Halloween 2010 - Raised On Country Sunshine Style

Tonight we had our annual Halloween party for the children's home, so we all got dressed up and had a spooky good time. There was trick-or-treating, yummy food (like hot dog worms and apple fangs), games involving ogre fangs, ghost poop, and rat eyeballs,and a costume contest. Fun was had by all!

This year I decided to do something crazy. I let my kids pick out their own Halloween costumes. GASP! I know. Usually I come up with a smashing theme months in advance, and then I send my children subliminal messages and steadily convince them (some might call it manipulation) that they want to be what I am suggesting. Then when Halloween actually rolls around, they want to be said costume that Mama has been talking about for months, and it was like it was their idea all along. This plan worked quite nicely for me for the past several years. One year we were lady bugs, the next year coordinating witch/pumpkin costumes, the next The Wizard of Oz theme, and then last year both girls were fairies. But then Emma turned six going on sixteen, and with this new age came an opinion about everything. Including Halloween costumes. And when she spotted the costume she chose (at Wal-Mart, no less, in a little plastic bag!), she just had to have it. Nothing else would do. So I finally caved and let both girls pick a costume of their own choosing. I tried to convince them that matching colors would be nice, but even that did not fly. Oh, well. At least I still have Jack!

Alas, I present to you, the Z three, Halloween 2010:

Sassy Senorita Emma


















Cute Cowgirl Kate


















And Jack-o-lantern Jack!









They actually all ended up looking quite precious. I may even go wild and crazy and let the madness of the children selecting their own costumes happen again next year. We shall see.

In other news, our house (meaning Boss, the big girls, and I) came up with a very cute theme this year for the costume contest. We were the spice girls! We had Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, and Pumpkin Spice! I was All Spice (because, really, I'm all that) and even Boss participated by letting us dress him up as Old Spice. It was fun and my big girls had so much fun working on their costumes! Our house won the prize for the funniest costume. Yeah! We are already planning for next year :).













P.S. Pretty please ignore that the photos showing my children's Halloween costumes also reveal that we have lived in our new home on campus for five months now, yet we still have no baseboards! Have no fear though, they have been purchased and are sitting in the garage. Now we just need them installed and I can quit showing you photos with unfinished floors! Whew! I know that has been bothering you :).