our halloween hero

"actually, no, it was daddy who made my costume," liam informed a neighbor after she mistakenly complimented my handiwork as we made our way around the neighborhood trick-or-treating.  he laughed, "you shouldn't ever underestimate the abilities of a dad!"

indeed.  i had absolutely nothing to do with liam's costume; from conception to completion, it was all chris.  i was up in richmond for a girls' weekend with college friends in early october when he texted me from a craft store, asking if i thought we had enough hot glue sticks for this project he was tackling.  while i was gone, liam had finalized his costume choice, and then chris had googled ideas of how to create it, had drawn up a list of necessary materials, and had braved ac moore on a saturday with two kids to make it all happen.  when i returned home the following afternoon, i walked in to find him armed with that glue gun, painstakingly transforming an old straw sombrero into the mushroom hat worn by Toad, the beloved character of one of liam's favorite nintendo games.  (if you're not familiar with Toad, you're not alone.  as spot-on as the costume was, no adult ever guessed correctly what liam was.  but the kids all knew.)

i was involved with susanna's costume -- in the lamest way possible.  we popped into a costume store on a whim back in september, they happened to have one frozen gown left in her size, and i purchased it.  (somehow i think chris wins this round of who's-the-best-parent.)

frozen princess anna and toad, gearing up for their big night. 

 (the picture doesn't do the hat justice -- i wish i had taken it from a different angle)

this had to have been the most perfect halloween night yet for our kids.  it was clear -- no need for umbrellas like the monsoon from 2011.  it was comfortable -- we weren't sweating it out like the 80+ degree evening of 2009.  and the best part?  for the first time since they've been in school, it didn't fall on a school night.  rather than having to rush home to get in bed, we were still ringing doorbells at 8:30 pm.

these factors all contributed to their most massive candy haul yet.  and so what is a family to do when they wake up on november 1st to a torrential, day-long downpour?  when their outdoor activities are all cancelled and they're stuck inside, staring at their loot?

analyze the data, of course.  chris and the kids spent much of the morning sorting and counting and creating an excel spreadsheet.  this is an excerpt of their printed report:

and this is one of several printed graphs (others were broken down by wrapper color and candy manufacturer.  email me if you'd like a copy.)

so from start to finish -- literally -- chris was the hero of halloween.  because liam's right, you know.  you should never underestimate the abilities of a dad.