Boo...

The end of October every year is a favorite time for our family. We have a birthday on either side of Halloween and the most fun Halloween neighborhood ever (seriously, it's a large circle, people drive here from all over to do their trick or treating, and it is truly festive). 

For a family that almost wanted to opt out of the holiday that celebrates darkness and death, we have learned that it is the one time a year that neighbors and many others come to our door. It's an opportunity to welcome them, make over them and show as much love as we can to each of them as they stop by for candy.

Over the years, we have opened our home to our church lifegroup families and other friends on Halloween night (it becomes sortof a party/home-base for these families - a place to eat, pee, and come back to to sort out the candy and dig in). We have pizza, take pictures, and all the dads take the younger ones around the neighborhood. Many years the dads are even dressed up. Our costumes are made up of mostly things we have or make - occasionally we will purchase a wig or mask. The teens even get into it and some years we have had a large group of them. This year they all met here then walked over to a party of youth group friends in a nearby neighborhood.

I prefer to be the candy distributor and usually have some other moms with me. We sit out on the front step with our pumpkin and greet all who walk by and come up for treats. It is truly one of my favorite nights.

Mulan and Dorothy (they were rockin' the long hair!)

Finn from Adventure Time (she made her costume)

In case you're wondering, Ben is "Jim" from The Office (yes, my 11 year old watches The Office - it's hard with teens around, please don't judge...).  Jack is Slender Man - he is a current popular video game. His costume was actually so awesome and his 6'3" height carried it off well - he was scary. Have I mentioned he's only 13??

Part of the gang of kids - oh and my husband...yes, that's him on the end. He wore a recycled costume from last year's EnderMan costume (from Mind Craft). A close up is below - it was incredibly creepy. My pick for the greatest costume was Mary Poppins. She had all the details down and looked fantastic!

Drew and his girlfriend Zoe playing "Cowboys and Indians."  They make a pretty good looking couple don't they?  Drew turned 18 a couple of days before...more on that later...

Sorry for the blurry closeup. John used two itouches to sit behind the eye openings. Each itouch had an app of crazy eyeballs that moved all around. There were lots of choices of eyeballs (real and drawn and cartoon) but these were by far the creepiest. They were extreme closeups of real eyes and veiny and moving around in all directions. Think Marty Feldman...Kids loved it or were afraid. Several tripped just trying to see him and figure it out. By the end of the night one of the other dads just sat on the front porch with this mask on. The expressions on the little kids' faces as they approached our porch was hilarious! 

This picture (or one just like it) caused an Facebook sensation. Ben had all the details and body moves and expressions of Jim from The Office. He even let his hair grow out to look like Jim. Aside from being a bit embarrassed that my young son would be able to so have a character down from a show we didn't let my oldest son see til he was 16 is a bit "awky" (as my daughter says). Cudos to you Ben tho' for looking the part and cracking us all up.

This picture was actually taken the day after Halloween. I realized that we didn't get enough pictures that showed how creepy Jack looked in this costume. We did an afternoon photo session the day after Halloween out in the woods behind our house. I wouldn't want to run into him in the woods...

We were nervous this year that Halloween wouldn't happen. Hurricane Sandy had just slammed into my beloved NJ shore and we had expected to have bad weather as well. In the end it was fine for us here (not so much in NJ - I plan to write about my feelings on that soon) - just a bit chilly.

Fun was had by all as usual. By 9pm it was all over and all had gone home. Only my little pumpkin (I only make happy ones) was still out and glowing. Boo...

Pumpkin patchin'...

Somehow, the Fall, and Halloween, and pumpkins, just don't feel right without a visit with the cousins. My sister Jill and I have lived within 3 hours of each other since I started having babies (wait, actually even before babies). She has always lived in Maryland, I in Virginia. Because we both have children with Fall birthdays, we have often had a visit with one another sometime in October - either for birthday partying, trick or treating, or pumpkin patching.

This year, we made the trip to them with my four younger - who, conveniently, are nearly the exact ages of her four kids (yes, I know I have probably mentioned that fact once or ten times before on this blog) - and the best of buds. Anyway, it was a wonderful long weekend. Just us moms, as John was home with my teens, and Marc was at a dental convention. We went to a fabulous pumpkin patch just over the border in West Virginia - and it was sooooo fun! Animals, hayrides, trampolines, huge playground, campfire, corn maze and a sky that looked like something from a movie...yep...we had some fun...

**rare appearance of yours truly...

The girls went one way through the maze and the boys another - we ended up running into them midway through the huge maze.

At the lookout point (aka the place to go when you don't know where the heck you are in the maze).

The sun shone right over the farm but beyond was an ominous sky.

When I was a little girl growing up in NYC, my favorite animal was a goat. Why, you ask? Well, I have no earthly idea except that I once visited a farm and got to play with the baby goats. I was such a city kid and that was such an amazing experience for me. I have always had a soft spot for them ever since...even tho' they are sorta dirty things...This guy was so funny sleeping up on the feeding tray.

Another rare appearance of the camera lady...

My beautiful baby sister Jill...she'll probably kill me for putting this on here...with her adorable little  "D"

Back at Jill's the kids played a wonderful game of soccer (all 8 of them), in Jill's front yard. This photo was taken just seconds before the game came to an abrupt halt when Jemila allowed several goals to go in. Everyone sorta turned on her...poor thing. Found out later that she had spent the game whining about not being able to be goalie and telling all of them that she is the best goalie for the job...this kinda thing always happens when I finally find my camera...

Of course, no visit to Jill's is ever complete without a visit or two to Rita's Italian Ice...thinking about it makes me want to drive there right now....hold me back....

All in all it was a wonderful weekend with more memories made and cousin bonding. Always great to hang out with my little sister and all her fun kids.  Thanks guys for having us!