Halloween 2019!

Halloween is about a 6 week celebration in our house.  We start setting up mid-September.  I saw this great idea on Facebook about "Doll in the Hall" instead of the "Elf of the Shelf" and could NOT wait to start this tradition in our home as we are SOO over the Elf thing:)

So we found our doll at our local Deseret Industry and we named him "Gage."  (Just like the Gage from Pet Sematary).  And we had the BEST time moving him around from day to day.  

Gage started off in Max's room.  Max got home late that night and apparently wouldn't sleep with Gage in the room.  So Max moved him to the kitchen--RUDE!--he really shouldn't have touched the doll.  He was lucky that he didn't die 7 days later:)

Gage also rode to school with the kids:  (Ethan has this pop-out cup holder middle section in the back seat of his car.  It was as if this seat was made just for Gage!  He fit perfectly!)

Here were a few of his other favorite places:

These we "mysteriously" left out on our countertop...

AND THEN...just when we thought that "Doll in the Hall" couldn't get any better...BAM!  This little girl showed up on my husband's desk at work.  OH MY HECK!  How I wish I could take credit for this idea too!  I actually wanted to keep this doll because I thought she was so beautifully painted but NO WAY!  We do NOT disrespect Halloween traditions.  We promptly passed her on to another house (and parked across the street to watch--we laughed until we cried:) .

It was SOO MUCH FUN that we decided to get a few more of these dolls out there in circulation to deserving families (that didn't have young kids that would be freaked out:) . Many people don't know that my husband is an AMAZING artist.  He created these beauties:

We actually kinda hoped that one of these dolls would end up back to our house but they didn't.  But that's okay.  We'll paint more for next year:)

We once again went to the 13th Floor Haunted House in Phoenix.  On any given day I would take a bullet for any one of my kids but here...they are my human shields:) . Max actually held my hand through most of the house.

Halloween Day/Night:  The students are allowed to dress up for Halloween at Heritage so they take full advantage of this:

Max-Rocky
Tatum-Crayon
Ethan-Burger King Employee

Max and Ethan had big plans for the night.  It took weeks to plan out their costumes.  It's NOT about the candy AT ALL for them.  They are seriously just out for the reactions.  (Ethan even carried around candy inside his costume to hand out to little kids who weren't too afraid to come up to him:) . Tatum still wants the candy and went out with a friend just for this reason--she was a "Plague Doctor."

Max and Friends

Then the Branch Missionaries asked Max to come for a "special visit" where all the missionaries in our area (including sisters) would be.  Max of course was on board.  Ethan drove him over there and even though I was not there, I was told that he "nailed it."  There was cussing, screaming, crying, a possible broken toe from trying to run away (turned out to be just a bad sprain thank goodness:) It was a PERFECT way for Max to wrap up his favorite night of the year:)