Halloween--the highs and lows

Another Halloween come and gone.  This was better for me than usual because I saw only a handful of gruesome decorations the whole season.  I just don't think I get Halloween.  I am drawn to things that are beautiful and light and uplifting.  Halloween is mostly dark and excessive and ugly.  I do love little kids in costumes though.  They're excited and cute and I can appreciate that.

And the chocolate.

Our kids celebrated the holiday in various ways.  Braeden and his fellow PBS costumed friends won first place in the drama department's costume contest.  I was trying to understand.  I asked, "Now was that for the whole school or just the drama department?"

Braeden said, "It was just the drama kids but when you win best costume in the drama department, you pretty much win it for the whole school."  I guess that's fair.

Halloween night, Braeden and 30 of his closest drama friends dressed up as zombies and took over one of his friend's cul de sacs.  They danced to Thriller and chased kids (Braeden said they eased up if kids got scared...most kids seemed to love it.  I'm not most kids.).  Braeden's favorite was a little Teenage Mutant Ninja turtle who chased him with a sword.  I think that kid's my favorite too.  That took some courage to chase a 6 foot 3 inch zombie.

Braeden came home and said it was his best Halloween ever.  He'd never had so much fun.  (Then Sunday he was terribly homesick for Washington so don't rest on your laurels too much, Utah.)

Emma went to one of her friend's house and a group of girls had a Pirate's of the Caribbean movie marathon.  We made her come home after the third one because it was past midnight.  She had a lovely time and was quite shocked when Adam woke her up the next morning for yard work.  Adam pointed out that he'd had to stay up late too to give her a ride home.  I pointed out she could go to bed early that night.  She went out with her friends again though.  Who is this girl?

Mark's Halloween was less stellar.  We went to a trunk or treat which was in our ward and neighborhood because they are definitely the same thing.  A street was blocked off and the whole thing turned into one huge trick or treat venue.  His two kind-of friends weren't there and he didn't really meet up with anyone he knew.  It didn't help that they were all in costume.  We left early, sort of in defeat.  In an effort to cheer Mark up, we told him we would do something fun.  After vetoing a few of his ideas, he said, "So let me get this straight.  I'm Hong Kong and you're China?  I can do whatever I want, as long as you approve?"

I told him that was correct.

We ended up going to Kneaders for dinner.  It was delicious and will probably be a repeat affair.  We came home and received our favorite trick or treaters:

Then we watched Mr. Peabody and Sherman with our best-loved redhead. It was a good movie and we had fun.

One thing about the roller coaster that has been this move is that it has only made us closer as a family.  We stick together when there's nothing else to stick to.

The chalkboard doesn't lie.