In light of an upcoming addition to our family, we celebrated Halloween early this year. Nolan has been looking forward to this season since April, so we could not let it pass without some extra effort on our part. "Extra effort" entailed the spread of spider webs over every possible surface, doorway, and picture frame, the production and purchase of many ghoulish decorations, and a night of games, costumes, and friends at our very own Halloween party. Nolan would not let October slide by without such a party. A must at that party was a barrel full of floating apples.
The day of the party, the boys' excitement was palpable. We picked up materials for a donut eating contest and made some last minute preparations at home. The boys had their costumes on four hours before the party was scheduled to begin. Nolan was going as Buzz Lightyear and Gerret as Spiderman. Unfortunately, the Buzz costume did not survive a run-in with orange jello. Panic momentarily struck as Nolan frantically sorted through the dress-up bin, searching for another adequate costume --safari man, hunter, boy scout, frog, horse. After trying on a number of possibilities, he settled on last Halloween's disguise. Coincidentally, Gerret was already dressed as Spiderman, so the party was attended by two, as well as an astronaut, vampire, cat, and hippie. The party met expectations and I cheerfully dismantled all spider webs the next afternoon (they had been gracing our home since the first week of September). The premature celebration of Halloween did not, however, exempt us from further observance. Conversely, I think it has extended the life of the holiday in our home. PTB will take the boys to the Halloween celebration at the church, Nolan will have another party at school, and, of course, we will oblige them with a night of trick-or-treats. And then we'll be eating candy for weeks afterward (so long as we manage Pooka's intake).
