Happy Halloween!

After all of the hype, the actual holiday finally arrived. The kids didn’t have to go to school because it was a teacher work day. Once we got past a bit of grumpiness and a few sibling squabbles in the morning, we had a great day. The kids passed the time by playing with their friends, watching movies, and playing GameCube. When Nate got home we got in our costumes and had a little photo shoot. I don’t know if we’ll ever do a family theme again for Halloween, so we had to make the most of it. Considering how reluctant Elise and Abby were to participate, the pictures turned out pretty cute.

Nate took the kids trick-or-treating around our neighborhood and I stayed home to pass out candy. When they got home, Ben and Emily wanted to go out for a while longer, so I went up the street with them. I was glad I got some one on one time with them. They were pretty funny. They just kept saying "This is the best Halloween ever" and "We've never gotten to go trick-or-treating this far before." Emily was the thank you police. Several times after people would close the door, I could hear her saying, “Ben, you forgot to say thank you again!” She was a trooper and kept reassuring me that she wasn’t tired at all. Our neighbors up the street invited us in for homemade donuts and apple juice. Ben thought that was the “awesomest” thing ever. The kids took in a haul of candy. They are planning on making it last until July. We’ll see how that goes.

The funniest part of the night for me was when I heard Ben having a little conversation with a neighbor that we have never met before. When he got to the sidewalk, I asked him what he was saying to her. He was telling her that her doorbell sounded a little like Sister Shelton’s (his piano teacher). I don’t think that boy ever has a thought that he doesn’t verbalize.