Halloween was great this year. We were all old enough to start out a bit later, so we got to see all kinds of other kids dressed up. Some were very scary and we weren’t sure what to think about that. (Riley asked Mom to pick him up when he saw a skeleton trick-or-treating.) And some were familiar and we said hi, happy to be a part of a community.
We also talked a lot more this year when people opened their doors. Emmett, who is very into Jake and the Neverland Pirates, kept asking people for treasure. “Trick or Treasure!” he would say, once they held out their candy stash. And by the end of the evening everyone was good at saying “Please” and “Thank you.” Riley, however, took a different route and once he had his candy he said, “Peace.” Where he got that, no one knows.
Each little pig had their own method for picking out candy, too, as no one was familiar with what was being offered. Riley would choose anything blue. He ended up with a lot of Almond Joys. Tessa would take a fist-full of whatever her sticky little fingers could get, not paying attention to color or size. Quantity mattered most to her. Emmett was a bit more interested in what was going on inside the houses then he was in the candy. What sort of decorations did they have? Who was waiting inside, checking out the trick-or-treaters? Luckily, Pop-pop’s street was in full swing, so he got to take in all of the special Halloween touches. He ended up with quite a haul of candy, too.
There was a mechanical spider on someone’s lawn, that was lit up purple and yellow; There were a myriad of ghosts, bats, vampires, and skeletons in people’s trees; there were any number of sound effects, howling, hooting, creaking and cracking; and first thing out, everyone saw a live owl perched on a neighbor’s eve. Everything added to the ambiance, and together with the mild weather, it was by far the spookiest and most fun Halloween ever.
For about two days afterward, we were all asking for candy. We were allowed about 3 pieces per day. Often, as we are not accustomed to getting candy, we didn’t even finish the piece that we had. And after the novelty wore off, we stopped requesting candy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This growing immunity to the lure of candy, however, did not extend to the Halloween costumes. We are still wearing them today…
For a time, Emmett was always Woody, Riley was always Buzz Lightyear and Tessa was always a Princess. But even before the big day, Emmett had tired of Woody and he broke out last year’s Spiderman costume to wear for trick-or-treating this year. Since Halloween, Riley has requested two years ago’s Dinosaur costume more frequently than others, Tessa goes back and forth between her Princess costume and Riley’s last year’s Doggie, and Emmett, who can’t settle on a look, jumps between the Dino, the Buzz, and the Princess. He rather enjoys the tutu. Regardless, overall, we like to play dress-up and we are good at sharing all of the available costumes.
The time change has meant that we are all a bit cranky, and we are getting used to waking up and going to bed an hour later. Give us a few weeks and we’ll be there… Right now we are looking forward to Emmett’s and Riley’s joint birthday party at an area indoor play area. We’ve invited all of the boys’ school friends, as well as some of our other favorites, and we can’t wait to run and jump and scream and eat. We all just know that it will be fantastic. How can it not be, what with all the balloons…
Talk soon,
The Three Pigs
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