Halloween Spooktacular

Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Halloween has finally come and gone and I am so over fake spiderwebs stretched across my house and all things zombie! It is official - I am ready for Christmas to get here. But before I hang a sprig of mistletoe I thought I'd share some photos from our family's Fourth Annual Halloween Spook-tacular. We had a great turn out of kids (and adults) ready to carve up some pumpkins, bob for apples and parade in their costumes.

I received so much wonderful feedback from partygoers regarding the decorations, food and dessert displays. Please enjoy the photos and Happy Halloween! (Only one more year before we get to do it all over again - oy!)

The spooky dessert buffet

Putrid Pudding cups

Perennial faves - the candy apples

Sour apple cotton candy

Cockroach cupcakes - adorably disgusting

Malted milk balls

Dollar Tree swirl pops get dressed up for Halloween.

Menu for the night

Overview of the creepy kitchen

Spider pod people - loved these!

Guess how many Ogre Boogers are in the jar (366!)

Mad scientist specimens on the bakers' rack

Specimen details

Abby's playhouse lands on the Wicked Witch!

Pumpkin carvers hard at work

An oldie, but a goodie - always a hit!

Hailey and Abby - 2010

Hailey and Abby - 2009

Julia is Snow White

Baby Lilly and Andrew

The motley crew - Happy Halloween!

Halloween Spook-tacular!

So for the third year in a row, my husband and I have hosted our neighborhood's Halloween pumpkin carving party extravaganza. Every year it gets bigger and spookier and a little bit more ridiculous. I look forward to planning it all year long and have a list of ideas that is constantly growing. (Thank God for the web for tons of inspiration that I can beg, borrow and steal from.)

The party is a colossal undertaking that has me scouring the Dollar Tree, 99 Cent Store and Target daily. I try to get as much done ahead of time as possible, which leaves my poor husband walking around scratching his head as to why he is ducking cobwebs and giant rubber spiders when it's only September 30th. Although it's a lot of work, I absolutely love doing it. And I love the fact that we are creating years of fantastic memories for my own little goblin knowing that her house was THE house for halloween fun. Below are photos from last year's Halloween Spooktacular.

And finally the big night!

Tarting up the tots.

Right before the trick-or-treating frenzy began.

Cinderella and Mullet-Man on the hunt for candy.