Downtown Trick-Or-Treat

 This was such a fun costume to watch come together! At first the girls were going with a Harry Potter theme but since they are only reading book three now (and have not yet met Luna Lovegood, who we are pretty sure Grace is going to really adore) they decided to wait on HP themed costumes until next year and instead go as witches from one of their favorite shows- The Worst Witch. In putting together these costumes we learned an awful lot! Turns out The Worst Witch was a movie that was big in the UK back in the late '80s. It's based on the series of books by Jill Murphy. The girls discovered the current series when it came to Netflix and it quickly became a favorite. 

Wanting to do this costume justice we began surfing around the internet and landed on the uniform section on the Marks & Spencer website (which, for those who don't know is the place in London to get school uniforms)! That discovery was huge and we knew then that we'd be able to pull this thing off beautifully! Two pinafores, one package of blouses and we were in business! From there the rest was easy: witch hats, ribbon (wired per my mom's suggestion) and tights we easy to come by locally. The girls already had black shoes and we printed out the crest (which the girls colored) and hot glued pin backs to them so we could attach them to their hat and jumpers. And voila! They look like they are ready to head to Cackle's Academy! 

 And so, today they took them out for a spin at downtown trick or treat. We went for a bit before their ballet technique class. Other than the cold wind, it was a lovely evening to be strolling around downtown Hudson. 

Grace, like all New England kids at some point, didn't want to wear her coat because then her costume wouldn't be seen. About twenty steps from the car she realized that was probably the wrong choice. By forty steps, she was sure of it. Thankfully I had my bikini competition team jacket on under my winter coat, so rather than turn around and go back to the car I offered her it to her. I think she liked the look of the black coat with her costume! 

In the twenty minuets we were there they managed to collect a fair amount of candy along with a reusable water bottle and a slice of pizza from one of the pizza places!Happy Halloween friends! Let the celebrations begin! xo

Halloween Fun

Oh my goodness, this has to have been one of the best Halloween's ever! Our celebrating began last Friday with our town's Main Street Trick-Or-Treat. It was easily the best night for trick-or-treating.  Warm enough that you didn't need a coat but cool enough that it felt like autumn. We surely would not have missed this event and even more so due to Hurricane Sandy's impending arrival.

We scooted over to our friend Emily's house.  She is a talented artist and was so sweet to add some face paint to help give the girls costumes that "little extra something"!  Thanks, Em!

Waiting for the middle school marching band to arrive so we could join the parade. 

There is nothing like the marching band version of "Ghostbusters" and "The Munsters"!

And as if that wasn't enough Halloween fun, the next night we went to Old Sturbridge Village for their Halloween event. Sadly, Dave's sister and her husband were unable to come.  Thankfully, Ben and Sarah let us adopt their older two for the night (and oh, how I loved feeling like a mama of four even if it was only for a night)! 

On our way in we happened upon a "for real" newly married bride!  The kids were in awe (and are now in some of her wedding photos, too)!

Which brings us (finally!) to Halloween day itself! There was:

Pumpkin Math!  

We found that tub of candy pumpkins at Wegman's and just had to do something with them! 

We each made a prediction,

Then worked together to count them to see who was closest (and shockingly it was me).

Then Grace put those Math Gnomes that she loves so much to good use and figured out what it would look like if Plus, Minus, Times and Divide helped keep track of the pumpkins.  

Followed by a trip to the library for more trick-or-treating and some Halloween crafts too!

Once we got home I gave them the treats that my parents had left for them when they were here for their anniversary celebration earlier this month.  The girls were over the moon!  And as luck would have it, just as I was taking the gifts out of the bag they were in, my mom called.  Her timing could not have been better and she sorta got to be there as they opened their treats!

"Thanks, Gramma!"

"Thanks, Gramma!"

And then there was some quiet time, followed by putting their costumes back on to head to yoga followed by dinner and more trick-or-treating (with our friends, of course)!

And while I wish that my camera had not been acting up perhaps it was good that it was.  After all, this post is already long enough and seriously picture heavy as it is!  Could you imagine if there were even more?!  It was a truly spectacular Halloween.  One that we will be talking about for years to come!

Trick-or-Treat!

Since the crazy October Nor'easter blew into town right before Halloween, trick-or-treating was postponed throughout the land.  Our town held it's trick-or-treat night last Thursday.  And, as we have done the last few years, we went trick-or-treating with Sarah and her littles (Ben of course stays behind to man the haunted house he creates each year).  We headed over a little early, to catch up with our friends, have some dinner, and to help with the set up of this years (very scaled down) haunted house (a first for the girls).

Grace however could not be convinced that putting fake bones on the front lawn would be fun.  She chose to stay inside safely beside Sarah.

The three musketeers.

I love how they were all things found in nature.  And no, we didn't plan that to happen!

A couple of days later, one of the towns next to us (our adopted town) held it's trick-or-treat night.  Friends of ours who live there invited us to come along. So back on went the Halloween costumes, except this time the girls got to have their faces painted!

Note to self: spend more time figuring out the best camera setting to use for dim lighting. 

Clearly, there are benefits to snowstorms in October, if for no other reason than you get to go trick-or-treating more than once!