans costumes this time) to join the revelry. Faith and Grace had a great time playing with the toys in Devin's classroom and Devin loved having Mommy there to show off his skills (cutting, gluing, etc...).


Stick the Nose on the Pumpkin


Yummies!

And, finally, Wednesday was the big event. Todd came home early from work and we ate our usual Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato sandwiches for dinner. The kids donned their costumes and I took the girls out for an early round of trick-or-treating. I knew they didn't know the difference, but I thought it would be fun anyway, even if it were only for a couple of houses.

20 minutes. One house. We returned home.

The babies kept sitting down on the sidewalk, playing with stuff they found on the ground or running back to Daddy in the front yard. Next year for sure, though...

So once we returned, Devin and Todd took off with some of the neighbors to go begging for candy while the girls and I stayed home handing out candy. It was great fun, as we had the front door open with a doggie gate placed in the doorway to keep the girls inside. We had spooky music playing and we had an excellent turn out with lots of little goblins showing up for their free yummies.

Devin and Todd returned around 8:00 and after dumping his candy on the living room floor to sort it out, we finally got Devin into the bath and into bed.

So, if you're counting, that's 3 costumed events for me, 2 for Todd, 5 for Devin and 3 for each twin. I would say that we definitely got our money's worth out of all of our get ups.

Here are a few pictures for you. Additional photos to come (we never take our camera anywhere because, again, it's too darn big!).


Gracie as Minnie Mouse (she wanted nothing to do with the ears)


Faith as Tinkerbelle


Ready to go trick-or-treating


Why are you out there while we're still in here?


Ninja boy, Devin


Sorting through the loot