eventually.
Seriously, I'm not sure I can remember when all three of my children were in a good mood at the same time.
So last night was Halloween. The night when you put on a costume and terrorize solicit the neighbors for a sack full of candy. Sounds like a horrible night, doesn't it? You can see why an 11 year old would be miserable about the prospect of such an evening...
Ahem.
Last night our less than enthusiastic child was Cuyler. Maybe it was partially my fault. I decided to let the boys figure out their own costumes this year. Even more than usual. We thought that Cuyler was all set with his choice but as Halloween drew closer, it became apparent that he was not all set. Long story short, after an hour of discarded costumes and stops and starts, Cuyler finally went trick or treating.
On the other hand, we have Will. He was into it last night. He'd decided to be a Clown Killer. Last week we went to iParty and got him a few accessories. That's right, I bought pieces of his costume. Fortunately or unfortunately, over the weekend as Will was gleefully chasing Cuyler around the house with the plastic bloody knife, it became apparent that the $3 Walmart prop knife from last year was leaking "blood". And by blood I mean dark pink staining dye. The knife went into the trash before any rug, cushion or piece of furniture was harmed. Phew.
And that's how Will came to be simply, a clown.
A pretty good looking one at that.
He was in such a good mood that he posed for several solo pictures.
It was my first time applying clown make-up. I think I did fairly well.
Around 6pm Cuyler had decided to stay home and Will and Bobby Law headed out to Marshfield Hills village to get their trick or treat on.
The {Steve Carrell owned} general store in the village gives out "king size candy bars". They're actually what I would call "full size", but the kids are super impressed--as you can see by the growing mob outside the store. Steve was not there last night but his sister-in-law, who actually runs the store, was rockin' a cute spider ensemble.
For about 10 minutes after Will left, Cuyler was happy to sit outside on the steps waiting for trick or treaters to come to our house.
No one came.
Suddenly Cuyler came back into the house to announce that he was going trick or treating. His costume? He was a burglar. Black clothes and a ski mask. Done and done. Luckily Pa was here to 1. hand out candy (not that it turned out to be necessary) and 2. loan Cuyler his "security" cap with the push lights built into the visor. Safety first.
I got in touch with Bobby Law and met up with him and Will in the village. By that time Will was done there and ready to hit up the folks on our street. So, we switched boys.
And that is how Bobby Law and I both ended up trick or treating last night. Separately, each with a boy.
Just like we planned it--not. I was planning on helping Pa download iOs5 for his iPhone.
Oh well, I got to visit our neighbors with Will instead. He was great: said trick or treat, thank you and even gave honks of his horn. Everyone was impressed with the detail of his costume. I think the clown make-up put him over the top.
The fact that he was the first (and only) trick or treater many of them had seen all night was good news for Will. More than once he heard that magical Halloween phrase, "Take as many as you like..."
By 8 o'clock, everyone was back home to assess their haul.
Everyone except Ebby.
Did you think I forgot about her? Ebby did not go trick or treating this year. Instead she spend the evening at a friend's house, handing out candy in a neighborhood where trick or treaters actually come to the door. However, she was not without Halloween spirit. In what could've been a scene straight out of The Middle, Sue Heck Ebby dressed up as an alien with the rest of the underclassmen on the cross-country team.
Looking good, E.
So there you have it, another Bowles Family Halloween recap. By our {costume} standards, a bit lame. Technically I suppose a hot pink Old Navy hooded sweatshirt is not a costume...There's always next year though. We're (me and BL) thinking group/family theme costumes will be in order.
The Joker however, may have other ideas...
