Happy Halloween!!!!

My little Darth Vader went Trick or Treating for the first time Monday! We met up with the Shaw's and the Miller's and just walked the houses around the neighborhood (Brian's mom and dad live on Ranch road which is the next street over from Dover). It was so funny watching the kid's go up to the door! Brayden and Olivia are much more out going than Hayden and would rush the door, knocking loudly. Hayden would stand back and just grin. The home owner would hold out the bowl and while the other two kids were yelling "Trick or Treat" Hayden just grinned. A couple of times I heard him say it but he's so quiet it probably just sounded like mumbles! He'd pick out the candy he wanted and was the first one to come bounding down the steps, a big smile on his face, so proud of himself for getting a piece of candy! Every time I asked him if he said "thank you" and every time he told me he did. Never heard it myself but I'm hoping that it's just because he's so quiet!

Tucker did not dress up this year. Instead he wore a Halloween shirt and his black jacket and slept through the entire event cuddled up in the peanut shell as we walked the neighborhood. He never made a peep!

The first block we went to was pretty quiet. I think we saw maybe two other groups of children besides our own. Which was fine - there wasn't a lot of car traffic which was safer for the kids (who of course didn't want to hold our hands) and we didn't have to worry about bigger kids crowding them out. The next block we went to was a different story. At this point it was completely dark (we started at dusk so there was a little light out) and there were multiple groups of children and their parents out and about. Even saw some people traveling by car from house to house. We had gone to only one house on this block when Hayden announced that he needed to go potty in a somewhat urgent tone. I asked him if he could hold it for just a few minutes (bad mom alert!) and then we'd go home after the next house. Tucker had coughed a couple of times by then and I didn't really want to get him any sicker than he already was. Plus with the oncoming mass of children I knew Hayden was going to probably get scared and want to be held and there was no way that was going to work well - to hold a toddler, an infant in a sling, the bucket of candy and a light saber.

When we got home a few minutes later, Jason was hanging out in the front room, stereo on, a cup of coffee in his hand. We gave him a break for a little bit and handed out candy to the few kids that stopped by.  Our neighborhood is a pretty nice place - well kept houses and not a lot of traffic - but we never have many kids that stop by trick or treating but a block over there were lots of people! But not having a lot of kids wasn't all bad. Hayden got to sample some of his candy (which he called his "supper" yet after he tried a small portion of it he spit it out and claimed he didn't like it) and we got to turn the light off at 9 and finish watching the Chiefs game. Or at least watch a quarter of it before falling asleep! ;)