Hello Halloween

Well, hello Halloween!  We've been doing a lot of prep work for your upcoming visit here at the Cibula house.

The countdown is on.  Three more days...and we have spent the last week getting all revved up for the big day.

We started Monday with costume day at music class.  Maggie was all about wearing her homemade princess dress for the first time.  But, nothing was more important to her than sitting next to Cinderella {aka Eliza Kate} every chance she got.

Thanks to Erica for sharing these pictures with me.  If you thought I was good at taking my camera everywhere, you should see her.  That Mommy has got me beat--she is incredible.

Later in the week Grandma brought over the kid's costumes for final fittings and to add the last minute details {Rapunzel still needed her hair and Superman requested an additional symbol for his cape}.

Growing up in my house there was no such thing as a store bought costume.  I can actually remember wanting one of those plastic suits with the stiff mask so bad when I was little. Remember those? They came in a box.  I was dying for Strawberry Shortcake.  My Mom would have nothing of it and I couldn't understand why.  Well, now I do.

There is nothing like a costume made from scratch.  I just love that Grandma can sew.  And boy has she been sewing.  If we spent the last week preparing for Halloween at our house, Grandma spent the last month.  We love you for it Grandma!

Look how great everyone looks...

Maggie is obviously Rapunzel.  And if you only could have been around as she made this decision...it was very memorable.

It started in late August when grandma started taking Halloween requests.  Maggie declared "I want to be a bad ghost".  Hmmm....we all thought.  Where did she get that from?  Well, the "bad ghost" continued on into September.  So finally I asked her, "what does the bad ghost look like?".  And she answered, in true Maggie fashion, "it has polka dots and...a tutu...and...a crown".   Hmmm again.

So Grandma had a brillant idea, take her to the fabric store and hopefully she will change her mind.  We all went {it was September so I was super exhausted} and after nearly three hours we had been through a pink fairy request, then a Belle request, and finally Rapunzel.  Rapunzel had Maggie at the hair.  One look is all it took and Maggie wanted the...hair.

So here she is in all her Rapunzel glory...

{my Mom said if Maggie ever asks her to make her wedding dress, she is going to say she "already did", this thing was layer after layer and lace lace lace}

So Jack was easy, in the sense that he didn't have an initial odd request.  And we didn't have to take him to the fabric store to smolder that request.

He wanted to be Superman hands down.  But...he was very particular about the details.  Hence the request for the additional symbol on his back.  And the other things like red boots {not shoes}, big muscles, and a yellow belt.  Check, check, and check.

It took him maybe four minutes of having the costume on to get into full character.  How awesome is this...

By Saturday evening we were ready for our annual visit to Trunk or Treat at Maggie's pre-school.  This is usually a favorite Halloween event for us.  But, this year it was freeeeeee-zing!

As for the kids, they had lots of fun and filled up their bags {which is all they really cared about anyway}.

Lucy even joined us.  She was in awe of the craziness.  It was almost as if she was begging for more kids to come up and put their face in her stroller.  And all I could think was...yikes, don't touch her!

While my Mom and I chitter chattered the evening away, Lu was snug and warm.  Little content Lucy...

So, the Mommies could no longer handle the dropping temps.  We bribed our kids out of there with glow sticks and pizza.  Some serious club action going on on the Mellow Mushroom porch.  Those kiddos were  beyond wiiiiiiir-ed.

We slowed down on Sunday.  After a morning of church and brunch, we carved pumpkins and even made chocolate pumpkin bread muffins.  For a brief moment I actually felt very accomplished {which is a rarity these days}.  Unfortunately, it didn't last long.  It only took one look at my "to do" list.  Oh yea, allllll that too.

But, it was great while it lasted.  We set up shop in the kitchen because it was still super cold outside.  Jack joined us for about 6 minutes, then he saw the "toy ad" in the newspaper that I had sprawled across the counter.  It was over after that.

He sat on the floor with a blue crayon circling everything he wanted for Christmas {which was basically anything that wasn't pink}.

The dirty work was then left up to me, Maggie, and Daddy.  Lucy napped through the whole event.

But, don't think that Jack didn't have a {very strong} opinion about our Jack-O-Lantern's face.  And don't think that he didn't want to jump in on the celebration of our completed work {candy and pictures}.  Oh yes, by then his crayon was dwindled down to a stub, so he was available to join us...conveniently.  Good thing I love him so much;)

Next up is actual Halloween night.  Looks like we are ready around here!  How about you?