Tuesday

Our First TrickerTreat & My First Attempt At NaBloPoMo

October went out with a bang...a big bang of chocolate, that is. 

Last night was Halloween; one of many that I have dressed up in sparkles of last-minute ideas, one of a few that the Mr. & I have dressed little wiggling bodies in themed attire--snapping photos all along the way--and the very FIRST one for us to actually partake in the house-hopping ritual with our offspring.

Trick or Treat?

We practiced after nap time and before we left for dinner. First you say "Trick or Treat" and then you say "Thank You." Over and over again...until he got it. He ended up blending the sounds into "Tricker Treat" but it didn't matter much, it sounded the same and got the job done quickly and efficiently.

With little friends happy squeals and the perfect All Hallows Eve weather (complete with a shining moon & brighter than bright stars), we crisscrossed the neighborhood streets. Two babes in a stroller, two princesses, and two Thomas the Trains...accompanied, of course, by three sets of parents.

From front porch to front porch, little voices excitedly recited their phrase...sometimes needing reminded of the gratitude portion...always walking away with a smile from ear to ear. Memories of Halloweens past haunted our thoughts and stories were shared. I remember donning homemade costumes with my brothers and the enchantment of the various fall festivities we enjoyed together. I have visions of making my children's costumes someday...for now, thrift stores & borrowing from friends has worked quite nicely.

Some houses were decorated with lights, some with ghosts & goblins...one with a completed haunted house to get your sweet treat. Our Thomas the Train declined that offer (so did I, I can't blame him one bit...it looked scary), but was eager to take up one neighbor gentleman offering "Mike's Hard Lemonade" to the parents passing by.

J: "Mom, I want some lemonade!"
Me: "Umm...no, that lemonade is not for you, we can make some lemonade at home."
J: "But, Mom...the guy is giving it to me!"

A generous offering, no doubt. He got a candy bar instead.

The bag was so heavy by the end, that it was difficult for the little engine to carry...what a bag of loot! After warming up with hot apple cider at our friends' house, we headed home with two goals in mind: 1) kids in bed, and 2) go through that stash! The boys were tired and more than willing to change into cozy pajamas and snuggle under their blankets. We quietly emptied the bag of sweets onto the counter, took a photo (for posterity, of course), and then cleared out the items with peanuts or that "may have been processed near peanuts"--just to be safe. We also took out the more teeth-destroying candies (laffy taffy isn't so fun when it costs a fortune to fix teeth!), and then swept the rest of his goodies (still quite the stash!) into his bag.

We put on our pajamas, straightened the house and reveled in the most comedic moments of the night. We marveled at our very first Trick-or-Treating experience with our children, feeling like we are entering a new kind of parenthood. We wondered if our parents went through our buckets of candies and if there was really that much chocolate in our childhood Halloween stash.

Before crawling into bed, we peeked in at each of our sleeping boys...their faces turn into angels when they sleep, you know? No costume required...toddler tricks and cuddly treats...those are the sweetest of all. 






NaBloPoMo: National Blog Posting Month. Write a post on your blog every day in November. This year, I've decided to do it. Do you want to join me? My brother will be writing daily over HERE and my sis-in-law's posts will be found HERE.



3 comments:

It's Me - Jen E! said...

We went through the stash tonight....3 bag fulls! Some was kept, some was tossed out (you know the ones - the orange and black waxed paper candy....) and a large bag goes to Mom's office to put in the candy jar. Yet, we somehow still have enough loot to open a small candy store.
I am trying NaBloPoMo.....we'll see how it goes....

JosephJ said...

How generous to have Hard Lemonade for the parents! Our trick or treating went much the same, except Ian's excitement came from being the first one to reach each door, mostly. I didn't think to photograph the stash, but perhaps it's better that I didn't else he have evidence to incriminate his parents for culling his loot.

Linda said...

I like those orange and black waxed paper candy ones...aren't they peanut buttery taffyish? I bought some candy corn. Two bags actually.
One bag was gone before we left for the trip, and the next we ate on the trip, mixed with peanuts. The salty sweet mix was good!