Halloween has come and gone, but great heaps of candy remain. And sugar-addled children who refuse to sit still.
Last week we asked kids to send drawings (and photos) of their Halloween costumes.
Up first, are drawings by Allison (black cat) and Claire (witch).
And here is an explanation from their mom:
Here are the Halloween self-portraits, prepared before Halloween as part of the “costume design” process. Allison’s is faded because it was hung on the front door as a bit of a challenge to all comers, namely the mail carrier, to “guess what I’m going to be for Halloween” complete with paper entry forms and small box for submissions. Surprisingly, given our low-traffic location, in addition to the mail carrier, there were several other contestants. I’ll leave it a mystery who the winner(s) were.
And here are the costumes in question.
That terrifying, purple-haired witch in the background is, I believe, their mom. Though it might be a real witch. In which case, perhaps Allison and Claire have already been turned into toads, newts, or worms. I hope not, because, as far as I know, frogs, newts, and worms can’t write or draw, and I do so enjoy seeing the drawings and stories Allison and Claire send us each week.
And here is a drawing of Carla’s Halloween mouse by her older brother Joe.
I think Joe did a terrific job, except for one small problem. The mouse in the drawing is not eating a lollipop.
And here is Joe’s drawing of his boxer costume.
I love Joe’s drawing and I love his photo. With one small problem. The boxer in the drawing has legs, whereas the boxer in the photo does not.
Next up, we have a pair of ninjas from the brothers Tyler and Spencer. Instead of sending photos of their costumes, the brothers sent us written explanations. Even though, in most cases, a picture is worth a thousand words, when it comes to Tyler and Spencer, their words are worth a thousand pictures.
First, from Tyler.
Hallo-dolla-in-my-ballo
For Halloween I was a stealth ninja, with red ties. I am went trick or treating at a house that’s in the picture. I got a lot of candy in my halloween candy bag. I shared a lot of it with my dad and he ate it all in one day. But he brushed his teeth right after and didn’t get any cavities.
I have always assumed that behind every stealth ninja is a sensible father with a devoted tooth-brushing habit. Thank you, Tyler, for confirming this fact.
And now for Spencer’s story and drawing:
Blue Ninja
Next year for Halloween, I want to be this made-up person. He has a very very very strong sword and he looks like a blue ninja. But he is part blue ninja and part black ninja. I really want to be him because then I could go around and everyone would say, “This is the coolest costume ever!” I also want to be the same person but green/black with a green sword and the rest of him black.
There’s a lot going on in this story/picture combo. First of all, I have all new appreciation for the importance of ninja color schemes. Second of all, I understand now why three “very”s to describe the strength of that sword. I tremble to think what a four “very” sword would look like. I also marvel at the strength of the blue/black ninja, who seems to be holding up that sword with no difficulty. Either that is one strong ninja, or that sword is made of some form of high-density polymer yet to be invented on this planet.
Next up, we have drawings and photos from the barn gang.
We’ll start with Alden’s drawing.
As you can see, this drawing is a comprehensive affair. In addition to showing her own princess costume, Alden chronicles the costume choices of the rest of her family, closest friends, and a horde of brain-eating zombies. I’ll have you note that almost everyone in the drawing is holding a lollipop (which translates into happiness in the parlance of Alden).
I’ll also point out a few more things:
1) Gabby is not 12 feet tall.
2) I was not a bunny. In fact, I did not dress up. Perhaps the bunny is a sign of Alden’s wish-fulfillment and a clear sign that I need to dress up next year.
3) August really was a chicken head.
Here is Alden in her full princess glory:
Here is Kato’s drawing.
That’s Kato near the top of the drawing. He dressed up as an airplane, although his actual costume did not include the very tall aquamarine hat he is wearing in the drawing.
The foreground is dominated by a bucket of candy that is mostly dominated by lollipops (Kato shares Alden’s enthusiasm.) The bottom right features two pumpkins (that are, perhaps, possessed by the spirits of demon porcupines).
Here is the boy in his costume.
And here is Robbi’s costume.
She was a cornflake. Robbi has an uncanny ability to
1) produce a great costume in 45 seconds right before we head out the door on Halloween night.
2) always come up with something very clever, thus shaming me twofold.
Alden wanted Robbi to paint a picture of her costume, so Robbi did.
Alden also wanted Robbi to paint a picture of my costume, but, as has been previously documented, this is impossible because I did not have one.
Note to self: Do better next year.