Halloween To-Do List, 2012

1. Make unicorn costume
2. Convince Jack to dress up for Halloween this year
3. Learn that the blue Power Ranger costume is impossible to come by and explain this to Jack
4. Brave Target in order to let Jack pick out a different costume
5. Take out a second mortgage in order to afford fancy Star Wars Clone Trooper costume, which fits as if approximately 4 sizes too big
6. Invent book character costume for Anna's school, since that's how they celebrate Halloween. Mutter under breath about having to come up with 2 Halloween costumes for her this year
7. Rejoice in fact that we had an easy book character costume solution already in the dress-up box
8. Reason with unreasonable children about why they can't have candy for breakfast
9. Go to neighborhood across the street's brilliant night-before-Halloween trick or treating event
10. Shake head as Jack wears his rejected Halloween costume from last year to this event
11. Threaten my children with no candy ever again, in exchange for general good behavior and compliance
12. Try to reason with sugar-intoxicated children that no, you can't have 2 more pieces of candy at bedtime
13. Attend 2 different school parades, within an hour of one another
14. Let Jack have candy during Anna's parade, just to leverage good behavior
15. Shake head as Jack chooses never-before regarded, hand-me-down pirate costume to wear for his school parade and party
16. Take loads of bad pictures at each parade
17. Become astounded at the amount of sugar that my kids are consuming 
18. Become astounded (and slightly ill) at the amount of sugar that I'm consuming
19. Get children dressed up again on Halloween evening to trick or treat and attend neighborhood block party
20. Argue with children that no, they can't have loads of candy before we even go trick or treating--you'll be getting enough candy before the night is through!
21. Shake head at Jack's last-minute decision to incorporate bent-up ninja sword into his Clone Trooper ensemble
22. Enjoy nice evening in neighborhood
23. Tell children that, abso-effing-lutely NOT, can you have candy at 6:35 a.m. on November 1.
24. (Repeat above every 15 minutes until time for school)
25. Quietly and unceremoniously discard most of Halloween candy while unsuspecting children are at school 
26. Officially declare loudly and to no one in particular that Halloween is my least-favorite holiday
27. Begin letters to Santa (ugh)

Pensive Spiderman, ready for day before Halloween Trick or Treating

Neighborhood buddies ready to own it (that's my Jack, hiding behind the other Spiderman)

Anna's school book character parade

Costume number 2: Skeleton-Pirate (sans hat and eye patch)

The Mythical Winged Unicorn in flight. Anna is always a unicorn in her mind--at least, for one night of the year, her outsides matched her insides. 

Jack's third costume--a Star Wars Clone Trooper who's carrying a bent-up ninja sword for effect--and the Winged Unicorn