Halloween 2015

I wish Halloween could be on Saturdays every year.  It just makes life so much easier. I’m not rushed to get home from work.  It isn’t stressful to try to find dinner, do homework, take the kids trick or treating, and somehow try to get them to calm down in time for bed on a school night.  This Halloween, I started my day with a 10-mile sloooooow run.  For the rest of the day, I didn’t do much, but the kids had their own lemonade stand in front of the house that afternoon .   Lance went down to the boat with Buddy and Bella.  With all the activity planned that evening, it was better that the dogs not be home.

the lemonade stand on Halloween afternoon

My brother in law, Mike,  is very into Halloween, and each year, he turns the house into a haunted house.  Since he is living with us, our house became the hot spot in the neighborhood.  He puts so much effort and time into this. He has amazing props.  He has lights and even the eerie music from Halloween.  There are hours of prepping that begins days before Halloween, and when everything is done, he has to dismantle it after only a few hours of fun.  The work is well received.  There are always crowds in front.  My children were more interested in working at the haunted house then they were trick or treating.  We started to trick or treat very early at 5:30 p.m. It was light, and we were the only ones out there.  They wanted to get back home to scare the neighbors. 

some of Mike's props

the house-- not quite done yet

hanging body parts and bloody handprints on the windows

I love Tiburon at Halloween. We live in a great neighborhood that is really involved in Halloween.  Houses are decorated, and there are trick or treaters all over.  Since it is a townhouse, it is easy for the kids to go from house to house. 

some of the many, many decorations in the neighborhood

As it is now a tradition, my little Mia and I dress in matching costumes.  She complained a little this year about the tradition, but her whines were said with a smile.  She chooses our costumes and gone are the fairy princess days.  It is now about being scary, and so Mia chose to be zombie cheerleaders.  I thought we looked great. Brandon was a scary clown.  Dylan, obviously too old to trick or treat, dressed as the grim reaper.  He stood on a ladder that made him over 12-ft tall.  Many people who visited the haunted house did not think he was ‘real’ so when he moved, the result were frightening screams.  I saw one girl about 10 years old just sobbing as her father tried to comfort her.

Dylan on the ladder as the grim reaper

When we returned from trick-or-treating, it was about 7 p.m. and the kids quickly changed their wardrobe to participate in the haunted house scare.  Mike had four ghouls in the front yard.  Two of the ghouls were life-sized Barbie dolls who were draped in black with a face mask on.  Brandon and Maddox also wore the black draping and masks.  Several trick-or-treaters walked by not thinking two of the four were real so when Brandon and Maddox moved, screams of terror were heard.  It was hilarious to watch.

the ghouls in the front yard.  

Mia dressed as a zombie, and she basically chased the older kids.  I watched as they screamed in terror.  Mike dressed as Michael Myers.  He was at the top of our stairs. The trick or treaters were allowed into the house and at the bottom of the stairs was a witches pot of candy.  You had to go up and get it yourself with Michael Myers staring down at you with a knife.  I think several were too afraid to get candy so we had to move the pot closer to the doorway.  Perhaps, the haunted house was too much for some, but I really enjoyed it. 

This Halloween was one of the best!