Our First Trick-or-Treat

Today we took the boys trick-or-treating at our local mall. Both boys have a cold this week (again!), so we couldn't make it to our playgroup's Halloween party this morning. By the afternoon, everyone was feeling much better, so Daddy came home early and we once again brought out the costumes. Lucas picked his up right away and demonstrated his characteristic lack of patience by immediately trying to rip his shirt off so that he could get his racecar driver costume on. I was so happy to see him so excited. When I asked him what he was dressed as, he said "Car...in...fast." That about sums it up.

Ethan, on the other hand, was ambivalent about his costume until he saw the dreaded bandana. He said "Neck...no!" When I asked him what he was dressed as, he answered "Train...guy...all aboard!" There you have it.

Lucy even got in on the act, dressed in her Vikings costume. Clearly she is hoping the Vikings beat the Chargers this weekend. Good girl!




As we headed out to the mall, we gave them pumpkins to trick-or-treat with, and these were a big hit.



Once at the mall, the trick-or-treating frenzy began. This might be a good time to mention that I have had an insatiable sweet tooth ever since these kids were born. I try my best to control it, but there are special occasions on which I just let myself give in to my cravings. Halloween is definitely one of them. Weekdays are another. Anyway, I suppose the frenzy was all mine. The idea of sending out two totally unsuspecting, adorable toddlers to collect candy that they couldn't possibly yet eat, only to have it handed over to Mommy at the end of the day, was thrilling. Is this manipulative? Maybe, but since I've been covered in their snot for the last few days, I consider us all even.

But I digress. Noah escorted Lucas into his first store, and although slightly confused at first, he got the idea right away. Just go in, look cute, and someone gives you something. Sweet! The only part he didn't understand was that he could keep the candy in the pumpkin. He chose instead to let Daddy carry the pumpkin while Lucas held onto his loot (hard to make it out in the pic, but that is a candy bar in one hand and a sucker in the other).



Ethan was suspicious of this scene from the beginning.



He didn't understand why he was being encouraged to go into stores he has previously been told not to go into. Once in the store, someone would drop something into his pumpkin. This was not okay. At the first store, he just fished the sucker out, gave it back to the lady, and left. By the next store, he just outright told the guy "No," rather than "Trick-or- Treat," which by way, Lucas was mastering as he sped in and out of stores gathering candy. By the third store, Ethan had had enough. When the guy approached him with the candy, Ethan just burst into tears. That was the end of trick-or-treating for Ethan.

At the end of the day, Lucas made out like a bandit, beaming from his carseat as he grasped half a dozen suckers. Ethan was just glad to be heading home, and Mommy writes this entry on quite a sugar high.