Epic Halloween

Halloween was different this year. Unlike past years, we did not have the whole neighborhood gang over for pizza before the kids flooded the streets to trick or treat. In fact, my kids did not trick or treat at all! We heard varying reports from friends and neighbors and community announcements, so we had no idea how many homes/people would be participating. Instead, we went over to Niv Cousins and Taylor Hoang's house for some home-spun Halloween games. I had no idea we were in for such a fun night.

First, I should mention that the weather was fantastic this year. I usually complain when my kids are out trick or treating in the rain (seriously, it rains almost every year because... Seattle!). This year, we had a beautifully sunny and crisp fall day. 

When we drove up into the Newcastle Highlands neighborhood, I first noticed a Santa Claus walking through the neighborhood park. I quickly realized that Niv was dressed up as Santa, and he was corralling a bunch of children for games. The kids were split into teams and played pumpkin toss, tug 'o war, mummy building, and sack races. Niv and Taylor had a wagon full of bags of candy, so the kids were making out with arguably more candy than they would have received on a normal Halloween. After the games ended, the kids were sent out on a scavenger hunt around the neighborhood. Tommy and I hid in the woods at the 2nd station. When groups came through, they had to answer a question about the history of Halloween (Did you know Halloween originated in Ireland?) before they were given candy and another clue. As I said to Niv many times, he saved Halloween!

After the scavenger hunt, we headed to Niv and Taylor's house for dinner. I would guess that six families were invited over, but it felt like a lot of people (remember, we are not used to seeing many friends!). We all brought food (I brought hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls to look like mummies) but Taylor's mom put us all to shame with a delicious stew. Taylor's mom, Lien, lives with them and used to own a Vietnamese restaurant in Seattle. The adults were able to sit down and eat while the kids counted/sorted/traded their candy. And you know what? We felt normal for a change! Oh, it was so very nice! Another family that lives three doors down from Niv and Taylor had friends over as well. They were all camped out in the front driveway, so we spent the rest of the evening bouncing between houses. Niv and Taylor had a firepit going in their backyard, and Tyson and Katie Burris had a firepit in their driveway. Taylor is very close friends with Niv and Taylor's daughter Ella, and Matty is buddies with Tyson and Katie's son Blake. Brayden was running around with Matty, so it is safe to say that everybody was happy. By the end of the night, we were all dancing in the Burris's garage. Oh what a night!

Thank goodness Daylight Savings Time ended on Halloween night and we got an extra hour of sleep when the clocks fell back, because I did not tuck my kids in for bed until 1:15!

Of course, the next day, Tommy and I had major guilt and anxiety about seeing so many people on Halloween. With a trip to Utah coming up, we do not want to catch COVID, nor do we want to spread it. So, we made the decision to hunker down at home for a week just to be sure we did not inadvertently attend a "super-spreader" party. Thankfully, we are two weeks out now and everyone is fine.

I should probably note what the kids dressed up as this year:
Taylor - Halloween morning, she dressed up as an M&M with two friends, Taylor Crumpacker and Livy McClure, for soccer practice. That evening, she was the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. Her friends dressed up as Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Witch
Matty - Thanks to the Netflix series Cobra Kai, he dressed up as Johnny Lawrence. Tommy dressed up as Danny Larusso.
Brayden - COVID-19! Lord, I LOVE this child! He was the cutest.
Annie - Grandma (her dog friends Sophie and Ellie dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf). Annie was the grandma because she is so grumpy to other dogs.

Now that we are entering cold, dark, rainy days, I am so very grateful that we had one day this fall that felt a little normal. Thank you, Lord!