Halloween Parties

Any excuse to wear Halloween costumes more than once in a season is fine with me! Plus I was able to work out all the tweeks with their costumes before the big day! I love Halloween and planning, preparing and partying for it!

Party #1:
Pumpkinland , Orem, Utah

The Law Partners hosted a get together at Pumpkinland and the kids were thrilled to go. There was a pretty good (ie, not too easy and TALL) corn maze, a little "farm", and their favorite; bouncy houses. OH, and the funniest looking rabbits I've ever seen. The funniest was the brown fluffy thing I endearingly called "Ewok." Thanks Wendy N. for taking these photos for us.

The kids with friends Amanda and Katie.

Party #2:
Julie's "Earth's Best" sponsored party.

Cute decorations, yummy food and great company. The kids had fun playing with some new and some familiar friends in the ward. Thanks to my dad's cousins wife (ie, Alicia) for taking these photos. The kids are dressed from the Orient. Jocelyn in a Sari, Cecily in China Town garb and Samuel is a homemade ninja.

Trying to make Jocelyn smile. Typical.

At least she's looking at the camera now.

Party #3:
Cousins party

It was a gloomy rainy day. The BYU game was that day so Micaela was stuck in traffic and the deluge that never really quit. But it gave me some more time to prep.

Did you know that dry ice sublimates? In other words, vanishes? I bought some 2 days in advance, you know, thinking I was doing well with planning ahead. The store people kept in a plastic bag and then inside a paper bag and I took it home (with the windows close, which is also a safety hazard...but I wasn't going very far) and stuck it in my freezer right away. The morning of the party I go get the ice and it's gone! The bag is completely lightless and there are frozen fuzzy crystals everywhere. It disappeared! $4 wasted! I had no idea it would disappear in the freezer!!! Tyler laughed at me for not knowing. haha. So our witches brew was just root beer (thank you Emily!).

I did have grand and glorious plans of making a lot more food and decorating a bit more...but I spent too much time on the internet browsing recipes and ideas that I never actually got to executing them all. A lot of inspiration came from this cool website (seriously check out their Halloween food ideas) and from Martha Stewart.

Handmade banner and ghosts in the background.

Samuel devouring his frosting. Vera, as Dorothy and w/o her adorable red wig.

Emma, the witch. Paul (not pictured) was the cowardly lion.

Jocelyn (with princess dress up over her Sari), Peter and Creigh as Indiana Jones'.

The cupcakes using this recipe. And some cupcake flags, of course!

Place markers found on someone else's blog who got the idea from Martha. I was really excited about these. And the kids loved them too!

The food table. Notice no "brewing" action going on. And that is Samuel's sword. He thought it would be cool to add to the photo.

Horrible shadowy picture, does not do justice. Blah. Bat tree inspiration from Martha.

The table. Pizza was served (and not pictured).

I wanted to make these but ran out of time....so we had them on Monday night instead. These little mummy men. And actually, I am learning that not a lot of kids actually like to eat these. At least, not in my family. Jocelyn ate hers but Samuel opted out for leftover pizza.

Ghost cookies (nutter butters covered in almond bark).

The decorated pumpkins. They had fun with this. 3D, washable, glittery Elmer's glue.

More fun times ahead!