Halloween... A Few Tricks & Many Treats

The festivities began with a little trick-or-treating through downtown Chico. Hordes of little costumed kids marched up and down the shop-filled streets during the less scary daylight hours. A good little sport, Rocky, donned his last year's cow costume and petitioned every basket-toting adult for candy in his sweet little irresistible voice. Many of them found him so adorable that they didn't refuse when he came back and asked for more, bearing a heart-warming resemblance to Oliver Twist, though I was a bit embarrassed and attempted to restrain him from this.


Just like the year he was a chicken, random Japanese students took pictures of him as we mingled in the plaza. He joined cousin Eli (aka Batman), aunt Lacie, University of Utah football player Jack (outfit compliments of Grandpa Bill & Grandma Coralie who sent the boys each a Halloween package... which made our day!) and me. Lacie and I, though without costumes, enjoy dressing up and are considering it for next year.

Jack was entertaining. When he wasn't staring wide eyed at his fluorescent sticker or the yellow warning strip in his car seat, he was growling at people. They would poke their heads in his stroller, ogle over his chubby face, then he would frighten them with an unearthly, loud growl. I'm not sure if it was Rocky (impersonating a tiger) who taught him this or Grandma K, while she was here karate-chopping the punching bag. It remains a mystery but proved to be a good Halloween trick from our little Ute.


Sorry Aggie fans ... if we had Utah State gear, maybe we would dress him in that too.


Later, we met up with Rich in the downtown plaza. There were 2 girls dressed as street performers, living out their fantasy with a prepared routine. Naturally, Rich decided to join in.


Later, I tried to cram in all the Halloween activities we hadn't done yet. We made paper towel ghosts (thanks Jaime) and construction paper bats with clothespins in them to clip on things (thanks Martha Stewart... though mine turned out looking nothing like hers). Once the decorations were completed, we began making Halloween treats (I went a little overboard since last year I was sick with the pregnancy and missed everything).


On the menu were frozen banana ghosts, monster jello, bloody toes (lil' smokies wrapped in tortillas and smeared with ketchup), deviled eggs, and other more traditional snacks. Jared & Allyson joined us last night for these creepy treats, sugar cookie decorating, Alfred Hitchcock movies and a round of Killer Bunnies & the Quest for the Magic Carrot (most intense card game ever... Jared wiped out whole colonies of bunnies at a time... he's the master).

Rich and I had way too much cookie dough, so we shaped half of it into a giant pumpkin and decorated that too. We'll just give Rocky the credit for the decoration of that one. It became evident to us that our guests were the ones with all the artistic talent.