Halloween 2015

A Saavedra family tradition died this year. The children did not dress in a theme. We were planning on a Harry Potter theme until we learned that branding is a beast - it would have cost us over a hundred dollars for the children to look like Hogwarts students. Well, I also could have done some research into DIY projects like I used to and "sew" some costumes together, but in this phase of my life I would rather take out the bank loan and buy the costumes.

Let me sum up the several hours of shopping and brainstorming to a few words: expensive, disappointment, very loud brainstorming from children who kept shouting out what they wanted to be instead of Harry Potter, Walmart, cheap, tears. That was more than a few words. Here it is in even less: it was a disaster.

We ended up with one Harry Potter thanks to real glasses and a second-hand Hogwarts robe and a few new accessories. Alynna was a black cat, because, well, because she's Alynna. Kaeley bought her own costume at Saver's for a whopping $9.99 and she and my mom spot cleaned it and ironed it. She was thrilled. Simon ended up as an elephant via Amazon Prime.

Simon was so excited about his new costume that he attended our homeschool academy dressed up as an elephant. Fine by me. Milk that costume for all it's worth!

For the first time ever I un-pried my fingers from my beloved chalkboard. Nathan decorated our board in honor of Halloween and he did a great job.

A Saavedra family tradition that did not die, thankfully, was pumpkin carving at Grandma's house.

The children did the carving almost all by themselves. I didn't get a picture of the girls' finished pumpkins, but Kaeley carved a detailed picture of herself in her costume and Alynna carved a cat's face, because, well, because she's Alynna.

All by himself.

For Halloween dinner Susan decorated the table with cobwebs (which is pretty impressive as she and her son are terrified of spiders) and plastic bugs.

The plastic bugs served as quite the distraction for young Harry Potter. Harry Potter loves all things plastic animals, and he could barely eat his food between all his plastic-bug-related-comments: Can I please keep your plastic animal, Grandpa! Look, the ant is caught in the web! Can I please play with these after dinner?

Another distraction came in these interesting cups the children used for their milk. It figures my younger readers would struggle through a Dr. Seuss book during school only to read "I'm here for the boos" after a couple of tries over dinner. Simon especially spent the rest of the evening exclaiming, "I'm here for the boos! I'm here for the boooooss... I'm here for the... BOO!" I guess the play on words was beyond them, but it was something hearing super-minors say such a thing over and over and over again. Milk, people. I promise it was milk.

Then we went trick-or-treating.

Simon lasted for a good hour, I would say, before he gave up on the hot plastic elephant trunk.

It was then he opted to dress as a mouse.

Shortly after that he admitted to being tired and not interested in more candy, so Grandma walked home with him and Alynna shortly followed.

However, Kaeley could have wiped all of Torrance out with her trick-or-treating, and Nathan tagged along like a trooper. Those two went for another hour or more before the parents surrendered and said it was time to be finished.

After all, isn't fifteen pounds of candy good enough?