Tricks and Treats Version 2011

The festivities started Friday night with a treat when we did the annual Flashlight Scramble. This is our third year participating in this fun and fast event where they turn the lights off on the community center field at 7 p.m. and just as the name implies the kids use their flashlights and scramble for candy and small trinkets. I love to see the bigger kids be so respectful and careful of the younger kids and I love that the entire event takes less than 10 minutes. Here are Jake and Jadyn with our neighbor, Adriana:



Saturday morning was a trick, as the kids both had soccer games. We got into the Halloween spirit by adding a little extra color to their uniforms. I can't believe we only have 2 more games left in the season!:


Saturday night was another treat when we got together with our gang of friends from 29 Palms by participating in a Trunk or Treat event at the Niles family's church. And the most surefire way to get a genuine smile out of Jake is getting him together with his best pal Sam:


Mama Kitty with her kids, the Marine and Berry Butterfly:



Here is Jadyn with the flower fairy, Sam's sister Sariah:


Sunday we went to visit Grandma Anita and had the kids dress in their costumes and "trick or treat" at her house. We hope we lifted her spirits as she is still recovering from a recent stroke and subsequent surgery.

That night was a trick when we belatedly carved our pumpkins. The kids each got to pick one design for carving (we have fallen into set roles where I scoop out the guts and Joe helps the kids carve, although we did make the kids each do one scoop of guts. They were not fans). Then the kids each did their own Potato Head pumpkin as well.

Here is Jake doing some carving:

And the kids posing with the end result of our work. What a treat:

No costumes at school so it was a trick to have both kids wear Halloween-themed t-shirts. Jadyn's has a black cat and Jake's has a zombie. Both so fitting of their personalities and what they are into right now. Kuma posed for the picture too. No costume for him though:

Monday, Halloween night we ended with some tricks and treats when we headed on base to Cruz and Tara's house. They really outdid themselves with the house decorations and special effects. We are talking falling spiders, creepy skeletons and monsters sitting up from their graves, a broom that moves on its own, fog machines and scary music. They got multiple compliments that they were THE house to visit in the neighborhood.

Here is Jadyn demonstrating how "scary" the decorations were:

And Jake reporting for duty:

He made it his mission to scare people by clapping, therefore making the creepy guy pop out of the grave. His uniform helped camouflage him as it got dark AND he himself scared several people, adults included because they thought Jake was part of the decorations until he moved. All of a sudden you would hear Jake giggle and you just knew he got someone really good:



Cruz dressed up as Chewbacca so yes that is me getting fresh with Cruz, ahem I mean Chewy. Don't worry. Joe was aware. He took the picture after all:

Jadyn and Adriana (our neighbor) had more fun passing out candy then when we finally pulled the kids away from their duties to go trick or treating themselves. We could hardly get them to do the houses in the cul-de-sac across the way before they wanted to head back to Cruz and Tara's:

Jadyn also got in on the scaring action when she would clap to activate a falling spider. She was having a blast:

All of us after two straight hours of trick or treaters. It was a super fun Halloween night: