our super fun halloween

Greg and Me as ourselves?

Jorn as The Witch King from Lord of the Rings

(Jorn and Greg made his mask and mace together)

I owe Halloween a better post next year, really, I do. Because for us Halloween begins the week before for the kids as they ready their costumes and for Greg and I as we settle in to a week long Scary Movie Marathon. We love Halloween. Every year we mix up the movies, a few classics, maybe a favorite and some new ones, then by the end of the week I am so jumpy that the game is 'everyone jump out of hiding places and listen to mommy scream'. Sometimes I'll look out a window and Jorn and Greg will have rigged an old wool coat with a Jason mask peering in (SO creepy). Fake spiders are secretly placed in coffee cups or on your shoulder. Basically, there is a lot of 'tricking' that goes on around our house all the while we stuff our faces with popcorn and candy. It's great fun. The movie highlight for us this year was The Descent. You HAVE to see this movie. Really. It's great. It was a new one for us this year but instantly made it onto the 'favorites list'.

Halloween kicks off in a nearby town that hosts the most outstandingly creative Halloween parade. The Vermont Art Exchange organizes it and I would say 90% of the costumes are hand made and SO impressive. There are drummers, performers (with giant paper mache puppets), judges and a huge bonfire along with apple cider doughnuts.

This year some of my favorite costumes were

A puppet theater

The Pigeon (and her daughter was wearing the little yellow chick costume)

and of course, a Tag Sale dresser and Chair (the drawers were functional!)

There were many others that I loved but just didn't get a picture of. Also, please congratulate my husband, Greg, who is a two time consecutive Halloween Parade winner of the 'Pandering Award'! He shook his nerdy butt for the judges and walked away with a gift certificate to the local liquor store!

Vaughn is missing from these pictures because babies just don't keep costumes on very long but he was (briefly) three things this weekend, a tiger, Jacques Costeau, and a carrot. After the parade the rest of the weekend was filled with downtown trick or treating, some haunted mansion walks, neighborhood trick or treating, sorting through all the loot and lots of other fun stuff all of which we participate in with gusto.

I hope you had a wonderfully spooky, fun and safe Halloween! I'd love to hear about your costumes and your spooky traditions too!