Dorothy, Wonder Woman, and a Doggy Walk into a Room...

Charlie was Dorothy, Super D was Wonder Woman, and Pippa was a doggy.    L had her first school performance and C and D had a parade at school.  Both will be watched ad nauseum by me for years to come.  Sadly, L was one of only 3 girls among 15 (2 AND 3 YEAR OLDS) who were not princesses.  Luckily she LOVED being a doggy (and wore the outfit to nap in and play in for weeks beforehand).  I was so glad to see the sweet and creative costumes at C and D’s school. (Even cuter was watching how much the 8^th graders loved seeing the kindergartners parade by them.  Each kindergartner has an 8^th grade buddy and the day before they had carved pumpkins together.   I think the kindergartners help the 8^th graders marinade in childhood just a tinch longer.)

This year we initially tried to trick or treat right on our block and the next two blocks.  It started out well as our neighbor had rented a taco truck for the night.  And one street over from us is a beautiful street with big old houses and a number of families from our two schools.  The problem? Our kids were so used to having one open door after another in succession, that they didn’t really know how to trick or treat.  The first time they rang a doorbell and the people answered they walked right in the house and just stood there silently.  The second time, when the person didn’t answer they were crushed and started to complain about the time to walk between houses.  So we quickly aborted and walked three blocks up to….

The mother of all Halloween streets.  I kid you not.  The second house we went to looked like this…. There were 4 card tables set up, and   probably 8 people handing things out—and by ‘things’ I mean glow necklaces, candy necklaces, giant toblerone for the adults, and even little stuffed animals (D told me later than night that ‘next year I think I’d like to go trick or treating for more toys than candy’).  They would literally ask each kid “What would you like?” The other houses weren’t quite as aggressive, but there was not a house in 4 blocks that didn’t have their doors open and candy aplenty.  The only downside is that is got very crowded quickly.  A friend of mine lives on the street and says she went through 30 giant bags of candy before running out at 9:30.  

Aside from YaYa falling down one set of stairs at the end, we had a great time. And Goags got very good at saying “Trick or Treat!” and then “Does dis have nuts in it?”

Hottie in the pun'kin patch!

C making butter at our fav pumpkin patch

Take THAT all you jackasses who say "your poor husband" when they see I have 3 girls 

LBD sat on every prospective pumpkin, ostensibly to see if it would hold her weight

Our Work is Done Here 

Making Forts Later in the Day 

Pumpkin muffins from the Pumpkin Patch 

Do I like Halloween?  Yes, yes I do.

Our pumpkins (admittedly, not as good as last year) 

Even doggies get the blues

Yes YaYa, I made these for your class.  Never say I never did anything for you!! 

Because of course 2 year olds are going to appreciate the work that went into these!

Singing at her first performance 

Dorothy and her subdued C smile 

Apparently "Wonder Woman doesn't smile" 

But if you taunt her just enough...

SHE CRACKS!! 

Pre party on Saturday night

Super D playing it cool at her parade 

C never strays far from her beloved teachers

The candy we left out

Trick or treating is tiring

This can be tiring!

Seriously? My children will never recover from trick or treating here.

While L would pick candy any day, C and D preferred the "toy trick or treating." Good Lord.

They came home, tried to give out as much candy as we could on our street, went through their candy, and feasted.  Pippa shoved everything she could into her mouth and then swiftly took the rest to her “side table.”  C and D enjoyed their stuffed animals the most. 

About the only downside of Halloween is that YaYa has taken to licking as a sign of affection, and every time I find her face in a bowl of food and reprimand her she says, 'But Mom, I a doggy for Halloween!"