Halloween

We made good use of the costumes I put together this year. Our Halloween week began with a celebration at Homeschool Preschool. The Firefighter, Ballerina, Kitty Cat, and Dinosaur joined our Diver and Dolphin for a morning of Halloween fun.



We learned important Halloween skills such as laughing like a witch, walking like a zombie, and talking like a vampire. We also role played trick or treating so that everyone would be ready for the big day. Each kid gave and received one fruit snack as the "treat." We wound up the morning by making jack 'o lanterns the easy, less messy way - with paper.

A couple of days later, we donned our costumes again for our Mommy and Me class. We joined monkeys, little devils, and several ladybugs on a costume parade through the offices at the school. The employees there were kind enough to provide non-candy treats such as stickers and play-dough.

So, after training and much practice, we were ready for the big night. The boys knew that we were going trick or treating, but had not yet been told that this would result in a huge stash of candy. In fact, they had never even tasted candy before. Their lives were about to change, and they had no idea. We innocently started out at Gaga and Pop-Pop's house, where saying "trick or treat" resulted in many large, very classy See's candy treats being deposited in their buckets. Lucas's face brightened immediately and he began to count the number of treats he now possessed.

We followed this visit with a stop at Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Summer's house. There we joyfully received more treats!

Then we hit the candy jackpot - trick or treating at the mall. The boys caught on immediately and netted quite a haul.

After visiting about 500 stores, we were all pooped and went out for a huge dinner. The boys had been asking to eat their treats all evening, and were finally allowed to break into their stash. Consider that you have never before eaten anything that could be classified as candy. Birthday cake and ice cream, yes. But the actual heavenly softness of nougat, the richness of pure chocolate, the face-contorting tartness of smarties? This was a first. Behold the joy on Ethan's face; the deep satisfaction as Lucas tastes the sweet chocolate.

Almost immediately Lucas started talking a mile a minute and running in circles. He asked for more candy like an addict begging for his next hit. He is his mother's child. Ethan, although quite smitten with his treats, had a milder reaction, like his father might. Eventually we managed to pry the buckets out of their hands and get them to sleep. I prepared for them to ask for chocolate for breakfast the next morning, but to my surprise and relief, they seemed to have forgotten all about the treats. Maybe it all seemed like a sugar-induced dream to them. Bottom line is that I now have two buckets of candy hidden in my cupboard, and no one is asking for them.

Happy Halloween to me.