In the past, Halloween has been a bit of a non-event for us. Ever the party poopers, we aren't usually the types to go all out for costume-required Halloween parties. Our most ambitious costumes that I can remember were a pair of die, but our perfectly flat surfaces proved quite attractive as drink coasters to inebriated party-goers, and we spent the night getting stuck in doorways with beer dripping down our costumes. In recent years we haven't dressed up at all, though we're never short on ideas or grand plans.
This year Aunt Paula and Uncle Joe flew out to Portland to go trick-or-treating with the kids. Since they were adding costumes to their checked luggage, we realized we, too, should be joining in with a little more Halloween spirit. And so we became a gang of cowboys (with James as our sheriff) and Paula and Joe dressed as convicts to complete the ensemble. Though Ava was initially going to be James's horse, she backed out of the plan when she noticed that the horses feet would surely get dirty during our outing. We tried to get James to say "Howdy partner!" or a more traditional "Trick-or-treat!" each time he approached a door, but we eventually settled for his no-nonsense "WANT IT!" every time the candy bowl came out.
