Julie's Dramas: Halloween!

one of the cool pumpkins we picked up on clearance for 3 bucks!

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, but now that I have a kid the focus has shifted from coming up with an elaborate costume for myself to enjoying the day through my daughter's eyes. Stella has said she wanted to be a witch for like the last month, and she said she wanted Tim and I to be witches too. Easy peasy, I spent $4 on witch hats for Tim and I, $15 on her costume, and recycled a bunch of stuff from Halloweens past for the rest of my costume. Next year I can go back to thinking long and hard of a good costume, preferably one with a "sexy" bent. (Come on ladies, you know you think of this too. When else can we get all tarted up and it's socially acceptable. Even in my mild-mannered witch costume, I adjusted the top so I could show off a little of my giant pregnant boobies!)

Anyway, now that I have completely scandalized at least my mother and mother-in-law, on to the pictures! Friday, Stella's playdate buddies got together for a Halloween party in the park. I didn't dress her up because I was afraid that her costume wouldn't survive the playground, Trick or Treating AND our Halloween party. We tried to get a group photo, but the 2-year-olds kept wandering off! I think this one has the most kids in it:

It's a pretty cool old-school playground. Of course, that meant that Stella fell off the merry-go-round and one of the horses on the 4-way teeter totter (not sure what that's called), but it was awesome. I'm sure we'll be back.

Friday night, of course, was all about the candy. It was a lot of fun trick-or-treating in this neighborhood because we know so many people. We never knew anybody other than about 3 neighbors in our old hood. Everyone thought Stella was adorable and gave her lots of good candy. There was a house a couple of streets away that is a big Victorian and the guy collects movie memorabilia. He had a life-size Freddy Krueger on the porch and a Predator in the front vestibule. I knew Stella might get scared and as we approached I said, "ooh, scary! But don't be afraid, it's just for fun and nothing will hurt you, I promise." Tim was really impressed with this explanation and she seemed to have no problems going up to the house. Sometimes I feel like maybe I'm pretty good at this mom thing:) We took her a bit too far, though, because we wanted to see our friends Angi and Meredith who live two long blocks away, and she sort of broke down before we made it home. But Daddy carried her some and we made it back. When we got home, we let her have some candy and she was just buzzing. It was sort of frightening. We also handed out lots of candy and saw some pretty cute kids, including a baby that was less than 2 months old. I gave the parents candy anyway saying that as new parents, they deserved it.

Saturday morning was Brandon and Courtney's baby shower and then Saturday night it was time for our Halloween party! We had a great time, first with the crazy toddlers (we had 4 two-year-olds and two babies), then with the crazier adults. I failed miserably in the photography department, but here are Stella and Daniel "raving":

Tim and I verrrrry late in the night, so the costumes aren't very "fresh".

Karen and Frank did "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?":

Our neighbors across the street, George and Kathy, had my favorite costumes of the evening, not to mention the best wigs, Joan and Don from Mad Men. I literally did not recognize them when they walked in!