Happy Halloween

Being the parents of teenagers means waiting up at night when they are staying out late with friends. With a mean cold starting to take up residence in my tired body, I'd really just like to hit the sack. But I still have some time before the kids come home so I'll recap our Halloween adventures.
We started things off with a pre-trick or treating dinner of pizza and pop outside in the cul-de-sac with a bunch of neighbors. Everyone mingling and chatting, kids running around in costumes and "Thriller" blaring on the stereo that had been set up in someone's driveway. Around 5:45 things broke up and the kids scattered to begin trick or treating. Rebekah had made plans to head off with a group of friends for some trick or treating and then to a Halloween party to watch movies and "hang out". Julianne had made similar plans with a group of her friends. That left Brandon, his friend Ben, and Lilian. Brandon, knowing he was young enough to still need a parental chaperone, requested Bryan. I was invited to bring myself and my big bowl of candy down to where a bunch of other neighbor dads were setting up camp for the evening. Their plan consisted of sitting around a bonfire in the middle of the cul-de-sac and letting the costumed little ones come to them instead of staying home alone, popping up and down everytime the doorbell rang. It probably made a funny picture...me and eight other men roasting marshmallows in the bonfire, drinking rootbeer, eating BBQ ribs and handing out candy to all the kids. But it was a lot of fun and I'm grateful to them for inviting me.

The kids are now all home. They claim they all had a wonderful evening. They are in the process of sorting and trading candy on the living room floor. I scored some milk duds. I love milk duds....seems like I only get them on Halloween. It's late. Rebekah keeps reminding me that Daylight Savings Time ends tonight which means we get an extra hour...that it isn't really as late as it seems. Good argument but I'm not going for it. Time for bed.

After much debating Julianne decided to be a gangster. She and Bryan spraypainted the $ sign onto her pillow case to go along with her costume.

Brandon, when asked what he wanted to be for Halloween, confidently stated that he wanted to be a bunny, wearing an eyepatch and holding a machine gun. To which I replied, "Huh???"

Rebekah's costume was all about the hair. Anything else was only secondary...it was the hair you saw coming!


In the words of my little frog: "Want to wear my ribbit and get candy!"


Rebekah and Julianne's combined candy haul. (Brandon had previously traded his candy in to Bryan for money. $1.00 per 10 pieces. He got $7.00.)