The vampire's cape billowed gracefully behind him as he rounded third base headed for home plate on a perfect October day.

No, it wasn't the World Series, it was a Halloween-themed birthday party with an attitude. That's what a couple dozen youngsters were about at our house last weekend.

Because granddaughter Kaia's sixth birthday celebration was delayed due to the birth of her brother, Wesley, this summer, her party was scheduled on the same day as her sister Trinity's ninth birthday party.

Our daughter and son-in-law decided to just "get it done" all in one day, and husband Paul and I went along with it since our home was party central.

With merely an hour's lag time in between bashes, we pulled it off, although it's a pretty safe bet we won't try that scheme again.

Playing off a successful hot dog and marshmallow roast for Trinity's 8th birthday party last year, we decided to try the same format for both girls this year.

We stocked up on weiners, marshmallows, buns, goodie bag contents and paraphernalia for games appropriate for an outside party — one for third-graders and one for kindergartners.

Though we prefer the backyard for such gatherings, the October monsoons made the front yard a better choice for the occasion; it drains faster. Consequently, some of our neighbors got to witness a bit of the madness.

Pumpkins were scattered around the yard to give the seasonal ambiance a boost. Also part of the decor were metal jack-o'-lanterns on stakes — one sporting my husband Paul's orange and brown peace symbol tie, a nod to nostalgia.

I had warned our daughter LeighAna that she must have several more games prepared than she thought she would really need. Sometimes things go faster than you plan, and you don't want to end up with a passel of kids at loose ends, especially when they're at your house.

We needn't have worried — best laid plans and all that.

As we were preparing to put our program into play, we looked up and realized that Trinity and Kaia had pulled out their soft plastic baseball and bat — and a raucous game was under way. Pumpkins now had roles as bases. A pirate and a country singer were covering the outfield, and a witch was up to bat.

What to do in a situation like that? Give thanks for kids' energy and creativity, and go with the flow. The important thing, after all, isn't grown-ups' plans, it's what the kids get out of it.

Yes, we did play a couple of the games on the original agenda but Costume Baseball was the hit of both parties.

At the kindergarten party, Super Girl made an appearance on the diamond as did Spider Man, the yellow Transformer guy and a frisky cheetah, among others.

Party cleanup took a couple of days, and at this writing our yard still sports remnants of a pumpkin baseball diamond. No doubt the Halloween Birthday Baseball Bash of '09 will be one of those family memories that gets called up for years after as a "remember when."

Though October is my favorite month of the year, its end signals the beginning of the busy holiday season when insanity is likely to take hold.

We might all do well to remember the double birthday party lesson: Give thanks, decide what's important and go with that.

Ana Pecina Walker is editor of the Longview News-Journal.