Holy Halloween!

Most people know that Halloween is not my favorite holiday. I don't know why, but dressing up and begging for candy simply does not interest me. That said, as a mom of young kids I realize that I need to put on a brave Halloween face... thus we decorated our house and took part in lots of Halloween fun this year.

The boys chose their costumes without hesitation. Brady immediately wanted to be a Star Wars Captain Rex Storm Trooper (no, he has NEVER seen Star Wars) and Parker without a doubt demanded on being Spiderman.... with muscles, of course! The trip to the costume store was quick and uneventful. They both gravitated directly toward their prescribed costumes and both refused to even consider anything else.

I decided to "go big" with the costumes, allowing for months of playtime long after the candy high fades. Lucky for me we were headed to Florida... and Grandma could shorten each costume by the necessary 4 inches! Shout out to GRANDMA!

The only snag with the costume store came upon leaving. We were headed to the grocery store next, and Brady was careful to fold his costume and neatly place it back into the bag. Parker, however, refused to remove either the costume or the mask. So, off to the store we went... Brady, Spiderman and me. As you can imagine, we received lots of smiles and giggles that day. It is still EARLY October at this point, mind you. On with the festivities!



Our true Halloween activities began in Florida at Sea World where the boys wore cute t-shirts and did some trick-or-treating (pictures on that to come soon, I promise!)

Here in Atlanta, the kids headed to the ATL Botanical Gardens last weekend with Nana... Shout out to NANA who took both kids by herself! They wore their costumes proudly and had a blast! Upon their return we settled onto the driveway for some pumpkin carving, outside play and cool-weather chili!



This past week the boys each had parties at school - and they both came home with pencils, erasers, cups, toys, candy, etc. What a haul!

Then for Halloween Fun Friday we headed to the GA Aquarium with our great buddies the Pryors for an aquatic trick-or-treating extravaganza. There was almost no one at the aquarium... and the day was fabulous!



And then, the moment they had been waiting for... REAL HALLOWEEN! Our neighborhood held a Fall Festival party from 5-7, with trick-or-treating immediately following. The festival was fantastic - BBQ catering, cupcakes and cookies, live music, balloon animals, face painting, a magician show and a costume contest! WOW! Add in our neighborhood friends, and the party could have been enough. But no, we then had to disband to run - and yes, the kids ran! - around the neighborhood collecting candy.



We were blessed to again be joined by Nana and Grandy for Halloween, and they were happy to greet the little gouls and goblins while Bill and I walked with the kids. Brady, as expected, hit every house with full force. Parker faded quickly, and he and Bill headed home for the warmth and fun of more chili with Nana and Grandy. After a month of anticipation and excitement, Brady and Parker had a wonderful Halloween!





















Despite all the dressing up and candy receiving, my favorite part of the holiday was the very last hour. After the boys headed home, discarded their costumes and scarfed down some candy, unknown kids (mostly from outside our neighborhood at this point) continued to ring our bell. Each time a new group stepped onto our porch both of my boys went running and screaming with excitement toward the door.

They wanted to GIVE the candy as much as they wanted to receive it. Watching their joy in passing out candy to others, I was pretty proud of them. Maybe Halloween isn't so bad after all.