.: Pinata, Ghosts, Mummies...and Grandparents.

I went a little crazy with Halloween this year - I'm not sure what got into me, but I think I was inspired by a special Halloween-themed magazine that had so many adorable ideas, I wanted to try them out. I also made the mistake of saying, "Hm, maybe we should have a Halloween party" in the company of my 5-year old, so at that point, I was committed. Anyway, here is a small sample of my crafty-ness:

"Ghost Mashed Potatoes:

"Witches Brooms cookies and Monster fruit"

"Mummy juice"

"Zombie Fingers" (PB+J sandwiches)

I think I'm most proud of the Bat Pinata I made - it took 6 days to make it! We had about 22 kids at the party, so, unfortunately, they didn't all get a chance to whack the bat since Callum gave it the final bash.

I transformed the downstairs playroom into a "Spooky Room". I had my nephews help out by playing certain parts. First there was the Potions master (jars filled with beans, coloured water, plastic toy insects, and a 'cauldron' with a 'potion' to taste-test which was a pot filled with sherbet and pop). Then there was a "Pet Cemetery" (boxes painted black with stuffed animals lying inside and tombstones covered in webs and spiders) and the Autopsy room (a "dead body' was stuffed clothes covered with a white sheet, bowls of plastic eyeballs and a plastic heart, and of course, brains made of spaghetti in red jello). Lastly, we had a big box where "Dracula" jumped out. I can't say there were any screams by any kids, but I did try to make it friendly to 3-year olds (although it still took a lot of convincing to get Max in there, despite the fact that he helped to decorate the whole thing!). I was so busy at the party, I didn't get to photograph it all, but my brother got a couple pics.

Simon didn't want to put on his Yoda costume until everyone started smiling and paying attention to him, then he loved wearing it!

The party was the Saturday before Halloween, so Callum and Max went out on the 31st with our neighbours again, Matteus, Annika and Teddy. (Callum was Obi-wan Kenobi, and Max was Darth Vader, of course).

Shortly after all the Halloween decorations were put away, Jeff's parents, Larry and Inge, came for a week-long visit. The boys loved having them stay with us and it was nice to spend time with them.

One day we took them on the ferry over to Gibsons, to show them Kim and Sven's place and have dinner at Molly's Reach (I guess Larry was a Beachcombers fan back in the day!).