Halloween is for costumes

...and candy le duh. 

Except, if you've been hanging around these parts for a while you know that I don't always feel the need to wait for Halloween to wear a costume.

See exhibit A-E.

The perks of teaching elementary school.

However, I love a good Halloween costume. 

Thinking of what to be, 

finding all the right pieces,

and being able to show it off to everyone,

it's one of the many many wonderful things about Halloween.

Despite how much I L-O-V-E going to Hallow-scream every year,

I'm not a big fan of scary things.

And I usually don't go all out on my costumes either,

not the way some people do.

(Color me a little bit jealous of that level of creativity.)

But since it is Halloween week,

I figured a walk down Hallow-memory lane might be somewhat enjoyable.

One of the wee Halloween years. 

Me and my brother - a football player and a cheerleader. 

Go figure.

My mom and aunt were the queens of homemade costumes. 

I have very few memories of actually buying a costume.

Most were thrown together with hand-me-downs

(that's my mom's old cheerleading outfit)

or pieced together with things laying around the house.

Lucky for my mom - my brother and I didn't stop piecing together Halloween costumes

until I went off to college. 

And contrary to how this picture looks,

my way-taller-than-me brother was only 10.

I was a hillbilly and he was a nerd, in case you can't tell.

College brought on a whole new meaning for Halloween.

Insert typical slutty costume {here}. 

I was Dorothy.

My roommate was a sexy nun. Totally PC.

Sophomore year of college,

we went as Rob and Big. 

For some odd reason, I always feel the need to carry a prop.

A decision I inevitably regret 5 minutes out the door.

This year Robbie and I went as Doug and Patty Mayonnaise. 

But here I'm with my roommates - a farmer and a present. 

Now I have dogs that I can dress up, which is great!

And as only increased my love of "couple/family costumes". 

Call me cheesy, but I think they're great.

Last year we were the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf. 

Roxy and Willow hated their costumes, 

but aren't dey da cutest wittle pigs you ever did see?

~

This year, I was literally throwing our costumes together 

the hour before our Halloween party this weekend.

Things just snuck up on me,

as they tend to do this time of year. 

Saturday morning we had our annual Partners in Education Bowling fundraiser for school.

We bowled a total of 5 frames in two hours, 

which I think is a pretty impressive record.

BUT we tied for Team Spirit, again, and how could we not?

Welcome, welcome to the 15th Annual Partners in Education Hunger LANES.

It was pretty clever, if I do say so my self. 

And because I can't make my life easy and just wear the same costume 

I rushed home and threw together our "Starbucks" family costume.

And of course, because I was throwing together costumes,

speed cleaning my disaster of a house,

and trying to bake this new pumpkin concoction that Robbie discovered

a whole other disaster

I didn't really get a chance to take any decent pictures.

#bloggerfail

I did have time to take a picture with the cutest little owl ever.

And Robbie managed to take this high quality photograph.

(Notice Katniss and Effie from earlier in the day?)

Also, notice how everyone is holding their babies, and I'm holding Willow. 

Yea...color me crazy puppy mom. It is what it is.

Just for the record - the dogs did wear homemade Starbucks costumes.

Willow was a tall vanilla frap,

Roxy was a grande black coffee,

and I was a venti iced white chocolate mocha.

Clever, right?

Robbie was our sweet barista (or whatever you call a boy Starbucks worker).

All I know is he loved having that apron stocked with bottle openers and coozies.

~

Even though, we got all dressed up and hung around the house,

I would love, love, love to combine my two favorite parts of Halloween

(the spooky amusement parks and wearing costumes).

Especially if I could go to one these scary attractions. 

Something tells me I might have to pick a Halloween costume 

that's a little more hardcore than a Starbucks mocha. 

But seriously, if you're brave and love haunted houses

or even if you're like me and aren't brave at all,

but still love haunted houses, go read this article.

And in the famous words of Junie B. Jones

get ready to be scared right out of your pants.

Happy Halloween witches!