All Hallows Week

I'll get you, my pretty!...

 Have I mentioned that Halloween is one of our faves?  Not only do we embrace it fully, but so does our child (natch) which makes it so much easier to get all into it.  No excuses needed for weird and what could be perceived as creepy adult celebration...We're doing it for the KID, mmmkay?!?? 

Not only was our house the first one on the block to get all bedecked in orange, we've also been counting down how many sleeps until Halloween for Alessandra since October 1st, and she's known she was going to be a witch since, oh...May.  And every time we go to Super Target (basically once every other day), it is an absolute obligation to walk through the Halloween section.  So, we're nerds.  Established.

...And your little dog too!!!

A'course, I like to coordinate with my little popkin on the actual day, so I was a witch while I passed out candy, but as usual I like to sprinkle my costumes with a bit o' humor when it comes to anything extra-curricular.  Like our little weekend jamboree, for instance.

I knew I wanted to work the pregnancy into the costume, and I'm sorry, the pregnant nun and priest is the obvious (and very played out) choice.  So, I looked up "fat celebrities", because why wouldn't I have?

I was so close to doing this:

But then while we were shopping over our lunchbreak one day, shortly after he grabbed to admire a super sexy mullet wig, Cardo mentioned that he might be interested in doing a couples costume.  So, naturally, these people came into mind that had also come up in the fat celebrities search:

Dog the Bounty Hunter and his gaudy sidekick and wife, Beth

Duh.  This is what we were meant to do all along!  So, I picked up another super-sexy non-returnable wig for $3,856.00 and we walked out with thousands of possibilities running through our platinum blond cornsilk-covered heads.  Alas, the day of the party came, and we were so concerned about cooking and cleaning in preparation that we still hadn't put much thought into our rad costumes.  I think we were both just planning on plopping the wigs on and gaining inspiration from there.  (The belly really is an excellent ready-made prop.)

Later, Ricardo announced that he would be heading out to run errands.  I announced that I would be lying down for a nap.  A half hour later, he still hadn't returned.  I'm wondering what in the hell is taking so long just to buy a few two liters of pop?  Finally, I get a text from him proclaiming "Dude, Michael's is awesome!" Like, do you a friend named Mike whose house you stopped by?  Because I KNOW you did not stop by the craft store.

Oh yes he did. 

I walked downstairs to find him sitting at our kitchen table full of beads and feathers (among other things), stringing them into various adornments.  I. Was. Impressed!!!  He actually transformed from being a lackadaisical Dog to an all out BOUNTY HUNTER!! Grrr...

I managed to improvise also and together we became one dynamic duo.  You are under arrest!

My favorite thing about this picture is Ali's face.  Like WTF are my parents so weird?!?

Let the celebration commence.

Neighbors Meredith, Bodie, Anna, and Steve

Elena-Bee

Burt Reynolds/Turd Ferguson (aka Aaron) and Bjork (Angie) in an awesome version of Celebrity Jeopardy from SNL.

The Anondson Coven: Sawyer, Joey, Andrew, and Liza

Two Berts in one night, how fortunate are we?!?  Ernie (Toto), and Bert (Nowell)

Neighbors Steve, Beth, Brad, and Meredith

Steve and Meredith win the contest for best costume change:  Wells Fargo security guard and innocuous vampiress BEFORE kids went to bed, scary zombie and blood-thirsty vampiress AFTER bedtime!

Later on, in another burst of initiative, Cardo (errr...Dog) turned on the Wii and got started with an impromptu dancing performance.  This, coupled with several other characters following suit, made me laugh harder than I have in awhile.

I don't know why, but he looks like he should be some lovelorn Native American on the cover of some cheesy 80's romance novel

My off-centered ass even gave it a try

Cowgirl and Don Johnson tore it up

Bert and Ernie have been practicing together for years

Bert and Scooby: Who knew they were such good pals?

Zombie Apocolypse

As you can imagine, the giant danceoff lasted through the wee hours of the night, and somehow I even stayed up through it all.  Guess the booze isn't required to have a good time after all, just good company.

We spent Sunday cleaning and resting up, and preparing for the big day, Monday.  Alessandra was looking very forward to "for real" trick or treating.  But in our house, you don't go anywhere without a round of photos first, don't ya know? 

Ali wanted us to be nice witches

I wanted us to be SCARY witches

On her way out the door with daddy

I opted to hold the dungeon down and pass out candy.  Daddy took her witchiness out with the rest of our neighbor clique.  As I'm told, the gang either split up or petered out, and our little festive one was not even close to being done.  Ricardo brought her back to the house a couple of times to give her the option of helping me pass out candy, and each time she chose to go back out (Good for me, she acquired more and has basically forgotten about it since...Cue Homer Simpson eating doughnuts sound.)   Did I mention the weather was absolutely perfect for the occasion?  It was a brisk fall evening, around 45 degrees.  Just right to throw a little insulation on underneath the actual costume without ruining it with bulkiness or (EEEK!) having to wear a winter coat over the thing.  'Cause, we didn't spend all our hard earned money on a costume for that business!

Over in Michigan, our nieces and nephews were doing pretty stellar themselves.  Would it be weird if I printed out these pictures and ate them?  Seriously, these kids are so cute, I would very much like to eat them for my 3:00 snack.

Marley the cheetah and Mac.  Raarrrr!!!

Gabriel and Gianna:  This ain't their first rodeo...Of cuteness.

The other little munchkin in our family didn't get much of a choice in his costume, and he's kicked me in the ribs and crotch enough to prove his disdain.  But I love him all the same anyway.  :)

28 weeks and 160 weeks

He is healthy and perfect in every way that we can tell from out here in our cold, bright and dry world.  He is measuring just right, and his heart is beating just right (146 bpms), and he is kicking just right too.  Did you know that if he were born right now he'd have an excellent chance of survival?  (Not that we'd want him so unripe just yet...We need this little watermelon plump!)  Oh yeah, and my weight gain staved off this month again, so even that's right where I needed to be.  No lecture from Dr. West, and I can still eat what I want!  YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I gotta go then.  Cuz there's a pink-frosted Lofthouse cookie calling my name.  Or is that two of them yelling it in harmony?  The whole box?????  Perhaps.