Once more we gathered for my family's Annual Halloween Party over the weekend.  I think it's been more than 34 years that we have been doing this, but who's counting?  That is my little family portrait above.  It would be perfect for our Christmas cards, don't you think?  My husband is a Pharaoh, my daughter is Cleopatra, and I am (drum roll) Cleopatra's Mummy.  I look a little tired, but that is what being in a sarcophagus for 2000 years does to a person.

Eva was Ariel, the Little Mermaid.  She kept taking that wig off and putting it back on, so it wasn't sitting quite right in this picture.  She was feeling the magic though.

Here she is with her cousin Johnathan.  They only see each other a couple of times a year, so they were racing around having the best time.  Have you ever seen anything so cute?

Except maybe this little cave girl riding her dinosaur?  She is standing on her own legs inside the dinosaur body, and those are little fake legs that dangle down the sides of the beast.  I laughed every time I looked at her.

Here's my dad.  At 93, he came up with his own costume and rented it.  He is a barrister.  His wig was itchy so he took it off pretty quick and went to bed by 8:00, but he tolerated the rest of our antics as he does every year.  We have the party at his house, so he is pretty much captive.

So here are the prize winners:

This family came as the characters from the latest Incredibles movie.  They won for "Best Group", beating out the Egyptians in the first photo.

This hot dog won the prize for "Funniest".  He is the daddy of the little dinosaur riding cave girl.  I tell you that family gets into Halloween.

This is Miss Havisham, who won for "Most Effort".  She is my sister, mother of the hot dog guy and grandma to the dino riding toddler.  I told you they were into the spirit of things.  Her husband is sitting on the chair in the background.  He was one of two skeletons.  Let's call him Skeleton #1

Sitting on the sofa is the other skeleton, let's call him Skeleton #2, who to me, was indistinguishable from Skeleton #1.  However, Skeleton #2 won the prize for "Scariest".  Skeleton #1 was bald, so some discrimination may have taken place.

I mean, really, can you tell that one of those guys is scarier than the other?  Skeleton #1 can't believe it either.  Hope he can digest that Diet Coke.  It may go right through him.

This is my other sister, who won the grand prize for "Most Amazing" or "Most Mind Blowing" or something.  Her flamingo costume was so awesome, she deserved it.  She made that costume out of 15 pink feather boas she got for $1 apiece.  The flamingo head on her hand was made from a plastic toucan she found somewhere and painted pink and made into a hand puppet.  She is married to the prize winning skeleton by the way.  And mother/grandmother to the Incredibles family.  Seriously these people have a lock on the prizes I tell you.  My jealousy is only appeased by the fact that she had to go back after the party and vacuum the entire house of about five pounds of pink feathers she dropped all over the place.

This guy must have been a party crasher.  I am sure I do not recall him attending the party in the past.  He just sat on top of the fireplace dividing wall and didn't bother anybody.

Hope you enjoyed the little costume parade.  Happy Halloween to you all!