Happy All-Hallow's Eve

A very scary-looking jack-o-lantern adorning our front door, courtesy of Sean.

You might know that I love Halloween.  No "Fall Festivals" over here-- we LOVE dressing up.  As a kid my mom and sister and I often worked on creating the perfect costume for weeks.  In my school days I proudly dressed as the Statue of Liberty, a full-sized teddy bear, Raggedy Anne and Andy, Pippi Longstockings, an Indian Maiden with full leather fringe and baby-carrying papoose, the Notre Dame Leprachaun....the list goes on. In college I once went to a party dressed as Mary Catherine Gallagher, but the real feat was staying in character the entire night.  For the last two or three years I have thought about and worked on the kids' costumes for about a good month before the big day.  I will say, we don't do gruesome or creepy, just good, creative costumes.  I love creating, I appreciate a good pun, and I love getting reactions to some good costumes (you'll remember last year Sean was the Pope... he is still known around town for that one)

This year, we are living it up--- today will be our third day wearing costumes, and I couldn't be happier with so much wear.  So, without further delay, enjoy Groeber Halloween 2011....

Can you guess?

Sean is "An Ingenious Scientist."  (He asked me if Papa wore his hair like this, I said, sort of, yeah.)

And Jamesie, his lab rat.  Poor taste?  We think its kind of funny.  We just hope Jamesie thinks so too in a few years.  We love you.  (pictured here enduring his own experiment....what will happen if I pull off my own tail?)

Eh, I don't know if you want to do that, Jamesie.

Sean showing off his "experiements" (olive oil and colored water), before we went downtown for a city-wide Halloween Party at Hampton Park on Friday.

A few hours later, here are my boys showing off their First Prize Pumpkin for "Cutest Costume(s)" !  The park officials actually added a "most creative" category at the last minute, and I thought we might have a shot at that one (given the judges weren't memers of PETA), but I was actually so much happier with "Cutest Costumes" because its a reflection of the boys, not just my handiwork. There were at least 150 kids at this thing.  Yes, Jamesie is holding an actual rat-feeder from my dad's lab, along with his milk.  

And the next day, this is what Sean wanted to turn his prize-pumpkin into.  He recently watched Fantasia for the first time (he is very into "classical music" and Mickey Mouse, so I thought he would like it, which he did....he LOVED it), so he requested a Mickey Mouse with stars and a moon, and a broom. 

Our other pumpkin.

And just for kicks, Mom and Daddy got to go to an adult Halloween Party for the first time...ever... Can you guess who we are?  Hint, a fashion dream come true for me :). Don't mind the HUGE scary zomby in the back.  Its not our house, i promise.

Thanks to my dad for the scientific inspiration, as well as a number of real-lab props like the lab coat, test tubes and rat feeder (but not the lab rat).