Pictures (because I'm a good daughter-in-law)

A good Halloween was had by all (Addie put it very concisely). Of course you're all pretty anxious that the evening will pass without finding out what the kids' costumes were this year, so I'm writing this post so you'll be able to sleep well tonight. After all, you need a good sleep because most of you don't have the Homeschool Privilege that lets you declare All Saints' Day an official school holiday.

Actually, I think it's mostly my mother-in-law who is actively anxious for pictures. I'm happy to oblige her and let the rest of you get the benefit.

Addie and Daphne were ladybugs, thanks to these very cute costumes from CVS. Stuart was a blue myconid.

Myconid. You know, the mushroom creature.

From IceWind Dale, the computer game. Come ON, what's wrong with you? Are you seriously telling me that you've gone this far in life not knowing what a myconid is? Yeah, well, so did I until I had to make a costume of one. Stuart knew what wanted, though: he'd already had me help him with a stuffed version.



Phillip wasn't really into the trick-or-treating thing. It was windy and chilly and he had a bedtime to think about. But we took him out for a little while, dressed in this coat. It has a special place in the Jones History: all four of our children have worn it.



We went around the neighborhood in company with eight kids, one toddler, and two babies. Partly because we have friends who love us and like to share special occasions with us; and mostly because we live in a small, friendly neighborhood with lots of candy-dispensing houses. The Morgans and the Whelans and the Joneses moved in a large, amorphous group, with adults taking charge of whichever children were handy. It made it very easy to see how Mary and Joseph lost track of Jesus on the way home from Jerusalem, assuming that someone else had him.

(We didn't lose anyone, at least not for long. I mean, Stuart spotted Daphne before she got very far away, in the middle of another large amorphous group.)

We've now got enough candy to last us weeks. Or a few days, depending on how well Mama hides it from the kids and herself.

-- SJ

P.S. As we were watching excited, costumed kids run from house to house, chorusing "Trick or Treat!" and even occasionally remembering to say thank-you, I mentioned to Jeremiah (of the Morgan department), "Just look at all this Halloween evil going on!" Both of us coming from the backgrounds that boycotted the occasion.

"You could call it Reformation Day," he suggested.

"I used to observe Reformation Day instead of Halloween."

"Back before you got less Reformed. I guess now you're Deformed."