Our little monsters

Halloween was fun this year now that the kids have figured out why the heck I make them shuffle down the street in the dark wearing bulky, scratchy costumes. Last year we had to do alot more guiding and coaxing and I remember J wanting to sit down after each house to eat the candy he had just been given. This year we moved more quickly and they kept asking if we could go to another house. We talked about saying thank you, no matter what treat they received (I remember those loathsome popcorn balls from the 70s...) and how to wait patiently for the kids in front of us to finish. They did really well until the last few houses when L's shoes began to make her feet swell up.

I had considered doing another family theme, but each of the kids is really becoming their own little person now and their tastes have gone in such different directions since last year. It felt much better to allow them to choose their own this time around. I was very thankful that the boys chose to wear costumes I had bought last year on clearance after Halloween. M looks so silly with the over-inflated Spiderman muscles, but he loves playing the superhero. J has been infatuated with alligators since first seeing Peter Pan, so his costume suits him to a T. L chose her Cinderella gown (her potty training prize) because, as you can guess, all our days are spent around here attending princess parties. It was either that or a unicorn.

I've already hit the clearance sales at KMart and Joann Fabrics and picked up some great play costumes that I'll bring out to combat the winter blues. What are the chances you'll see those in next year's Halloween pictures?

At Grandma's house before visiting Great Grany

Waiting for treats

Checking out the loot

PS. The music for this post - Linus & Lucy from Peanuts - always reminds me of trick-or-treating. Another childhood memory brought back now as a mom :-)