Helloween.

And no, that is not a typo in the title.
That is what I have decided to name this holiday.

I just read this beautiful blog post from Kelle Hampton. The blogger who makes my sister and I wonder if she craps rainbows because she is seriously always happy and uplifting. Always. This chic knows how to enjoy every moment in life. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for enjoying life, but if you want a gushy post about Helloween, you may want to check out Kelle's blog and not waste your time reading mine.

I love the holidays, but I oft question the logic behind Helloween. I mean, we spend 364 days out of the year telling our children not to take candy from strangers and then we negate all that in one night by dressing them up in freaky outfits and having them beg said strangers for candy. I'm just sayin'.....

But seriously, lest I be called the Ebenezer Scrooge of Helloween, I put my personal feelings aside and partake in all the traditions of dressing up, carving pumpkins, buying candy, and of course, attempting to get pictures before the kids are scaling the walls due to a sugar high.

Without further ado, here are Spider Man, the "princess peacock," and my little unhappy spider:

We do have one tradition on Helloween that I love. Every year the Hollands come over and we eat chili and trick or treat together. It is so fun to watch the kids grow and change year after year. It is not always fun to get pics of said children, but the result never fails to be comical. And I'm sure when I'm old and my memory is fading, I will look back on these pictures and remember October 31st fondly.

I really think this picture sums up the night quite well.

Emma Grace looking annoyed and troubled. Ben looking confused by the noise. Isaac is in his own world doing Spider Man moves which apparently involve grabbing himself. Leah Kate pulling at Owen, most likely in an attempt to get him to shut the heck up. Owen.....still screaming. And Noah looking at Owen and thinking "thank goodness I never acted like that."

Aaaahhhhh.....we had a much happier spider at the end of the night. (But that is only because Ben was selfless and left his sword for Owen to play with. By that point in the night, all of the adults and kids were ready to give Owen whatever he wanted if it meant peace and quiet......)

My boys ready to go out and fight crime.

And now we're back to the normal routine of telling the kids not to take candy from strangers.

PS - Thanks to Grandma and Chips for helping out.
PPS - Sorry to the kids and women whom Isaac flashed at the end of the night. What can I say? Helloween is scary and you just never know what to expect.