My mom makes all of their costumes, which has been quite an undertaking over the years. Luckily, it seems we're now getting to a point where most of the kids have previously made costumes they can wear! Even the bigger kids didn't need new costumes this year, as last year's still fit. Juniper did need one, as we weirdly didn't have one in her size, and my mom had promised Finneas that he could pick out a new one for himself, as he was kind of getting sick of hand-me-downs.
So, I introduce to you...
Callista made it known that she found the beard neither feminine nor comfortable, and altogether unsatisfactory.
Once we got to Shelter Gardens to trick or treat, she was at least partly convinced her world wasn't ending, though she still looked pretty uncertain.
Every year, Shelter hosts a trick or treating event on the grounds for employees' families. I love it, because it's during the daytime so photos are better, I don't have to figure out how to get all the kids dressed in costumes at dinnertime like on Halloween night, and it doesn't interfere with our Reformation Day celebrations. I think this might be our main Halloween activity from here on out.
Another "plus" to the day was that my parents and my sister were all in town anyway for Rocco's birthday party and Juniper's dedication, so we all got to trick or treat together! Unfortunately, it was rainy and cold, but we braved it. (And Halloween night ended up being even more miserable, so in a weird way we lucked out only having to bundle up this much.)
Everyone, meet my beautiful niece, World's Prettiest NonVanVoorstBaby.
Juniper was pretty happy...
...until the face painting booth. This was just the final straw.
She was happier once I carried her wrapped in my coat.
The other kids were better sports about it.
Rocco got a couple new big teeth.
Other than just getting candy, there were lots of activities available for the kids to participate in, like tossing a ring around a witch's hat, which Penelope and Laurelai slayed, and playing Plinko, which Atticus enjoyed and was really good at. (It was fun for him to find something he was excited to do - I think he's getting to the age where he's starting to feel a little self-conscious about participating in Halloween.)
There's a big pot of candy toward the end of the walk that is "guarded" by a big hanging spider toy. A guy in a mascot costume raises and lowers the spider at random times. (Weird sentence.) Last year, Penelope was way too freaked out to try getting any candy, but before we left the house this year, she said, "I'm not going to be a chicken this time. I'm going to be brave by the spider!" And she was!
HH from the VV's!
1 comment :
i think making the Shelter Gardens our primary costume part of Halloween and allowing the 31st to be set aside for the Reformation Day is going to be a great move for us. you still get the pageantry of costumes and candy surrounding the season, but you get the cheese board and homey-ness of Reformation Day and liturgical celebration which has come to mark this time of year so well for us. love seeing the kids get into character and have some fun not taking themselves too seriously. always a great exercise. like Chesterton says, "Angels can fly because they can take themselves lightly."
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