Halloween with Elsa and a Pumpkin

Halloween has come and gone, but what a fun holiday! I think Halloween is especially special as a child. There is something so magical about dressing up as someone else and eating candy to your heart's content. Okay, maybe magical isn't the word... stellar? Marvelous? I guess I'm at a loss for words. Let's just say it's great.

Ben was on a business trip the week before Halloween so he missed our ward Trunk or Treat. The kids were so excited. Nayeli dressed up as Elsa from Disney's Frozen and Teddy went as a pumpkin (the same costume Nayeli wore two years ago- I'm all about recycling costumes). To make their costumes coordinate, I said it was Queen Elsa and her pumpkin jester.

For the Trunk of Treat Ben was in charge of making targets for a marshmallow shooting game. He brought home big pieces of cardboard from work to cut holes in, but didn't get a chance to do it before his trip. I told him I could do it, but I did it in my own way. Behold, how I cut holes in cardboard:

I finished the ghost to my satisfaction, but by the time I called it quits at 1am I was too tired to make the pumpkin more elaborate. I don't think anyone noticed anyway.

We had a great time at the ward party and our neighbors Pops, Makayla and Maddie also came. They were super helpful with the kids and Pops even made some chili for the chili cook-off (he and Ben have a rivalry each year to see if either of them can win). Unfortunately Ben couldn't compete this year and Pops didn't win anything, but we still had a great time.

Saturday the 31st started with cards from our neighbor Nana, who has adopted my kids as her surrogate grandchildren.

Opening Nana's cards

Ben was studying for the GMAT all day, so I took the kids to a Halloween celebration at our local grocery store. We rode the city trolley, decorated sugar cookies, and drank hot chocolate. It made for a fun morning.

Trolley ride!

After we returned from the grocery store party, the weather began to unleash it's fury and I think the only way to describe it would be monsoon-like. Raining pouring from the sky, wind, puddles that were filling up cars- it got pretty bad. Luckily by the night it was just lightly raining. We dressed the kids up and took them to trick or treat at a few of our neighbors.

Of course the candy isn't the thing that grasped Teddy's attention- the puddles were. We let him get soaked to his hearts content. He was thrilled.

Our last stop for the night was at Pops and Anita's to show off costumes and chat until bedtime. The kids ate candy until they were sick and then Ben and I put them to sleep and watched Studio C on YouTube. It was a great Halloween and I can't wait until next year to celebrate it again.