Halloween 2025

 Erica had her very first orchestra concert on Monday! It has been a couple of years since we've gone to a middle school orchestra concert with Mrs. Harman. Her concerts are so crazy. There was a potato sack race in the middle. Erica had so much fun but came home stressed and sick and threw up. She says she was hot and dehydrated. Let's hope next concert is a bit more relaxed for her.

Wednesday was our ward trunk or treat. Justin was in Colorado for work and Henry had a football party but the rest of us went. James took his costume off after 5 minutes so he could play football with the young men.

After a chili dinner, it was time for the trunk or treat. I've never decorated a trunk before but decided to go all in for some reason. I don't know why. I bought some stuff on Amazon and borrowed candles from my sister and platter from Nadine. I think it turned out awesome. 

I'm not one for Halloween decorations but I like this. I had the Coco soundtrack playing too. Fernando, who is installing our windows, is from Mexico so I asked him all about Dia de los Muertos. It sounds like a more cultural rich Memorial Day. Kids in Mexico go trick -or-treating nowadays but not in scary or gory costumes. Instead they wear aspirational costumes like firefighter, superheroes, princesses and the like, more in keeping with the thoughtful and respectful holiday the next day.

Erica and her friends Avery and Ellie. These girls get to go to young women's together in January and they couldn't be more excited.

Friday morning was Halloween! Henry wore his banana costume again. He loves this thing.

I moved my Dia de los Muertos things to the dining room and then after dinner I moved my candle and skull to the window sill by the front door.

James was sick throwing up early Thursday morning and slept all day Thursday. Friday morning he was feeling better but was still so tired and weak. I had signed up to help in his class party so he came with me for that hour.

This is his classmate dressed as Chucky. He was the funniest and weirdest kid. I need to go back and meet him without this costume on because in my head this is not a costume, but who he really is. He photobombed my picture of James and then I said, "okay, one without Chucky."

 

And then he said, "And now one without James!"

After a dinner of French dip sandwiches, it was time for trick-or-treating

Mason came over to go with Henry and my parents came over to see their costumes.

James was so excited to get his face painted something spooky. I think I did a pretty good job for my first time. Sadly he could not stand how itchy it felt and we spent 10 minutes scrubbing it off but didn't get it all.

Henry went off with Mason, Sarah left later to go to her friend's house, Erica went with a bunch of her friends (we crossed paths a few times as seen below), so that just left James and I.

There they are again!

House rule is you trick or treat with the family until middle school. I didn't think what this would mean when just one kid with me. Or what happens in 3 years when I have no kids to take. And to be honest, if James wasn't sick, I'm pretty sure he would have tried harder to find his friends and ditch me this year.
 
But for 50 minutes, it was all about him.

All he cared about was making it to the house that fries doughnuts out of their garage. He doubted I knew where it was but I knew.

For several houses we were the only ones in sight but then we found lots of people, most of which we didn't know. This street had the house that gave out onions and potatoes. The next street the house with cotton candy.

And finally to the house that gives out freshly made glazed doughnuts. This is almost a mile from our house, in another ward, and they don't know us but are so nice. We actually went back for seconds because they said we could. But James was worn out after that and wanted to head home. He didn't even want to hit up houses on the way back, just go straight home. But we did stop at the house where the lady was sitting on her front porch with a big basket of candy because it would have been rude and awkward not to.

And look who we saw on the way home. They pointed out the house was hat handing out hot chocolate. We heard about another house handing out doughnuts and another one, pizza. 

At home we watched "Wait Until Dark." James liked it until the final scene that was a bit too scary for him. Henry and Mason came home from trick-or-treating then much later Erica came home from Delaney's house and then Sarah came home too.