Halloween Highlights

As with any holiday in a large family, Halloween was pretty action-packed. Too much to show here on the blog (by the way, if someone could show me how to do a photo collage or slide-show in a post - that would be great). To begin with everyone was mostly over the plague which over-took us this week (in the end, everyone but Jessie, Mike and I fell victim). Tillman did an abbreviated trick-or-treat this year - just our circle - before he settled in, watching Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The other kids went full-throttle, the oldest two trying to set a record for pounds of candy accumulated in one night. As you might surmise, at the end of the evening there was a great divide between the "rich" and the "poor" (one child to the next) if you measure prosperity in candy. In the past we have let the kids eat some on Halloween night and then dumped it all into the communal candy bucket where everyone partakes equally until the candy gives out sometime around Christmas. They've complained in the past about this...but with some effort they usually see reason. This year the kids held a special emergency meeting in one of the upstairs bedrooms - and then came down with a whiteboard and note cards to lay out their "Candy Objections" (that was literally written on the white board). Each of the kids stood and read their grievances from their note card ("It should be our choice if we get a stomach ache." "We went out in the night to get our candy, we should be able to keep it." etc.) - followed by a vote: for the "Bucket" OR for the "Kids". We didn't know the kids could unionize like that. Mike and I felt a little rail-roaded...for about a minute. Then Mike started in about Democracy vs. Parent-ism, and calmly explained how parents had to be responsible for certain choices involving their children. Then he opened the floor to suggestions for compromise. In the end we resolved upon a new official

Halloween Candy Policy:

Introduction:

In order to provide for a more equal distribution of Halloween booty, and to ensure the health of each family member while protecting the rights of those members to enjoy their hard-earned holiday treats, we adopt these rules.

Article 1:

To preserve the rights of trick-or-treaters to enjoy their own candy, following the yearly acquisition of said candy each child shall choose 25 of their favorite items to be reserved in a bag for their own consumption. No trading or bartering shall be allowed after the initial selection process (also see Article 3).

Article 2:

To ensure greater equality of candy distribution, after the Favorites Selection, all remaining Halloween candy will be pooled into the Jack-o-lantern bucket to be shared equally.

Article 3:

For the protection of the health and well-being of family members all Halloween candy shall be consumed in moderation, by parental consent.

Halloween 2009

The crowd favorite at this year's Sullivan Halloween Bash: Casey, Helen & clan as Ghost Busters / ghosts (or Ghost Busters meets KKK)

Randy & Ralphie (if you don't get it, we'll have to talk)

Neighborhood kids... I especially love the sweet Optimus Prime (or as Noble called him "Awesomeness Prime")

Sully in the living room enjoying some Smarties