All Hallows Eve

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  All the fun and none of the stress!  We have a few annual traditions that we love to partake in every year besides decorating and spooking out our house.  One is to go to the party store to pick out our costumes.  The girls usually have something in mind already or a theme they are doing to go along with their friends but it is fun to find different masks to try on and personas to play.  The girls have always been my butterfly, ladybug and bumblebee so I couldn't resist this photo op!  Nice contrast to the picture below when they were so little!!

Based on the bat incident at the cottage we already had a bat themed family costume idea going for an annual Halloween Party we go to.  So that night we picked out all our props and supplies.  The girls also got some small things to make their Halloween night costumes work.  We save all our costumes in bins in the attic from year to year so we have a lot of old props and costumes to choose from when we need any extras.  

Bat mask, bat man shirt with PJ pants and black "batwing" bow (hard to see in pix),
Rabies (bat in hair, caution tape belt, various shots sticking out of neck and wounds on legs, batman and batgirl.

Her neighbors always do a his & hers theme. 

Her fight club buddies in all their Halloween finest. 

Our walking buddies.  I imagine we'd scare a few
people if we walked through the woods dressed like this. 

We also partake in some other Holiday traditions throughout the month of October.  From events with friends to pumpkin carving and the Pumpkin Walk.

A trip to Witches Woods with K and her friends. 

We always go to the graveyard with friends to do
gravestone rubbings the week before Halloween.  

Our own queen of Halloween!
We overdue it with shirts, headbands and halloween dress leading up to the big day.  

Carving pumpkins is always a big deal.  This year we had to squeeze it in early before the Pumpkin Walk at Choate Park.  The girls came late after dad's work party.  It was a great night!  Gorgeous weather, lots of pumpkins, 6 fires in the pond, beautiful stars, and a huge crowd.

What happened to my little girls?  Stop growing up
so quickly!!!

It all culminates with Halloween Night.  Trick or Treating with friends.  Beers with neighbors.  And of course candy.  Lots and lots of candy!   This was the first year none of the girls trick-or-treated in our neighborhood.  Sadness.  They were all off elsewhere with friends.  My one stipulation was they had to get dressed before they left so I could get a photo of them all together.  This will probably be K's last year trick-or-treating!  

Bat Girl, Captain America and a Robber

Lots of masks. 

Super Girls in tutus!