Halloween, the real thing

We started Halloween out with our last scrimmage for the season Soccer has been great, Alyosha loved it and was really into it.  Too bad they don’t do soccer in the spring for 5 year olds—only t-ball.  I think he will like it too, though. Alyosha scored 5 goals in his last game!

Niki went as a little Russian for Halloween.  I can’t believe that Luka was wearing this outfit only 2 years ago.  Luka is so big now. Look at those beautiful little teeth! He has 6.

Alyosha and his friend Amelia, apparently the bad witch in this picture.  Thank you Anna and Peter for hosting the pot-luck every year…we love seeing the kids grow together and have fun each year.

We ran into  some other musketeers while we were out trick-or-treating.  It was a gorgeous night so there were plenty of kids going house to house in the neighborhood.  With these three lady musketeers and D’artanion to finish the set, they were perfect. 

Of course Niki didn’t  go trick or treating for candy, but he did make the entire walk up and down the streets in support of his brother’s candy quest.  Next year when we have 3 trick-or-treaters, we will have so much candy it will probably last the rest of the year!

Here is our bunch of kids as organized as they could be for a group picture.  14 kids makes for a crazy but fun house.  14 kids on the hunt for candy means that the parents better have their running shoes on to keep up.

This is the view from inside the house when the kids knock on the door and take turns saying trick-or-treat.  We were like a bus load of kids traveling house to house, but luckily the homes in the neighborhood are prepared for such a crowd and nearly every house is welcoming.

Luka is our construction worker.  By the end of the hunt he was used to using elbows to push his way down the crowded stairs and not too spooked out by the houses with teenagers trying to scare the little kids.

Here are the boys and their haul.  Two full pumpkins and 90% of it was chocolate!  Yeah for us!

Happy Halloween!

Pre-Halloween

Friday before Halloween and we went to the Halloween parade at Chapman. All the kids dressed up—and teachers too. Alyosha is D'artagnan and Luka is a construction worker.

Here is his teacher and the class on parade for the whole school and parents to see. It was a big day for everyone—so exciting.

Abe is a robot—he made the costume with silver duct tape. D'artagnan’s beard and mustache look real and really cute. Construction worker on a swing.

Alyosha made a black cat at school today with his special friend (that was me…) It had to have a D'artagnan hat and I was the helper friend. Then all the kids at Alyosha’s table wanted me to be their official cutter.

Niki the happy Russian.

Trick or Treat

Alyosha practiced and practiced his Halloween poem. He couldn't even sleep the night before--he woke up with his story that he didn't sleep at all the whole night. He was just laying there with his eyes open saying to himself that morning is almost here! Morning is almost here!

So, without further ado, Alyosha's poem:

Trick or Treat
Smell my feet
Give me something good to eat
If you don't
I don't care
I will belly flop you everywhere...

click here for more pictures

Halloween 2007

Luka was going to be a Ladybug for Halloween (like Alyosha his first Halloween) but I donated the costume!! So to my last minute surprise I had to come up with something different. Maybe it wasn't too much of a stretch, but Luka went as a little Russian boy. Alyosha is old enough to pick out his own costume--and his creativity is unlimited! Everything he saw he wanted to be, as long as it was mean, mad, scary, flew and had a sword! He ended up being a Scary Superhero Monster Cowboy. The Darth Vader mask didn't last too long when he realized that he couldn't see the candy bowl when he had it on (it also hindered his running ability from house to house.) Let me tell you that from the anticipation of Trick or Treating, Alyosha didn't eat anything all day long! We had a good time and Al got a ton of candy--mostly chocolate this year!! Yeah for us!

click for more pictures

For true halloween-kids-party-lovers here is a full set of pictures

Happy Halloween

click for more pictures
I wanted to get the pictures from yesterday, Halloween, up for everyone to see! Sorry for the lack of storytelling about what is going on in each picture. Check back a little later--and we will add it! Enjoy the pictures for now!