Halloween. Connor has been looking forward to it for weeks. He picked out his own costume, was excited about it, and couldn't wait for the night to arrive.
The twins may or may not have been anticipating the night. It's hard to tell. They talk about it at school, and Xander will even say "Happy Halloween," but that's no indication of just how much he understands about the day or the night to come.
Grammy and Pappy joined us on our night of fun. Pappy offered to stay at the house with Cousin Louie and pass out candy in the front yard. The rest of us were going to take the boys down the street and back, and see how things went.
Costumes were our first challenge. Connor's went on easily, of course. He was a ninja, complete with samurai swords on his back. He was more than eager to play the part.
Sawyer was a soldier, and his costume went on just fine, but he kept trying to take it off. And when we wouldn't let him, then he thought it was time to go. Like RIGHT NOW. And he kept pulling everyone to the doors.
And then there was Xander. He kicked and screamed and cried and pulled it off more times than I care to count. And he only had a muscle shirt to wear over his other clothes. It was a struggle.
But once 6 o'clock came and it was time to leave, they all went out the door just fine. Connor running far ahead, Xander close on his heals, and Sawyer lagging behind. He likes to stay close, and as usual, likes to do things in his own time and his own way.
We got up and down the street with minor issues. The boys liked to ring the doorbell multiple time (annoying, we know, so our apologies to all the neighbors). They also were not opposed to just opening the front door if someone took longer than say two seconds.
Connor and Xander had it down. They were quickly looking for the next house with their front porch lights on, holding out their bags and saying "Thank You" after each offering, even if they sometimes forgot to say "Trick-or-Treat" first.
Sawyer was done after the first trip down the street. He was happy and fine, but it quickly lost it's appeal. He enjoyed a big green sucker, which seemed to be the highlight of the night, and was simply done. He stayed at the house with Grammy and Pappy while Josh and I took Connor and Xander on for more.
Connor actually gave out first. He was tired. He was whiny. And his costume was starting to annoy him. I ended up walking him back to the house while Josh and Xander made the final loop around the block.
Lots of candy. The boys seemed to have a good time, for the most part. It was fun to see friends and neighbors and their kids all dressed up.
Halloween is just one more reason we love the neighborhood we live in these days. Almost everyone has their light on, and even if they're out trick-or-treating themselves, they leaves baskets of candy on the front porch. It's a fun, family-friendly place to live ... and to trick-or-treat!
