Happy Halloween!

Optimus Prime to the rescue!

We weren't sure how Halloween was going to play out this year--Aiden had been sick with a fever from Monday through Thursday morning. He never seemed all that sick--just a fever and a headache and lots of whining, especially since he had to miss school and stay home with Mommy and Daddy and rest. BO-RING! Luckily, the fever went away Thursday afternoon and Aiden woke up feeling great on Friday, so he actually got to celebrate this fun holiday.

He went to school wearing his cool skeleton t-shirt on Friday and got to see his friends, whom he'd missed while home sick. Mommy went to work in her own Halloween costume, per Kaye/Bassman tradition. This year, I decided to play up the round belly and went as a Magic 8 Ball. All day long, I had fellow employees shaking me and asking me questions, and I even had 4 different responses that I could stick to my back. (I did warn them all not to shake too hard--we don't want to mess up the thing floating in the middle!)

Then Daddy picked Aiden up from school and brought him to Mommy's office, where he got to trick-or-treat from cubicle to cubicle. Considering we have about 120 employees who had all been given candy to hand out, Aiden really racked up--his pumpkin bucket was almost full in just 45 minutes! Aiden enjoyed seeing the other kids and grown-ups dressed up for the holiday, and Halloween is a really fun day at the office.

After work, we went home to get ready for trick-or-treating. We decided to invite Stella and her parents, Jason and Emily, and Breckin and his parents, Brooke and Will, for some impromptu pizza and Halloween fun. The kiddos enjoyed handing out candy to trick-or-treaters and did a little candy hunting themselves on our block. They also decorated sugar cookies in the shape of pumpkins and watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" while the grown-ups talked.

Actually, I'm using the term "grown-ups" pretty loosely. While the mommies sat around and talked, the daddies pulled out lawn chairs and sat out front handing out candy and scaring the kiddos half to death. Brad put on black clothing and a camo poncho and crouched into a dark corner of our bushes, waiting for unsuspecting teenagers. (He specifically targeted the annoying teens that show up to trick-or-treat with no costumes and an old pillowcase--a pet peeve of his). When they came up to Will and Jason for candy, Brad would jump out of the bushes and yell at them. He scared the bejesus out of several kids (and a few parents, too!). I think we even ended up with a yellow puddle on our front sidewalk from one poor, unsuspecing fellow! And somehow, in the midst of all this juvenile fun, the Fart Machine made its way out of the closet for a few laughs as well.

Brad hiding in the bushes. Poor kids didn't stand a chance!

It was a pretty great Halloween--friends, candy, and a little teenage humor and fun. It wasn't anything special, but it just proves that when you're surrounded by great friends, its easy to have a fabulous time.

Aiden and Stella trick-or-treating: Optimus Prime and an adorable turtle!

Optimus Prime (a "trans-farmer" as Aiden calls them)

(For more great pics, check out The Stella Stories and Notes from the Fox Family)