There were certain things that Jesse Swanson was good at. And there were certain things that he thought he was good at.
And then there were the things that everybody agreed he was good at (except for his wife. Because his wife was a party pooper and was not to be trusted).
One of those things was Halloween.
Yep, Jesse Swanson considered himself king of Halloween.
(Also barbecuing. And while he had never done it before, he thought he'd be king of teaching children how to drive. Although his party pooper wife had laughed and said to tell her if he felt the same way in eight years.)
Jesse had come up with some pretty impressive costumes for his family over the years. He was particularly proud of the year they did the Wizard of Oz- but then he had topped it when the boys dressed as Thing One and Thing Two, and little Molly as Cindy Lou Who.
But that year, the year they had seven year old triplets, took the cake.
Because they were going as the gang from Alice in Wonderland.
"Worst idea yet", Beca informed her husband, as she marched out of the bedroom wearing a black and red corset, her hair tied up on top of her head. "You've had some bad ideas in your time, Swanson, but this is the worst".
Beca Swanson was the Red Queen. Not by her choice, either.
"Mum!" Toby bellowed, stomping down the landing. "tell Jack that I am not Tweedle Dum!"
"One of you has to be", Jesse called from the bathroom.
"And I'm not Tweedle Dum, I'm Tweedle Dee!" Jack bellowed. "I'm older!"
"Is he seriously making that argument?"
"He is older".
"You can't both be Tweedle Dee!" Molly protested, strolling into the room in her Alice dress, waving around her hands. "Can you hold the dog still? He won't wear his costume!"
"He's probably offended", Beca said cheerily, as she tugged the corset tight. "I mean, you're trying to dress him up as a cat".
Even the dog was getting involved. Beca, semi against her will, had bought a pink and purple striped jacket for their dog, because he was the Cheshire Cat.
"Mum". And Molly stared.
(Beca had been hearing that a lot lately, in the tone of a pissed off teenager. She knew that, because she had invented that tone. She just didn't think she'd be hearing it quite so soon in her child-rearing days.)
"Fine, I'll get Rafiki. Where's my hat? Toby, put on your hat please, make your father happy".
"I thought Halloween was about us trick or treating".
"Make your father happy and put on your hat".
"Grow old, not up Tobes!" Jesse hollered, emerging from the bathroom. He broke into a grin, seeing his wife standing there. "Bec you look hot".
Beca grinned at him. "Thanks weirdo".
Aubrey had said it more than once- how did she still have her college figure after having six kids? Including triplets? But Beca was tiny. Her mother was tiny. She wasn't the same size she was in college, but she wasn't much bigger.
"Let's do this, my queen". And he kissed her cheek, his Mad Hatter hair tickling her neck. She squirmed and Jesse laughed, reaching for her hand.
"Is Rafiki wearing his costume?"
"I can't believe you're dragging the poor dog into this".
And once poor Rafiki was zipped into his costume ("look at him, he looks pathetic". "No Mum, he looks good! He looks good as the Cheshire Cat"), they were off, wielding their plastic pumpkin buckets.
Stacie started laughing the moment she opened the door.
"You guys are my favourite", she declared. "Ryan!"
And then Ryan appeared, holding a bowl of candy.
"This was Jesse's idea", Beca informed him, as he dropped a significant amount of candy into the kids' buckets.
"This is great!" he laughed.
"Please tell me, how do you look like that after having six kids?" Stacie wanted to know. "Please tell me that".
"Says the woman who gained exactly no baby weight". Beca stared.
"Ready to go Uncle Ryan?" Molly wanted to know.
"You bet, Alice".
And Molly grinned at him, as Ryan scooped up Noah.
"Stace, let's go".
"You're a good Tigger, Noah", Toby complimented his youngest cousin, and Noah grinned toothily at him.
"Cutest Tigger ever", Stacie declared.
(He was.)
"What did you do to that poor animal?" Donald wanted to know, distributing candy into their buckets.
"Doesn't be look miserable?"
"He's the Cheshire Cat!" Toby said haughtily, and Lily started to giggle. "Come on Uncle Donald, let's go! There's so many more houses to go to!"
And off they set again, Rafiki's gait not nearly as cheerful as what they were used to.
"Trick or treat!"
Michael laughed, as he opened the door to his nieces and nephews, as the last family to join the pack.
"Wow, you guys look great!"
They had an Alice, a Merida, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, a Tigger, and a dragon. They had two ghosts, and Thing One (because Harry was just the right size to recycle Jack's costume from the year before) and a base baller.
They were a motley crew, but they weren't the only ones dressed up.
"Amy", Aubrey said incredulously, as she exited the house, slamming the door behind her. "What the HELL are you meant to be?"
Beca snickered, like she had been doing for the last block (when they picked up Cynthia Rose and Fat Amy). "She's beer pong".
"Are you insane?"
"Yes. Yes she is". Benji nodded.
"You're Harry Potter for the thirty somethingth year in a row", Fat Amy retorted. "I think I'm the sane one".
Although she was dressed up as beer pong.
And as usual, when they had exhausted their little legs and filled their buckets with candy, they went back to Aubrey and Michael's house to crash in front of the Nightmare Before Christmas in the rumpus room (Jesse was waiting for when they were a little older, where he could play something child-scary, like Gremlins), while their parents poked through their candy buckets in the kitchen.
"Seriously, best costumes ever", Benji commented, motioning to Beca and Jesse with his wine glass, and Jesse grinned, holding up his (or Toby's, however they wanted to look at it) Hershey's kiss. "I thought when you did Dr Seuss you wouldn't be able to top it".
"I can always top it", Jesse said smugly (because how cute would a little Pink Lady and two little T Birds look?).
"You're way too smug Swanson".
"Because I know I can do it, Posen".
Aubrey glared.
"Good Lord", Beca commented, and Jesse wrapped his arms around his Red Queen. "Count me out of next year".
She said that every year. And every year they knew she didn't mean it.