Halloween 2011

For me Halloween started with a yoga class (after my green monster smoothie). My yoga instructor regularly promotes both self-acceptance and stretching for growth and change. (Bless her!) Before we got started with the physical aspect of the class she shared her thoughts on 

Jack-O-Lanterns:

Cat & Moon by Carmen

She pointed out that pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes, but share some common traits (insert self-acceptance here). When transformed into a Jack-O-Lantern (reaching for desired change out of that place of self-acceptance) the pumpkin becomes a lantern through which light can shine and be shared. 

Deep stuff for Halloween, yes? 

(Too bad I can't work pumpkins into my Christmas card message - I'm looking for some inspiration there.)

Later in the afternoon I went out to the school for the Halloween Parade. Somehow each of my girls ended up in partner/group costumes. For Carmen it was purely accidental - a friend in her class was independently planning on being Minnie Mouse, and Carmen bought her Mickey Mouse hands, feet, and ears way back in August at Disneyland.

(The shorts were Pinocchio shorts last year, now updated with white buttons for Mickey.)

(Doesn't Carmen look tall?)

Chloe also bought her costume on holidays in August: Alice in Wonderland. 

Well, somehow a Wonderland theme tore through 5th grade this year. (Did Chloe spend the last 2 months promoting the idea, or was it another happy accident? I don't know.) So we had the Rabbit, Alice, The Queen of Hearts, and The Mad Hatter. Such Cuteness!

The themes didn't extend to trick-or-treating, though. Officially in our family there's not supposed to be any trick-or-treating after elementary school, but Carmen *took Chloe and her friend out* and came home with record amounts of candy herself. We won't let her get away with that again next year (insert smiley punctuation here, but I just can't do it). (Though I can do it texting or on Facebook so go figure.) 

(I got smiley punctuation in an email from an assistant principal at school this week - which genuinely made me smile.)