Testing the new 'Hood

Halloween went fantastically well this year. Originally we had planned on hosting a party followed by trick or treating in our new neighborhood. As the events of the month unfolded the party quickly became much smaller until it didn't even exist. All our plans for treats, tricks and decorations quickly fell to the side. Eventually the kiddos and I decided to host a potluck followed by candy getting.

The excitement was palpable on Thursday afternoon. With their friends over, the kiddos ran around outside and in the park. Everyone had a chance to fill their bellies with the delicious food that was shared. Aine and one of the moms came up with ghoulish names for the dishes. Some of the names turned people off to the food I am sure.

As it became dark, the parents and kiddos headed out in our neighborhood. Eamon had a bit of trouble with his costume. Without a car to secure all the elements for his first elaborate costume idea, he had to resign himself to his backup costume - Jason Fox from Foxtrot. With a chameleon on his shoulder and black glasses, he soon tired of people asking just who he was. Aine's costume came together much easier. She knew she wanted to be an Indian maiden. We found the costume over a month ago at Goodwill. A quick bike trip to the local costume shop finished the outfit with a wig and fish for her hand-carved spear. Benton's costume was by far the easiest and just took a dip into our costume bin. He was the grim reaper complete with Eamon's scythe from last year.

We ended up at our friend's home where the kiddos sorted and traded candy on the front porch. They talked of the neighborhood haunted house run by youths in the area, which filled the streets with scary sounds and screams. They evaluated costumes they saw and shared ideas for next year. As we walked back home, we decided our new neighborhood is very active and perfect for trick or treating. Plans for next year are already underway and involve quite a party and costumes.