halloween 2011

As usual, Halloween didn't mean just one activity.A friend at school told us about a business window painting contest for the downtown businesses near our new house for kids in the 4th and 5th grade. I signed Erin up and her designated window was at an Italian Resturant. I already had the right type of paint and many colors of it, so Erin drew out a sketch and on the start date I brought her there to get to work. Parental help was forbidden, which was fine with me. She planned out and did everything.

It was clear that we were new to this contest. Other parents set up tarps to shade the painting area for the kids. I wondered why they were doing this since it was warm, but not hot outside. As Erin painted I began to see the reasoning. As the paint dried in the direct sun it kind of crackled, and when she went to paint a second color for details on top of the dry first one, paint would flake off, which Erin did her best to touch-up and repair, but that never looked very good.

As she painted I walked around to scope out the competition. Other kids uses a marker to carefully draw out their often VERY elaborate scenes, taking the whole first day just on this step in some cases. I had no idea that this project would be taken so seriously. Erin just free hand painted some really simple designs, referring to her original sketch rarely. We had 3 days to complete the painting and she was nearly finished after the first, then touched up some areas on the last day.The result wasn't really great, I have to say, but she had fun.

Later on the girls got to go to Grandma's house and decorate some Halloween cookes. Grandma had an impressive array of decorating options for them and the goal quickly became stacking as much sweets as possible on to each cookie, making them impossible to eat without first dissembling them.

At school the Friday before Halloween the kids dressed up for a parade. Their mascot tiger came out for a little rally along with the parents who organized the morning.

Some teachers dressed up as Angry Birds.

Kate wanted to be a Scottish Dancer for the parade. Since she recently got a new dance outfit, I let her wear her very old one, which I got very used and very cheap.

Allison with a boy in her class who I thought had the coolest costume. I thought it was a Swamp Thing, he corrected me to let me know he was a Navy Seal.

Finally Halloween and trick-or-treat came, and not wanting to leave any ground uncovered, the girls started out gathering candy with friends near school, and then came back home to work our neighborhood. -