Halloween

Well, the big night happened. Mia's favorite night of the year--Halloween. It was actually an entire week and a half of festivities starting with the big L'Etoile du Nord Halloween Party (at Mia's school). The entire family went and enjoyed games, prizes and the haunted house. Mia was a nervous wreck about the haunted house but got up the courage to go in with Mommy in tow. I swear she nearly peed her pants she was so scared; but you should have seen the triumph on her face when she emerged! It was so worth it. Of course the first thing out of her mouth was 'I want to do it again!'

Mia surveying all of her party options at school

Standing in line for games

Next in our week of Halloween festivities was Mia's in class party at school. Jeff volunteered for the day and showed up dressed in scrubs and surgical mask (much to Mia's surprise). He was going to smear catsup all over the front of him, but decided that might be too intense for a bunch of 1st graders. I wish I had pictures of the party, but alas, I do not.

Then came Halloween night. Mia dressed as a Spider Countess and Jonah donned his bat costume and the entire family headed off to the neighborhood Halloween party on the corner. This is a yearly event thrown by Mia's friend's parents. Everyone brings a dish to share and stands around freezing their skivvyies off until trick or treating time. My big question was--why do we suffer through trick or treating to get candy when we have a huge bowl of candy right at home. In theory we could just put up our feet in the nice warm house and eat the candy we already own. Mia didn't like this idea, however, so the candy march went forward. Jeff went out with Mia and our neighbor's kids while I stayed home with Jonah and did door duty. We had about 15 groups of kids come to the house. Not bad. Jonah and I gave away most of our big bowl of candy, only to have Mia come home an hour later with her bag of candy--which, by the way, were pretty much the exact same kinds of candy we had just given out.

Preparing for the candy march

A bit apprehensive about his new duds

Ahhh yes...this is what it is all about!

Then finally on Sunday Jonah had his baby group Halloween party. Yes, all of us moms stuffed our little boys and girls in their costumes one more time so that we could prop them all up and try to take pictures of them together. Why we subject ourselves to this sort of torture is beyond me. Poor Jonah was fighting off two of the babies who couldn't seem to keep their animal paws off of his bat head. It was all good fun, however. Until next year! BOO!

Jonah getting bashed in the head by his friends

Jonah holding them at bay. If he could speak he would have been saying

"Please boys, give me a little space. Hands off the bat ears!"