this is halloween…

Halloween is a BIG deal in my husband’s family. I mean B-I-G. My husband looks forward to Halloween with the same wide-eyed fascination and excitement that most kids save for a visit from Santa. Store-bought costumes are scoffed at, as my mother-in-law is a seamstress and LOVES to create authentic costumes from scratch. Every year, the entire family plans their costumes months in advance. And every year, they are all still working up until the last minute to make sure everything comes out exactly right. This year was no different. For the past month or so, our weekends have been spent on a scavenger hunt of sorts, with trips to bead shops, wig shops and the Costume Castle, looking for the precise items deemed good enough to adorn the outfits. But it was all sooooooo worth it. The rush of the hunt, the enjoyment in creating something from scratch, and the look of excitement on my husband’s face when it all comes together. THIS is what makes it all so wonderful.

My mother-in-law is a very talented woman, if I do say so myself (flashback: she even created my wedding dress from scratch), and comes up with the most wonderful creations. Her grandkids love the fact that they can be whatever they choose; that their costume options are pretty much limitless. This year, my eldest niece decided to be a fairy, my other niece decided on a flower, and my nephew decided to be a Jedi (which made my husband INCREDIBLY proud). Wanting to document it all, my sis-in-law set up an afternoon photoshoot in the park so that we could capture the kids in their costumes. Wow. Here are a few of my favorite shots from that:

And, of course, I played dress-up, too. Here is me as Velma, and Jasper as Scooby Doo (he has no idea he’s actually a teeny, tiny dog. shhhhhhh… )

Later that night, my husband and I ventured out to Pierce St. Annex for their annual Halloween celebration. We got there just in time for the costume contest… which turned out to be a WONDERFUL thing. Dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow, he ended up winning FIRST PLACE!!! (The prize was $200 cash and $200 in gift certificates to Pierce St. Annex!) That absolutely made his night even better than it already was. And it was already a good night… we love to people watch, and here was plenty of interesting eye-candy there that night. Making our way through the crowds, not only was Tony dressed as Jack Sparrow, but also played the part very well… completely keeping in character whenever possible (with the walk, the talk, everything). It was simply entertaining to watch! Here are a few pics of Tony (taken with the little camera; sorry for the not-so-good quality):

Till next year… happy hauntings!!!