Halloween

First off, let me state:  yes, I am aware it is d--n near Christmas.  So, get in the holiday spirit and enjoy these Halloween photos!

We kicked off the Halloween Season with our annual Pumpkin Patch Trip and Portrait.  The photo session has devolved into separate portraits, only one of which can include a smile.

I should have cut my losses at the Pony Ride,  but Hipster Dad was ruining the shot.

This year we got into the Halloween spirit a new way - a field trip to the Mission to learn about Dia de los Muertos.  The kids' favorite spot was La Victoria bakery, where they made Pan de Muertos and got cookies.

This is also the spot where Brennan was one of 9 first graders to correctly identify what the starter smelled like (WINE), and was one of 3 first graders to give his bread man a chocolate chip penis.

Ironically enough, for all the moaning I do about Cold San Francisco, every class field trip I've participated in has been on a bludgeoningly hot day, allowing me to revisit the joys of riding in an airless school bus with sticky vinyl seats.

The kids also learned about Latino heritage, talked about the murals on the Womens' Building and Balmy Alley, had lunch in a taqueria - where 4 kids had chicken quesadillas, 1 kid had chicken tacos, and the remaining 17 had cheese quesadillas - and marched around the Mission hollering "Let's go Giants!"

Roux even got to go on a field trip - to Grattan!  She's been banned for awhile due to her compulsion to herd running children.  As long as we stick to picking up from the after-school program, when it's a little quieter, she's been good. And Ajah & Enzo seem to have the magic touch with her.

Finally the big day arrived!  Daddy came home early from work, and the kids got suited up.  They were pretty happy with their costumes - and so was I.  Daddy looked very hard for a Storm Trooper suit that wasn't just a picture printed on a white jumpsuit.  And let's not even talk about what you find when you Google "girl's tiger costume".

Thank goodness for Etsy.  Sure, it had to come from Germany, and we were a little worried it wouldn't arrive in time, but she LOVES it, still wears it weekly, and I love that she didn't look like a child tiger prostitute.

Enzo joined us for the Belvedere Trick-or-Treat mayhem.  We only lost the kids twice.

As predicted, Brennan had trouble navigating while wearing his mask, and took it off after a pretty brief period.  We then decided that his costume was actually Luke Skywalker during the Death Star Rescue.  (well, the adults did - that's kind of a meta-costume for a 6 year old)

The last day of October seems to signal the end of summer here - sometimes it's almost like the flip of switch.  This Halloween was particularly dramatic, especially when seen from the top of Ashbury Street, where we retired to count our candy and have dinner with Enzo & his family.  

Good night October - here comes November, rain, the end of daylight savings time, and seasonal affective disorder.  Luckily, we've got an upcoming voyage to sunny Mexico...