When there's something strange in your neighborhood-who you gonna call?

Please, not the police. During this mysterious month of October, it could turn out to be someone "booing" you! Some of you may be asking, what's "booing"? No, that's not an angry mob standing outside your front door giving you a thumbs down. It's a special visit that takes place after dark (kind of like the toothfairy) where someone leaves a package on your doorstep. The package usually contains treats: candy, popcorn, toys, stickers, etc.

Our family was boo'ed for the first time 3 years ago. We had just moved into our new home that year, and were pleasantly surprised to find a package on our front porch one October evening. Kate was super excited. Not only did she get some pretty good treats, but she couldn't wait to boo someone else.

This year was no different. We were actually boo'ed in broad daylight (the nerve!). Someone left it on our porch while I was picking up Kate from school. The kids couldn't wait to see what was inside their bag. Here are some pictures of the kids with their BOO bag:

So, then the way this works is, once you get boo'ed, you are supposed to boo two more families (oh, and don't forget to hang the sign up that says you've been boo'ed). Last year, I got smart and hit the clearance racks at Target after Halloween and found some really cute stuff. And since I like to bake, I also included some carrot cake mini-loaves (yes, topped with cream cheese frosting, what else?) and chocolate chip cookies for our bags. Sometimes it is nice to throw in that kind of stuff for the grown ups (we all like treats, right?).

You can make your own boo bags and signs, or you can actually buy them. I saw some cute ones at Walmart. The picture of the doorhanger above and the official "boo letter" below is part of the Walmart kit:

So....we set out last night to boo two families. Kate was ready for stealth mode. She really gets into the sneaking part of it. I wanted to share some snapshots I took of last night's boo events:

Kate is really excited to deliver the boo bags. Aaron is going to watch from the car. He has no clue what is going on really.

Kate wants to make sure I am going to go with her. Bak, bak, bak...chicken!

Bryan said he would assume the role of driving the "getaway" car.

Aaron thought we were going to McDonald's. Sorry bud...

We had to get down really low so that our friends wouldn't see us. Kate gets super nervous about this time. We squatted for what felt like a few minutes until I convinced her to ring the door bell. She finally did and...

...got the heck out of dodge! I've never seen my child run that fast! She was laughing and giggling all the way to the van. How much fun! This will hopefully be one tradition that we continue to do as a family.

So...go out there and boo someone. We promise not to call the cops on you.