Aliante Halloween Party

My husband and I got called to be the Activity Chairmen in our Ward just a short while ago. Our first assignment was to organize the Halloween party. Well, y'all know that is NOT my husband's kind of thing, so he just supported me by staying out of my way. LOL! He served his purpose well by giving me words of encouragement, and doing odds and ends for me, though. ;)

I initially wanted the entire function to be taken care of by volunteers, but I didn't have enough people to provide games (only 7), so I just did most of them myself (14 to be exact...plus a maze). I, obviously, couldn't "man" them all, though, so I enlisted the help of the single adults from another stake to do a good portion of them. They were great!!! It was nice, because parents could actually be with their families, and not be stuck at a booth. =) Thankfully, I think it worked out regardless of my first intention.

I also painted 16 large Halloween-type pictures to go on the walls as decorations. That was kind of fun, because I haven't drawn anything in years (since I've lived here at least). They were kind of elementary pictures, but when you're doing large scale items at a fast pace, that's what happens. It was cool doing something artistic, though. I honestly have not utilized that side of me in a long time. It was fun doing it, even though my school schedule felt like it was suffocating me. LOL!

As you know, though, activities are not usually pulled off alone. They often require the assistance of family. My experience with this was no different. I expected my kids to help pull everything together. They were great!

Brandon did a LOT for me! He stuck by me most of the time, making sure all of my tasks were getting done.

This is him moving his dad's motorcycle, so he could hook up the trailor to transport all of my junk to the church.
He had to maneuver it just perfectly.
Noah was also in charge of some things. I had him carrying bags of stuff to the car. He LOVED being a helper!!!
I delegated Frankie to paint a pumpkin for my "sucker pull". He made a face, and then attached the suckers to it as hair. He was very proud of his work.
Brandon and Gabriel carried in about 50 boxes for my maze. Plus, all my other supplies.
They even helped assemble the maze. However, I had to keep sending (and resending) Brandon to the store for things that I forgot. (He was my errand boy.) He also picked us up some lunch for us. Yay! Meanwhile, I sent Frankie and Gabriel to round up additional boxes, because I wanted my maze to be HUGE. However, they were unsuccessful. They only came back with THREE boxes...and they were UNUSABLE! LOL!!! Consequently, I had to settle for a smaller maze. We made it work, though! (I had one of my committee members (who were called the week before), and her daughter, help put it together too...grateful for that!)

Finally, when all was done, I jetted back to the house to pick up forgotten odds and ends, and to get the kids ready for the party. I gave Kela two choices: renaissance girl or vampire. She chose the latter.
(Hahaha! It's sad that Kela is my only girl. Hence, she gets "boy" hand-me-down costumes.)

After arriving back at the church, I had to scurry to get things set up for our chili chook-off. Our pavilion was locked, and I couldn't get into it until 5 minutes before start time!!! That made me a little stressed, but it worked out regardless.

(BTW, my hubby won the best chili--his mom's recipe!...No, I did not judge, although I did think it was good!)

Once the games started, I ended up spending most of my time at the maze. Here's why:

People were going through, getting scared, and busting out of the boxes. I had to keep repairing holes, giving directions, and maintaining order. I didn't think the maze was that difficult, but apparently it was. People were challenged by it, and getting lost. Therefore, with it being pitch dark, they got claustrophobic, and started to freak. LOL! I think they enjoyed it, though. Their were some who stuck around and did it for quite a while. =) (Next year...I will make sure I have enough boxes for a HUGE one.)The kids had fun playing the games, though.

(I'm sad that I didn't get a lot of pics...Like I said, I was at the maze. :( Unfortunately, the only person I saw was Brandon.)

Then, we gave out prizes (made by another committee member--adorable!) for best costumes. The bishopric did the judging, and awarded Brandon and Carly the best in the teenage division. They were quite the "nerdy" pair! LOL!--very cute!

Then, the kids were off for the Trunk-or-Treat.

At this time, I finally met up with Gabriel.He was a punk rocker.Brandon and Carly used their prize bags to gather their treats in. =)They were a hilarious pair!

Afterwards, we hit the gym again to clean up! Oh, look! I finally got to see Noah! (It was only after all the activities were over that he showed up. He was too busy having fun to hang out with me!)Although, he thought tearing down the maze was super, cool fun! He was jumping all over the boxes, and ripping them apart like a mad devil. =)I finally had to grab him and say, "Come here and let me get a picture with you!" So, of course, I grabbed Brandon too.

I was so appreciative of his help the whole day! But, hey, while we were taking pictures, I had to get a picture of my eyes--only because they were so irritating! The chemicals from the eyelashes were driving me crazy!!! However, they were cute, so I wouldn't take them off. =)Then, Brandon and Carly started ripping boxes apart with Noah!
Yes, Brandon, you are a stud!

...especially because you did everything I asked of you! Thank you, babe!

Side note: my husband and Frankie had to work, so they missed our crazy night of fun! Now we're planning our big Christmas party...