halloweening

Halloween happened here.  Not gonna lie, I wasn't sure that it would, and I wasn't sure (after a while) that I wanted it to.

As much as I'm not a huge Halloween person - I mean I love the costumes, the jack-o-lanterns and all that, but heavens to Betsie, I could do without all the creepy gory stuff - Halloween still remains one of the most difficult times to be away from our friends and family in California.

Maybe I've turned the memories into perfectly perfect pictures of what happened, but I've always loved our Halloween in Fairfield.  All meeting at the Wurzbachs (do they even do this anymore??), having chili, everyone dressing up - including the adults (fantastic ideas for costumes), trick-or-treating together, hot chocolate out on the stoop for anyone wanting to warm up (although seriously, like it is cold enough there for hot chocolate then…), the guy who takes (and gives) a polaroid of each kid (must cost a fortune), the guy who has super elaborate and extremely scary decorations - so bad that the kids will walk far around that house, and then all the kids comparing and trading candy when we are all tuckered out.  And we can't forget the almost impossible task of leaving Rancho Solano because there are far too many people out and about.  But all of that summed up is really just friends - amazing friends with whom we have amazing fun.

Sigh.

I've attempted - at least in thought and inviting - to replicate some of that, but no one really bites (plus I was sick last Halloween and not so super well a few days before this one).  The reality is, it would be tough to get something like that going.  Not unless we paid all of the teenagers in town to come and hang out on our street.  And I'm not willing to do that, in case you are wondering.  Everyone kind of does their own thing and there are a lot of anti-Halloweeners here.  Or is it Hallo-wieners?

I ended up getting very - very - sad before Halloween came.  I didn't have time or energy to make great costumes like I used to, people had their own things going, and I missed…. like crazy-missed, our Fairfield family and friends.  So I did nothing.

Until the day before.

Kind of spur of the moment I brought in the pumpkins we had outside and asked if the kids wanted to carve.  Yes, I was so down, I didn't even really take steps before hand to do that.

There is nothing quite as fun as seeing your kids handling sharp knives since you have never bought real carving tools.  Holding your breath with each stab, waiting for their precious fist to slide over the blade….  But they have so much fun.  And there was no blood (we are rather anti-blood, especially when it comes to Halloween; especially when it comes to almost anything).
Early on in the Halloween process I really thought I missed making the kids' cool Halloween costumes, as I alluded.  Man I used to love that.  But finally I realized that there is a lot less stress involved in doing things more simply.  And it gives them joy to work on their own costumes.  Just look at the joy all over Mia's face.

I was so proud of her as she fixed up the dress she borrowed.  She didn't even ask for my help - she just did it herself.  I was impressed.

We (and by "we" I mean "I") even made the front of the house festive.  Leftover corn stalks from decorating the church (more on that later), bushel baskets, jack-o-lanterns and such.  It was kind of even fun.

Lucy carved a heart-eyed-cyclops-puking pumpkin.  Very cute - just like it sounds.

Cade made a large-orb-with-huge-facial-cavities pumpkin.  Also adorable.

And Mia carved the happiest little pumpkin ever.  It makes me think of the song "Happiest Christmas tree" - but of course, with, well, pumpkin, not Christmas tree.  The song goes through my head whether it makes sense to you or not!

Maddy ditched us and went to the fancy-sophisticated-carving-people's house (aka the Giesbrecht cousins) to do some fancy-sophisticated carving of a lovely little lighthouse (like the alliteration?  It's like I'm still in high school).

Okay, so the Ackermanns are lame.  But I like me some good old fashioned carvings!

Early in the evening we headed out to Century 21 realty, which my uncle and aunt own, for some free hot dog dinner.  It was a pretty proud moment being able to call Ketchup and Mustard my kin.

Our house was the meet-up place for Mia and her friends.  They met up here, headed out for some trick-or-treating and ended up at another girl's house for warming and sugaring up.

Mia was Cinderella, by the way.  A well-bundled, in order to keep warm, Cinderella.

Once Mia and her friends were off, Cade, Lucy and I headed out to the land of fancy-sophisticated-carving.  Eric stayed home to treat some trickers.  Or trick some treaters.  Or give out candy to kids.

And off we went, trick or treating, with the black knight - aka Cole (from Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail - fabulous costume!!) and his mother.  Yes, everyone has a mother - even the black knight. And yes, he saw about as well out of his helmet as you would think.

Cade was the smartest (perhaps also the laziest - but it worked for me!!) kid.  He decided to be a snowboarder.  And somehow, with this brilliant costume idea, he didn't get cold like everyone else.  Lucy was the cutest little cowgirl around.  And yes, she did rather look like Jessie from Toy Story, but be sure you don't tell her that!

Glenda and I took them around their (rather quiet) neighbourhood of which Glenda knew pretty well every single person and who belonged to whom and who lived in what house for how long.  She is impressive with her social skills.  After they took that haul (and haul it was as there weren't a lot of kids out so people were super generous), we went to visit grandparents.  First stop, grandma.

Grandma had a delicious assortment of Nestle candy bars (of which I ate zero because they all taste yucky due to some nasty mouth issue that I have - again).  My favs.

Then off we rode to grandpa and grandma Rose's.  They almost emptied their candy bowl into the three kids' bags, especially when Cade told them that he was going to split his candy three ways with his two friends on our street - friends whose parents don't let them participate (and he did split it, by the way - all his own doing.  I was a proud mama).

It was pretty late by the time we got home, so the normal festivities of sorting and trading candy had to take place Saturday morning.

It may not have been Fairfield, but it was a fun Halloween after all.