Halloween, Then And Now - Part 1

We've had a few really fun family outings this month, and it got me reflecting on past years.  I dug out the DVDs of old Halloween pictures and man, oh man, has Bradyn ever grown.  I've got some great shots to share, but it's going to take me some time (sorry!).  For now, I'll do the easy one.

 

Do you remember this picture from when Bradyn was 2?  There was a house over on Draycott Street that was all decorated up for Halloween, and collected donations for Variety Children's Charity.  There were parts of it Bradyn loved, and parts she definitely did not.  You gotta love the look on her face.

 

 

What a difference 5 years makes.  Or does it?  That big smile is somewhat deceiving...

 

We started our Haunted House tour Friday night at a house on Haversley, but Bradyn got as far as the garage door, and that was it.  The kind witch even asked all of the actors to come out front so Bradyn could go through and at least see the props, but she wasn't having any part of it.  Kevin went through to see what we were missing and I have to be honest - I'm glad Bradyn was too scared.  The screams I heard as people were walking through made me happy Bradyn didn't want me to go.  After about 15 minutes of trying to convince her to go in, we hopped back in the car and headed to Draycott Street.

 

The "Haunted House" on Draycott is much more family-oriented with fun music (Ghostbusters, Thriller), props out on the lawn and a walk through the garage where you push the buttons on "scary" toys to see what they do.  I think my favourite part was touching the brain (cauliflower soaked in something) set on a head with an open skull.  I'm pretty sure Bradyn's favourite was the bubble machine in the yard that when mixed with the fog machine, created bubbles that smoked when they popped.

 

After wandering around at Draycott for a while, Bradyn actually asked if we could go back to the 'other' haunted house for another try.  Once again, the kind witch asked all of the actors to come out to the front so it wouldn't be as scary.  This time, Braydn practically sprinted through the whole thing (while never losing contact with me).  When Kevin asked us about things we'd seen, there wasn't much to tell because we'd gone so fast.  She may not have gotten the 'real' experience, but we were proud of Bradyn for facing her fears and going back.

 

Sorry I can't make this picture vertical, but this was the 'special' chair at the Haversley Haunted House - you sat here first (and got a burst of air shot at your back that scared the crap out of you) before embarking on your tour.

 

I can't wait until we go trick or treating on Thursday, to see if Bradyn still gets freaked out by the odd house that's all decorated up.  I think it's the spooky music that does it to her....