Halloween 2012

I'll be the first to admit that Halloween is not my favorite holiday. Add on me working full time and I despised Halloween this year. I did not have time to make the cute costumes I saw on Pinterest. I didn't even think about Halloween until a couple of days beforehand. And then I feel guilty that my kids don't have the nice, expensive costumes I see some kids wearing. Or that we aren't "that family" that wears the matching costumes (even though I've always wanted to do Wizard of Oz!). Or that my kids ended up borrowing costumes or making them up last minute or getting what I can find at the thrift store like we did this year. Jack borrowed, Liv made up a costume and Maddy got hers at the thrift store.

Maybe next year, kids.

We started out at the Lakewood Fire Dept Halloween festival. We go every year, mostly because the kids get a free pumpkin. They have some fun little games, fire trucks to look at and some candy, but it is always raining and the kids always come home with way too many things that get thrown away.

The kids had to spin, answer a question on the topic, and then they got a candy. At least it was educational, right?

Even Adam got into the games, mostly to make sure Jack didn't hook an unsuspecting passerby during the fishing game.

Collecting our crap :) Okay, so I like the candy they get. It's like a pre-Halloween night treat. And a great stash in case I run out of candy on the 31st.

Picking out our pumpkins in the rain! Welcome to Washington.

This year they had a cute little photo prop thing, so I had to use it so hopefully they'll have it again next year.

Afterwards, we met the Pearsons (who also went to the fire department party too) at McDonald's for lunch and then headed to their house to carve pumpkins. The boys had a great time printing off some characters for the kids and made a mess of the kitchen with the small saw they used (think pumpkin guts all over the walls....)

Who gave him a knife?!

Getting ready for Perry the Platypus

This is my least favorite part, scooping out the insides. I don't mind baking the seeds, but the insides are gross!

Tinkerbell- Olivia

Darth Vader- Jack

Minnie- Madelynn

Perry- uh, one of the Pearsons?

Pizza time!

They had a long day and deserved some pizza...

and us adults didn't feel like cooking!

Jack was a Power Ranger. He ended up taking the mask off near the beginning because he couldn't see, but he looked so awesome with that six-pack and biceps!

Olivia was a cowgirl, complete with freckles! She couldn't really decide what she wanted to be and liked this idea because she could still be warm.

Madelynn was a cat, which was my thrift store find. She loved it, except the hood, which she only put on for pictures.

My cute bunch!

Adam and Bryan took the kiddos out while Celeste and I sat on my porch, handed out candy and drank hot chocolate (thanks to the random outlet on my porch we were able to plug the Cocomotion in right next to us).