Early Halloween fun

Mysterious orange plushie outside of a haircut place

Halloween falls on a Wednesday this year, and trick or treating in Oak Park starts at 3pm. Rather than worry about leaving work early enough to accompany Zoe and Ada--and deal with the accompanying stress of not being home to hand out candy while they shake down the neighbors--I decided to take them trick or treating in Forest Park's business district, something we've never done before.

We took along Ada's friend from Montessori and it was so much fun. I got to browse a little in some new shops (Knit Nirvana, I'm looking at you!), check out some new restaurants (there's a tapas place open and what appears to be a pork/BBQ joint coming) and bask in the compliments all three girls were getting on their costumes (Hermoine, Merida and witch) and manners.

Interestingly enough, there was a slightly older girl in a princess costume who scandalized mine by snatching huge handfuls of candy from every bowl proffered as her cigarette-smoking mom looked on approvingly from the sidewalk. Ada and Zoe have been talking about her ever since, saying "Tell me the story of the greedy princess!"

Chocolate custard "lipstick"

After filling their buckets with candy, we headed to Culver's for lunch and back home for a little playtime before Ada's buddy was picked up.

Then Zoe headed off to a playdate at a neighbor's house and Ada and I ran some errands. She'd decided, while playing dress-up with her friend in the basement, that she wanted to change costumes before the Montessori school Harvest Party. She put on Zoe's old "Vampirella" dress and I picked up some face paint in Downtown Oak Park to complete the look.

Ada and another of her BFFs

Around 4pm, we headed to the party in the school gym. Zoe was still Hermoine, but Ada was a spooky "vampire-witch." I wore my elaborate baroness dress from a couple of years ago. Where was Josh during all this fun? He was going door to door in Wisconsin, reminding the election-weary public to vote (for Obama).

And what would a Halloween weekend be without pumpkins? I made pumpkin soup and roasted seeds from a sugar pie pumpkin (purchased at the last farmers' market of the year) and we carved our jack 'o lanterns (a witch and a pumpkin eating a pumpkin) Sunday afternoon.