Happy Halloween!

People often ask us how we handle certain things given that we are living out here on an island. Well, we pick and choose how we do things. We do not have anything forced upon us since we do not have the media and marketing bombarding us with messages about what we are supposed to be doing. Thus, what to do for Halloween?

The boys have been dressing up for a few years now. The first year I could barely get Tres to put his costume on and go knock on the kitchen door. The next year we had the boys dress up and go around to the different buildings and trick or treat with the staff. Last year all three kids dressed up and went on a scavenger hunt in front of the main building. The weather looked a bit ominous so we decided to stick close to the house.

This year Halloween has been a bigger deal. I think it is because both boys expect more from it. I also believe it is because we have gone into more effort to make costumes and get prepared. I made both Boty and Tres a costume. I wasn’t sure I was going to have time as we approached Halloween so I made sure the costumes were completed at the beginning of the month. Tres declared early on that he wanted to be Superman. Boty of course then needed to be Supergirl. Scott wanted to be a pirate. I knew better than to make two superhero capes without making a third. Thus - we have had children trying on capes and learning to fly all month long. Scott’s grandmother decided she would make Scott’s pirate costume. She also very graciously made a second vest for Tres so that he could use it for dress up after Halloween. We have also been listening to spooky music all month long in preparation for the big day.

I found a fabric panel that had a Halloween trio of jack o laterns on it in one of the stores in Bocas earlier this month. Tres and I were so surprised to find it that we knew we had to buy it and do something with it. At $1.25 it was a bargain. I put on a backing and quilted it into a little wall hanging for the kids to enjoy all month. After all - we can’t go to the pumpkin patch and buy one to carve. So we make do.

I checked in with the boy’s teacher to determine if they could wear their costumes to school for Halloween. She thought it was a great idea. So we will have a pirate and a superhero in school today. We will be trick or treating around the lodge in the different buildings. We are having a spooky dinner and special guests. Papa and Grandma are arriving on the afternoon flight. They will get here just in time to join in on the festivities.