Hallowing 2012

That's how Ella says it, "Hallowing."

We trick-or-treated Main Street again this year and this time, Dave went with us. As a gorilla. Seriously, he spent a couple of weeks dreaming up reasons to buy the gorilla costume at Target, and we've made use of it twice in the last week. He's been trying to expose Luke to it so that he wouldn't be scared, and he mostly wasn't. Dave opened the closet to show it to him Monday night and Luke said, "It not real, Daddy." He was excited and laughing about seeing a monkey when we picked them up at Grandmother's yesterday, but he got a little upset when that monkey called him by name. Dave had to take off the mask and gloves and let him get used to it, but by the time we left the house, he was okay - and happy to announce to everyone that we had a monkey trick-or-treating with us.

I think Dave had more fun than the kids, walking up and down Main Street, grunting at people and scaring small children. One lady wanted to have her picture take with him, and another fondled his plastic gorilla nipples. He was quite popular.

My Crew

I did put red Kool-Aid on Ella's hair, but it didn't turn red because it's just too dark. She settled for being Adella, Ariel's brunette sister. It was her idea to go as a mermaid sister, and we had to look up their names and pick one that had brown hair. She was completely okay with Dave as a gorilla except that she was a little put out with the shedding: "Daddy, gorillas shed because I found a gorilla hair on my mermaid dress."  

Adella, the brunette sister of Ariel.

We brought the wagon again this year because I knew that Luke would be too busy eating candy to walk. I was right. I don't even know how many suckers and Reese's cups he ate, but it seemed like he was opening another one every time I turned around. I did manage to get a piece of cheese and two "tickles" (pickles) into him for supper, and I counted that as a win.

Football player.

We met up with Aunt Becca just as she was leaving the bank with the cutest sack of cash I've ever seen.

Bank robber and her bag of money.

As long as that stinkin' gorilla stayed away from him, Jake was all about trick-or-treating and riding in the get-away wagon with Luke. 

Jake and Luke

After Main Street, we went to the fall festival at church and made a round playing games. Then we met back up with Rebecca, Nathan, and Jake at Grandma and Pop the Pop's house to trick-or-treat our neighborhood. This is the first year we've walked our neighborhood and the kids loved it. By the end, even Jake was piling in and out of the wagon with his pumpkin, to run up to front porches. Jake can't say "trick-or-treat" yet, but Luke can, and he alternated between that and "pumpkin patch" as his greeting to the candy givers. Also, I'm in love with their manners - thanking all the people for the candy; it was good to hear.

Once we walked the big circle, we went back to Grandma's house to eat chili and give out candy. It looked like we were conducting fire drills in there, the way they raced to the door when the bell rang. They do love to give out the candy.

Today, we end our busy week of fall festivities with Crazy Hair Day at school - because it's also letter H week. Ella opted for lots of clips in her hair.

Lots of Clips

Luke wasn't really on board with the whole crazy hair thing - having woken up with a candy hangover - but we finally settled for this big curl on top. I orginally made a nice swoopy faux hawk, but he wore too many things on his head this morning and flattened it, so I had to redo it. 

Every day is Crazy Hair Day for Luke.

The real craziness is going to happen while he naps and all that styling gunk works it's magic, that's when I'll need a picture.