Zoey exhibited high levels of excitement for Halloween since the beginning, and I can't tell if it's just because she loves to say the word, "Halloween" (it wasn't until later we learned about the free-candy aspect of the holiday). Jacob and I don't care for the gruesomeness the day can bring, so we opted instead to focus on being silly, dressing up funny, and having sweet treats. We told Zoey she could dress up as something or someone for Halloween so when I asked her what she wanted to dress up as, she said, "I wanna dress up as Halloween!" So, ok, we took the reins and decided for her.
Once the skeletons and cobwebs were hung, and the pumpkins carved, Halloween festivities kicked off with Jacob's family's Halloween-themed Birthday party.
Miss Fairy Princess all ready to go!
Jacob and I had a more difficult time deciding what we were going to dress up as since our enthusiasm is considerably lower. Jacob still had a football jersey from high school while I still had my cheerleading uniform so there was always that old stand-by, but decided instead to go with something different yet still familiar.
Sunnyvale Trailer Park, Nova Scotia's own Ricky and Lucy (a la Trailer Park Boys). Or pretty much every trailer park in America. If you're familiar with the Canadian mockumentary, you know we didn't get it exactly right. For one, Jacob's pompadour wig came out of the packaging looking like an animal that had been run over. My wig was "punk rocker" but since Lucy had short hair for a time, I figured it would work. Unfortunately, there is too much of my real hair so the wig didn't fit quite right. We are also missing the very important cigarette accessories, but since Jacob hasn't held a cigarette since April, we thought it best not to mess with that ju ju. Funny side-note: Jacob's mustache is actually eyebrows he had to trim up since we, of course, waited until the last minute to bring our costumes to fruition.
The ladies enjoying some gruesome grub (I mean, split pea and ham soup for Halloween, how freakin' perfect is that?!). Pirate Grandma Bobbie, Baby Rachael, Vampire Robin (Rachael's BFF), and Kitty Great Grandma Betty.
Miss Libby was Libby Lu Who.
Came as Tinkerbell, turned into a pumpkin. This is a costume Jacob's mom made when him and Rachael were very little. Grandma sure was pleased to put it on Zoey; Zoey not so much.....
Layne seemed pretty thrilled with it.
Once we took pictures, Jacob and I's, and Layne and Zoey's costumes hit the skids. It was too hard for him to play without serious injury to himself or others if he didn't take his Transformers mask off; diddo for Zoey's fairy wings. And Jacob and I's wigs were entirely too itchy, and October in Montana isn't the greatest time for wearing spaghetti straps and a short skirt. Good thing I could wear Jacob's flannel so I wouldn't stray too far from my trailer-park look.
Auntie Breanne attacked by a Who and Transformer.
Anxious to get on two feet and join the festivities.
After we ate, hung around and socialized, it was time for games.
First up: Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin.
Robin's daughter's turn.
Had to happen to someone.... (Robin's other daughter)
Ended up paying off, she won! We figured her run-in with the wall helped her orient herself.
Libby Lu Who sat here most of the day, taking in and enjoying all the people and activities. She was smiley, giggly, and bouncy all day.
Zoey having a go for the second game, Witch Hat Ring Toss.
Last to go, Robin's daughter did what we were all too slow to figure out. And won! :-)
Next up: Haunted Beanbag toss.
For the final game, we got the Grandpas off the couch and Mummy-wrapped them in toilet paper.
Great Grandpa Bob busted out of prison for the occasion.
After we ate and played games, we gave birthday presents to Grandma Bobbie, Rachael, Layne, and Todd (who was absent for work), then hung around, goofed off, stuffed our faces with sweets, then had cupcakes.
Zoey and Layne playing with their ghosts.
Great Grandparents Bob and Betty brought presents, too - monster-y slippers for Layne and Zoey.
I told Layne I wanted to take a picture of him in his new slippers. Even Transformers need to be comfy.
Tinkerbell Transformer.
Trying to trick Grandma.
Layne got a Nerf Gun for his birthday and was awesome at the sharing thing, he even let the girls have a go. Robin's daughter was sweet enough to give Zoey a hand.
Grandma Bobbie's coworkers gave us these yummy cupcakes, complete with the requisite 2 inches of frosting.
She carried it around, exclaiming, "My eyeball!"
Everyone had a lot of fun, it was a great way to celebrate some birthdays. When we went out the next day, it felt like - to us - that Halloween had already happened and was over. Nope; just the beginning.
