Happy Costume Month!

Isn't it great that holidays last so much longer than they used to when we were kids? I mean, I got to dress up on Halloween Day. Maybe we had a party at church a few days before. But now, wow, we've been dressing up all month!

Deanne hosted a fabulous kids-only Halloween party two weeks ago. Last weekend she and Dan followed up with another party, this time for adults. This weekend we got to attend our ward Halloween party (where Bruce and I WON THE COSTUME CONTEST!!!). And there is no school on Halloween Day this year, so classroom parties for both boys will be on Thursday.

That's four, yes, FOUR occasions to dress up before Halloween Day. And of course, the boys will spend all day in costume on Friday. I have had a blast with all the dress-up, and even though I'm finally getting a little tired of it, at least I feel like we're getting our money's worth out of the costumes. Truly, we always do, since the boys wear costumes year round.

I just have to mention that I love ward Halloween parties, except for our ward being a little less than spirited about it. (C'mon, grown-ups, how hard is it to throw on a wig and a goofy shirt to pass as a costume? Lighten up!) What I love is that THEY ARE ALWAYS THE SAME!!! Chili and doughnuts for dinner--check! Trick or treating, since we all know the kids never get enough candy this time of year---check! Lots of chaos as children run up and down the halls and plow through the crowd in the gym--check! And my personal favorite: local band playing the same selection of oldies with the volume cranked up so high that all conversation ceases and young children cry--check!

I really do love the band thing. Bruce and I danced, even though no one else did. Of course, that makes sense because no one else dressed up either. (Okay, a few of you did.) I would love to hear if any of you have EVER had a ward Halloween party that was different from this--I can't imagine that happening, but maybe I'm wrong.

Finally, look at my amazing hair! Thanks to my friend Annie for making my way-too-short hair look like a poofy, sleek, Wilma Flintstone up-do. Maybe I was meant to be a redhead!