Trick or Treat!

Inspired by our vacation last summer, these guys went with a Roman theme for Halloween this year.  Brady was a Roman gladiator and Rudy was Emperor Vespasian.   Brady opted for a purchased gladiator costume, even though we all really liked his homemade efforts a few years ago.  He did design his own helmet, but opted not to wear it in the end.  Rudy's costume consisted of a white shower curtain and red pillowcase from Goodwill, tied with a rope and topped off with a purchased laurel wreath crown. 

Mary Emma (Annabeth from Percy Jackson) and Kate (Katniss from Hunger Games) joined us again for trick or treating this year.  These guys covered some serious ground in the neighborhood this year.  Best guess for total candy collection between last night and tonight is somewhere around 16 pounds!

 

Trick or treat, round 1

For the first time since we've lived here, the university had trick or treating on campus the day before Halloween.  We've never been able to make it before, but the kids were glad to try it out.  We were able to get there early and beat the biggest crowds.

Next up was dinner - Mexican as requested by the kids.  Rudy and Memma were so excited to get to share an enormous plate of nachos!  We finished out the night with the mens' soccer game...we stuck it all the way out through two overtimes to still see it end in a tie!

Soccer games, butter making, pumpkin carving, and birthday cake

Wow - we squeezed a lot of fun into one Saturday.  Brady had an early soccer game and played superbly in goal - he received lots of compliments from teammates and spectators on his efforts.   

Rudy had a late afternoon game, so we came home in between.  The boys went out exploring with Oma and Papa and wandered through a thicket of "stick tights"...which was followed by the great fun of removing the stickers from clothing.  

Somehow it came to my attention last week that they boys had never made butter.  This seemed like a rite of passage to me, as I very clearly remember doing it in elementary school.  We made our butter, but kind of cheated by using the stand mixer.

 Next, it was back into town for Rudy's game.  Rudy played some solid defense, but also showed some skill on offense.  He prefers defense, but I really hope he doesn't limit himself to fullback.

The boys had planned a meal for Oma to celebrate her birthday.  Brady made pot roast with veggies and gravy and Rudy made a lemon bundt cake. 

 

Last on the agenda for the day was  pumpkin carving.  

Deep in thought, considering his options?

Happy Halloween!

This year, we had a mime and Calvin (with Hobbes in hand).  Brady decided right after last Halloween that he wanted to be a mime and stuck with that idea all year.  At some point, without hearing from Brady, Kate also announced that she was going to be a mime.  We have no idea where either of them got the idea! I felt like I won the Halloween jackpot this year, with both kids choosing simple, comfortable costumes made almost entirely of regular clothes and stuff we had in the house already!  (I bought yellow hairspray, white face paint, and 2 new shirts; that was the entirety of my Halloween purchase!)

Kate, Mary Emma, and Charlie joined us for trick or treating again this year. 

We met up with Brady's friends Gavin, Joel, and Haden as well.  Everyone came back to the house for hot chocolate and the great candy sort.  Even though it was a Friday night, Brady and Rudy crashed soon after their friends left.

Pumpkin carving

Pumpkin carving is still pretty terrifying for James and I to witness.  Large knives and small children.  This year, we had my typical (boring) jack-o-lantern, Rudy's star-nosed guy, an NBA pumpkin, and Brady's Jack Frost (from Rise of the Guardians). 

Happy Halloween from Harry Potter and SuperRu

No one was surprised when Brady decided he wanted to be Harry Potter for Halloween.  I briefly considered trying to make this whole costume myself, but decided that the cost-benefit-headache ratio just didn't justify it.  He did agree to a homemade wand, rather than the $15 deal at the local Halloween store.  The robe, combined with a tie he already owned and the $5 glasses made it a pretty complete getup.  

Rudy was his very own creation:  SuperRu.  So fitting for him and his personality.  The costume changed every time he put it on:  the shirt and pants were sometimes important and sometimes just whatever he was already wearing; the weapons seemed to rotate.  What was always consistent was the cape, the wand, the mask, and the London bobby hat.

We invited Ellen and Garth and their kids over for dinner and trick-or-treating.  The kids rushed through dinner like nobody's business and were anxious to get out the door.  Normally, our kids tire after we finish one neighborhood section.  Not this year!  They finished that section in record time and still wanted to do our area.


Si, a royal knight, and Ginny Weasley.  Otherwise known as Charlie, Mary Emma, and Kate.  Brady was a little concerned that he'd get teased about having a Ginny Weasley nearby, but we managed to restrain ourselves.

Quite a Halloween haul!

Pumpkin carving

This is the first year that we didn't have any regular ole' jack-o-lanterns.  Even I was feeling creative enough to come up with something a little different with my Mickey Mouse pumpkin.  James, ever the creative one, did a wolf howling at the moon.

Brady, of course, went with a Harry Potter themed pumpkin.  He found a picture he liked and sketched his image out on the pumpkin himself.

Rudy wanted to do Phineas (or is it Ferb?), and had James draw the image for him.  Rudy did most of the cutting all by himself, which was another first.