Back in the day, in the Before Kids era, Robbe and I had wild Halloween parties. Naked people in the hot tub. Some ending up lucky and others engaged. These days, on Halloween evening, the kids get dressed, we cross the street for a very nice early dinner at the Brumley's where Amy paints their faces, and then we take the next two hours to walk down three blocks of Rosedale, cross over to Ramsey, and trudge back home. I carry a bottle of wine. We sip as the kids tear up and down front yards with hundreds of other ghouls and goblins (and this year, Cleopatras) and just about when they start to get tired and the sacks of candy get too heavy, we get back home.
Which is what we did this year. Evan dressed as a very serious vampire. No laughing or horsing around - vampires just don't do that. Vivian was a pirate. Thanks to a last minute shopping trip, she wore a pirate costume and didn't have to go as a "hooker pirate" in her "black cocktail dress". Ava was a wholesome cowgirl. Eleanor was a delightful gypsy. Jo went as Minnie Mouse.
There were four new people in our group. Zenia, who fell asleep right after dinner, was a hotdog. Jen came as Jen. Travis was a flower (a Hawaiian Plumeria hair clip attached to his beard). And Darwin was a bumble bee. Yes, really. An extraordinarily cute bumble bee.
Travis bobbed for apples and we learned the first law of beards. A wet beard remains wet till it dries, no matter what you do. We lost track of Evan and Ava once but they were soon re-discovered. And plans were made for next year. We are going to own the Wizard of Oz. I can't remember who gets to be whom. Perhaps Vivian and Ava could be Dorothy, unless Jen throws a fit. The littler ones will be munchkins. Jo could be the wicked witch. Travis gets to be the scaredy lion, Tim the Tin Man. Darwin is excited to be Toto instead of a frigging bumble bee.
I think I got the scare crow, though after Jen sent me this cartoon, I could lay reasonable claim to the Tin Man.
Evan got into a huge sugar rush from eating large quantities of candy. Vivian threw up - either too much or bad candy. The kids shared admirably well with Jo and me and made a pile of Tootsie Rolls for Grandma and willingly handed out their candy to perfect strangers (late trick-or-treaters who knocked after we were out of candy) and in a couple of days, Jo packed up the rest and dropped it off at Magellan to be sent to our troops for Christmas. Except for the empty wrappers I found in her car later.
Which is what we did this year. Evan dressed as a very serious vampire. No laughing or horsing around - vampires just don't do that. Vivian was a pirate. Thanks to a last minute shopping trip, she wore a pirate costume and didn't have to go as a "hooker pirate" in her "black cocktail dress". Ava was a wholesome cowgirl. Eleanor was a delightful gypsy. Jo went as Minnie Mouse.
There were four new people in our group. Zenia, who fell asleep right after dinner, was a hotdog. Jen came as Jen. Travis was a flower (a Hawaiian Plumeria hair clip attached to his beard). And Darwin was a bumble bee. Yes, really. An extraordinarily cute bumble bee.
Travis bobbed for apples and we learned the first law of beards. A wet beard remains wet till it dries, no matter what you do. We lost track of Evan and Ava once but they were soon re-discovered. And plans were made for next year. We are going to own the Wizard of Oz. I can't remember who gets to be whom. Perhaps Vivian and Ava could be Dorothy, unless Jen throws a fit. The littler ones will be munchkins. Jo could be the wicked witch. Travis gets to be the scaredy lion, Tim the Tin Man. Darwin is excited to be Toto instead of a frigging bumble bee.
I think I got the scare crow, though after Jen sent me this cartoon, I could lay reasonable claim to the Tin Man.
Evan got into a huge sugar rush from eating large quantities of candy. Vivian threw up - either too much or bad candy. The kids shared admirably well with Jo and me and made a pile of Tootsie Rolls for Grandma and willingly handed out their candy to perfect strangers (late trick-or-treaters who knocked after we were out of candy) and in a couple of days, Jo packed up the rest and dropped it off at Magellan to be sent to our troops for Christmas. Except for the empty wrappers I found in her car later.
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