Happy Halloween!

This year was so much fun!

Again, we drove out to the Delta to hang out with our friends while we trick or treated. It was a school night so it wasn't as practical as staying home, but it's always worth the drive to see them. They fed us dinner (which the kids wolfed down in hopes to start getting candy sooner) and my boys were out of sight before I even got their pictures. I managed to get Bug to stand still for a nanosecond and Liv convinced her to stop once more so I could get them both. That was it. They were gone getting candy.

 Last year Bug went to a few doors but mostly only if she was holding Mommy or Daddy's hand. Not the same story this year! She went running up the driveways after he brothers and friend yelling "Waaaaiiiittt! Wait for meeeee!" and then when she made it to the door she'd scamper to the front of the group (or at least in front of tall Gator) and say 'trick or treat'. She even remembered her 'thank you's!

I refused to bring the stroller for her this year, she's getting too old for it. She's not good about walking which is frustrating to me (my fault, I know), yet she managed to do the entire loop (a little over an hour) walking on her own the whole time-no complaints!

When the night started off she didn't want anything to do with her hair, but after we bribed her to wear it for just a few houses with a package of smarties she decided she didn't want it taken off. As the night neared a close one of the kids accidently caught her hair while she was on a porch. She was so upset I had to go get her and put her hair back on. The lady handing out candy came down and waited patiently while we got her back in costume and then gave her two pieces of candy for her efforts. I didn't realize she hadn't gotten her candy yet but I thought it was awfully sweet of the lady to be so patient.

Last year our biggest giggle came from a very large black cat that goes over the walk way (you walk up between it's legs) and it tilts its head from side to side. I don't know why I keep forgetting to take a picture but it looks like this one only standing up and obviously bigger. Last year Bug wouldn't even let us go near the house. This year she charged on towards the door. Until she caught sight of the kitty and then she stopped dead in her tracks. She decided she didn't like it's face and didn't want to walk under it even if she held Daddy's hand and even after her brothers did it just fine.

 I noticed there was another smaller path away from the cat coming off the garage and asked her if she still wanted to get candy from that house. I walked with her up to the door (she liked not going under the kitty) and she got her candy but her groove was obviously thrown off  She noticed the kitty's butt on our way back towards the driveway and she just kept repeating "Scary face. Mean  Kitty. Bad Kitty. I don't like the scary face". Mommy guilt crept in. If she wakes up with nightmares over this I'm going to feel terrible. It took her almost a full year to get over the trains, what was this going to do? Daddy assured her it just made of plastic and not real. We spent another block listening to her carry on that she doesn't like plastic cats and that they are real and scary. Ooops.

Our mini cowboy of the group was not so interested in getting candy. He enjoyed eating it, but didn't care about getting it. He liked the trees, and the lights, and of course the rocks best. Often times he'd hang back with his Daddy while Daddy did some adult trick or treating. That is a good way to make the night enjoyable for all! It's good to know your neighbors so well!

The kids all ended up with full buckets. Gator kept me on my own sugar high of almond joys while Hyde spent the entire night practicing eating and walking at the same time. I'm genuinely surprised he didn't have the worst stomach ache this morning.

Of course I can't post my blurry pictures if I'm not going to post a picture of the handsome cowboy in his chaps! I'm hoping to catch the boys in their costumes later so I have evidence of Gator the Pirate and Hyde the *Inja* (what Bug calls it!).