Laps Around the Block

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Scooby, Velma and Daphne

Okay, so we have a month of build-up leading up to Halloween - the entire month of October - all devoted to a mere hour or so of running around the block a few times, knocking on neighbors' doors and asking for handouts.

Like Christmas, the build-up to Halloween itself is starting to become more fun than the actual holiday itself anymore.  Trick or Treating is over so damn fast that afterward, while your kids are watching crappy Halloween specials and gorging themselves on processed sugary garbage, you start to question if the hours and hours of house decorating, the multiple trips to Halloween City, Meijer, Target and Walmart, the costume purchases in-store and online, and obligatory quest to find and mutilate pumpkins is all worth it.

Okay, that's stupid.  Of course it is.

This year the weather was significantly better than last year's freezing rain crapfest, so the girls wanted to be out and about more.  Unfortunately for all parties involved, Halloween fell on a Monday night this year, so it was a school night for three of us. . .

. . . and trust me when I say that there's no greater hell on Earth than a Middle School classroom the day after Halloween.

Okay, maybe Valentine's Day.

Behold. . .

The Haunted Not-So-Mansion

Ready to take Watson around the block for some candy acquisition. . .

Reba and Sophie had already carpeted a few houses before swinging by to meet up with our girls. . .

Like last year, Kris volunteered to take the girls around the block first, while I stayed behind to watch Kung Fury and pass out Halloween Candy, then we'd switch places. . . which is exactly how we started things this year.

(This pumpkin beer was a little hoppy for my taste. . . probably wouldn't do it again.)

Ivy Squad

After their first lap around the block, I left our bowl of candy out on the porch, locked the dog back up in the house, and joined the neighborhood pack of kids and adults for a second lap around the block.  Needless to say, it was pretty hard to keep up with these guys.

I kinda wish I had taken the girls out around the block first, and had Kris stay back and pass out candy, 'cause Kris didn't take any pictures while it was still somewhat light out, and so all of our trick-or-treat pictures are, well, pretty shitty.  Next year I'll be sure to remedy that, America. . .

 

Is this a good look on me?

Back at the house, ready to call it a night. . .

The girls begin tearing through their candy while watching some Halloween movies (and while I pick out all the crap that we don't want them to eat, or that's questionable in nature - all that stuff I'll end up taking to my classroom to give out to other people's kids. . .)

This dog's a mooch.

- Brian

A Monster Mash

Greetings, Ghosts and Ghouls. . .

So Kris and I up and decided that we'd attempt hosting our very first Halloween Party this year.

Our neighborhood collection of moms had originally envisioned some kind of block party for Saturday night, but after weeks of casually talking about it without anything definitive being put in stone, Kris decided to put on her fancy hosting pants and take matters into her own hands.  A Facebook Event page was created, moms were invited, Pinterest crap was shared with great relish, and guest lists were expanded.

Before you knew it, we had about fifty costumed people hanging out in our house. And nothing was broke, stolen, or vomited on.

We're now looking ahead at Christmas parties.

Check it out. . .

A Pinterest-heavy Halloween spread of snacks and treats.  It should go without saying that I was in no way involved with any of this, whatsoever.

Yes, that's the Houghs.  We're Mystery Incorporated.

Left to Right:  Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, Scooby Doo, and Velma.

Some of our girls' neighborhood squad.  We bought this cheap-o background and borrowed Chris and Nicole's vistaprint/polaroid printer, which you can sync up to a smartphone, so that party guests could print off Halloween Polaroids throughout the evening. . .

Adults didn't use it as much as we anticipated, but, in hindsight, it was hung pretty low. . .

Kid-friendly Halloween cocktails= big hit

My brother as the legendary Bob Ross.

We had a shitload of kids in our house.  I'm so happy I had a vasectomy. . .

After an hour or so of inside craziness, the kids began running laps around the house, war-whooping like a bunch of Apaches gone mad.  It would have pissed off the neighbors, I'm sure, had not the entire neighborhood already been inside our house. . .

No one knew who this guy was.  Everyone just assumed he came with someone else.

Some various neighbor pics. . .

I made sure to lock up all the valuable - both monetarily and sentimentally - retro video games systems in the back storage room, and hooked up the PS2  in the basement for 'crowd control.'  I knew we'd have a lot of boys on hand for this party, and therefore the usual Barbie and Playmobil fare the girls usually play with probably wouldn't cut it.  This foresight was incredibly successful.

After a few hours, as it got later and later, the adults migrated to our back and front porches, freeing up the living room for the kids.  We dimmed the lights and put in a movie so they could start winding down.  Kids started falling asleep all over the damn place, so this bought us a couple more hours of hang-out time.

Spent.

- Brian