The Coyle Family: Halloween

I love Halloween!!! It is my favorite holiday. I know, it is not near as important or significant as Jesus Birthday or His resurrection, but Halloween is so much fun!!! I heart this holiday for so many reasons. It is my favorite time of year; October, when the weather is beautiful and usually w/out record rainfall. It brings back so many good memories for me. My mom always made me really cool costumes and even dressed up with me some years. We would go to school carnivals, hayrides, haunted houses, and trick or treating with cousins. Halloween is also a time that my hubby's artistic side really comes out. He is great at creating costumes and did so at his previous office for several years, now he gets to do it with his family!! I also like that we don't have to go anywhere on Halloween, no expectations or places to be except our little family and friends. Being adults of divorced parents other holidays can be very stressful visiting four sets of grandparents in four different cities, Halloween is just for us!!! Not that we don't love each and every family member, but Halloween is less hectic. And last, but not least, it gives us an excuse to be big kids! This year, we dressed up as the cast of Wizard of OZ. Of course, Kennedy had been planning this for a year. She got a Dorothy costume from Santa last year and it has been a love affair since! Two costumes and three pairs of ruby slippers later the day arrived. She had many dress rehearsals. We knew Caleb would be the "snarecrow" as Kennedy called it, Daddy the Tin Man, but my costume was a little harder to find or make. Kennedy wanted me to be the good witch and I was not sold on being able to pull it off. Halloween Express had a Glenda costume for 60 bucks, no thank you. So the week of Halloween, I traveled to a costume store(lion, but no Glenda), Savers (no luck), and almost giving up hope, I pulled into a tiny thrift store on JFK for one last try and there it was, a puffy beige ballerina dress!!! Kennedy and I were so excited. I'm not a crafty person, but was really proud of myself. We spray painted it pink & glittery, made sliver stars to attach, and Daddy helped with the crown. Kennedy & I made some of the best memories making it together, she was so gitty helping put it all together. We made trips to Party City, Walmart, Target, two Michael's trips, but it was so worth it!!!! Halloween morning, Kennedy was up at 5:30 a.m. ready to go. We started the day with pumpkin pancakes, craved a pumpkin and roasted seeds, headed to Michael's for the finishing touches to the Glenda crown ( which they were having a kid craft time when we arrived, perfect), lunch at Chili's, and finally it was time to get dressed. We went to Trunk or Treat at the kids school and then back to the OC for trick or treating with friends!!! It was a perfect day. Sorry for the long post, but Halloween is my favorite!!!