Halloween 2025!

We had such a fun Halloween with lots of cousin time this year--that started a few days before Halloween Day! 

A picture my neighbor took at our first stop trick or treating.

Wednesday, the day of our ward trunk or treat (the first day we got out costumes), I had the kids draw a picture of their Halloween costume that year.

Oliver's--he drew a jedi. He told me the arm on the left wasn't very good because it was too huge, but the arm on the right was much better. He drew a hood on the head to cover up the eyes because he messed those up as well. I love seeing all the things he is drawing right now.

Rylee's--she was Elphaba for Halloween. 

Ashtyn--she was a "pink thrifter" with her cousin for Halloween.

And Parker--she was a cat, along with Leah, for Halloween.

Ashtyn and her cousin wanted to do a different "homemade" outfit for each of the three Halloween activities (including trick or treating) that we did. This was for the trunk or treat and they were "crafting queens", so they made skirts out of crafts and then wore origami crowns. This is her testing out her costume right after making it.

And all ready on the day of the trunk or treat!

Cousins got to come with us! Ben was sick and Melissa was needing to do some things to get ready for moving, so I had the 9 kids at the trunk or treat. It was an adventure, but the kids all had a lot of fun and I'm glad we were able to go. 

Leah's face smudged off because someone held her while I was getting the other kids settled with their food and she screamed the whole time and then nursed to calm down.

 

Waiting in line! They did the "trunk" part inside this year to try it (some years, it can get really cold outside). I think it works better to go outdoors and use the trunks, but I know they wanted to try having the kids trick or treat along the hallway instead.

Just waiting to get picked up after their haul. 

The next day, we did the library trick or treating (my favorite Halloween activity every year). The workers through the library, the county building, and the museum dress up and decorate their spaces and hand out candy to the kids. It's always so cute! 

Oliver didn't want to wear his Jedi costume because he didn't "want people to see it" (we have this same problem with any of his clothes that aren't hand-me-downs from his cousin). I had talked him into wearing it to the ward trunk or treat to show one of his teachers, but it was no dice for the library or Halloween day. He wanted to wear last year's costume and I made a little stencil for Parker to face paint dragon scales on, which Oliver loved. 

Time for trick or treating at the library! 

Ashtyn and Lizzy were "rhythmic gymnasts" for the library trick or treat, with homemade ribbons.

Then it was Halloween! After doing a clean up of the house, we let the kids play their 2DS's in the morning. Then they spent the afternoon playing outside (Ashtyn went over to Lizzy's to start getting ready) while I made muffins and caramel apples in the kitchen. We did our traditional jack-o-lantern pizza and soup for dinner before trick or treating. 

We added scales to Oliver's hands for Halloween (he really wanted it and it turned out cute). 

The girls love Wicked and Ashtyn had Rylee memorize this line from it. She walked around telling everyone 😂

Two little kittens. Parker was most excited to get to face paint Leah (she has a face paint set and was in charge of all the face painting for Halloween this year). 

And pink thrifters, complete with pink hair!

We didn't have a theme this year, but the kids all loved their costumes and had fun dressing up.

Little Dainley! 

We had a fun trick or treat crew this year with lots of cousins and one of the girls' friends. The older kids ran ahead and got in as many houses as they could while the rest of us followed a lot slower with the younger kids. Our street is a lot of fun for trick or treating--most of the houses give out candy and there are always a lot of families out trick or treating. One house does homemade fry donuts and another house gives out hot chocolate and hot dogs. There are quite a few houses with fun decorations at their house and more than a couple with king size candy bars. 

We loved having Chris and Ashley with their new baby join us! And (not pictured) Ben's youngest sister with her little family as well, in addition to the cousins that are the girls' ages that normally join us. 

The little boys 🩷 they are all within a few months of each other and were so cute trick or treating together. Oliver would run up to the house and immediately yell "trick or treat" as loud as he could. Once I taught him that he was supposed to ring the doorbell, he'd run up, push the doorbell, and then yell it (before they answered the door). It was so cute, I'm wishing I had gotten a video of it. 

Leah stayed him with Ben to pass out candy. After trick or treating (it was actually really nice weather this year and we started early enough that it wasn't really dark by the time we were done, which was extra nice), we loaded up and went to trick or treat at Ben's parent' house (I was so sad to not trick or treat at his grandma's house this year, since she passed away this last spring). Then it was home to go through candy! The kids organized and counted their candy this year because they wanted to graph it. Then they picked candy to go in their bags and the rest went to the Switch Witch. 

We did clay for the Switch Witch this year. The kids liked it, but they didn't spend as much time on it as they have other things we've done in past years. 

We spent the morning after Halloween playing with clay and eating candy, and then spent the afternoon playing with cousins outside and enjoying the nice weather. 

It was a wonderful Halloween! I love and cherish these holiday experiences and fun memories with my kids while they are young.