Pumpkin carving is eagerly anticipated, and this year she was very specific about how scary she wanted her pumpkin to be, drawing a detailed rendering to be followed to a T. First up, emptying the guts. I benefited most from this. Roasted, salted pumpkin seeds are a huge treat for me.
Daddy's masterful carving skills this year (with a full assist from Lauren Jade) did not disappoint.
Then there is the Boo saga. You know what it means to be "Boo'd, don't you? You make a "Boo" sign (available all over the Web) then bring it to a neighbor's house, along with a bag filled with all sorts of Halloween goodies (not just candy - you know, all the tsotchkes your local Target store stocks the shelves with for the holiday). You leave the bag and tape the sign to the door, ring the doorbell, and then run like hell so when someone answers the door, it's a big surprise. The recipient is then required to Boo another neighbor. And so on, and so on ........
Well, last year, we waited to get Boo'd. And waited. Lauren checked the door every day for 2 weeks in high hopes of seeing the sign. We waited so long that before we knew it, Halloween day was here and Norm had to print up a sign and run to the Walgreen's for treats so we could Boo ourselves (shh, please don't tell Lauren).
Wouldn't you know that this year, we had the same problem? Seriously, people. What is wrong with our neighborhood? There are only 2 same-age friends Lauren has in our community. We Boo'd both of them this year. Nobody Boo'd us. Not cool. I even let one of the moms know we hadn't yet been Boo'd (the hint was not so subtle). Still, nothing. So Halloween morning, she opened the front door around 6 a.m. to see this.
Daddy and Mama save the day again. Sigh.
The afternoon of the 31st, my brother Brian came over since he was in town visiting. Lauren was beyond thrilled to have her uncle here for the festivities. She and I then started getting ready. In years past, Norm and I have donned hats or wigs for the occasion, but never a complete costume. Well, Lauren decided this year would be different.
She was absolutely, positively over the moon for her costume in the catalog, and when it arrived? Well, refer to the foregoing times 100.
Meet our very own midnight fairy.
On an excursion to the local Halloween store a week prior, we were on a mission to find me something to wear. Somehow, she rifled through the hundreds of adult costumes and located the perfect match for her.
Then Norm surprised us by putting together his own coordinating outfit. Since we were midnight fairies, he stayed within the color scheme and became:
Midnight.
So maybe we're part of a select group of parents who enjoy dressing in costume to go trick or treating with their child. So what? All I can say is I hear there will be a day when she wants little to do with us and is embarrassed to show how much she loves us (although I'm praying it doesn't happen until she's at least, say, never). In the meantime, we will giddily don matching Halloween costumes and skip with her between houses. 'Cause that's how we roll.
Kindergarten classmate Cadence came over with her sister Lamey to trick or treat, so Lauren definitely had some eager partners in crime.
We then congregated directly next door to gather the troops to begin the fun.
[See, other parents in full costume!! Tres cool.]
The kids were assembled for our traditional door stoop photo (with neighbor Karina and her towhead siblings).
Neighbor dad Randy corralled the masses with his sword (that actually is a costume he made himself for some organization he's a member of, can't recall the name right now, but apparently he dresses up like that on a regular basis with others), and proceeded to lead the entourage from house to house.
We started while it was still light out.
With the kids engaging in their traditional wind sprints.
And continued until night fell and the darkness began to engulf us.
Sadly, we saw hardly any other children trick or treating in our community this year, and only about one-third of the houses were even decorated (if that). In years past, we've had block parties and seen many groups out and about on the big night. I think kids in many of the neighborhood families have grown up over the past 6 years since we've lived here, and now they are teens and going to house parties elsewhere. Boo hoo. I know we'll be in a similar situation soon enough, but we're not going to think about that now. No. Instead, we'll choose to live in the present, basking in her utter joy and excitement over this day, of just being a kid. Because truth be told, it makes us feel like kids too. And we all could use a little of that.
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