halloween happenings...

i've been putting off doing this post because i have so many stinking halloween pictures to go through!
(believe it or not, this is the condensed version)
here goes...it's our tradition to make these oreo cookie spiders every year. it's way easy and fun for the kids...licorice for the legs and red hots for the eyes, with a dab of frosting to make them stick. then we go out and deliver them to our friends (and sneak a few for ourselves)
thursday morning started the halloween festivities at van's preschool. they had a little party and performed some hallowen songs for the parents. it was dang cute.
van decided he wanted to be luke skywalker months ago, and has been anxiously anticipating halloween. jasmine had a hard time deciding between a vampire (anyone surprised?), and a fairy princess...i think i decided for her when i got her this dress while she was at school. good pick mom, she looked gorgeous!
for all you who know me, you know i love a good bargain. i'm not cheap mind you, just thrifty. so the idea of spending 20$ or more on a halloween costume for one night for each kid, just kills me. but i scored at the thrift store...jasmine's fairy dress was 5$ and van's get-up was about 3$ and if you look close, van's "boots" are actually scarves i got at all-a-dollar. so all in all, i was feeling pretty good about the 10$ i spent on both costumes:)
later that night we went to the neighborhood "trunk-or-treat"
fredgie downloaded the michael jackson's "thriller" video and hooked up the car speakers to the laptop, and set it up in the back of the car while the trick-or-treaters came around.
we soon had an audience...kids who were enthralled seeing it for the first time, and parents who remembered memorizing the dance moves as a teenager. good call fredg!
so on friday night (the "real" halloween), we went out to get more unnecessary candy. we very well can't deprive the kids the experience of knocking on doors can we?
jasmine didn't feel like putting on her fairy garb, so she opted for the low maintenance costume...my bathrobe, a towel for her hair, and a "spa lady" mask

the dental assistant in me is cringing...look at all those cavities waiting to happen!
kids still separate all their candy into categories? i thought only i did that when i was a kidi remember when i was growing up, we'd go trick or treating for hours...no parents in sight, our pillow cases chuck full of candy. no one monitored how much or when i ate it...it would last for months on end. obviously i lived through it. my teeth didn't rot out of my head, i never got sick from eating too much candy, or gain any extra weight from the excess. but for some reason, i can't stand the thought of my kids having a huge stash of candy at their disposal. van's candy can slowly "disappear", but jasmine actually counts hers...so i made her a deal. she could pick out 25 pieces of her favorite candy and trade the rest to me for a webkinz...
it was a hard choice, but she decided on the webkinz...a little humming bird named maddy.(good choice little lady:)
now what am i going to do with all this leftover candy?! :)