Happy Halloween!

It’s been a busy week – between a business trip (more on that later) and Halloween, life has been full. The most important thing for the kids was HHalloween Jamisen asked, “Why do people just give us candy on Halloween?” He was confused, but delighted. Miss Lily went as a pink poodle and I went as a Elphaba-inspired witch. I’m glad I didn’t go for the full green face paint because the little bit I did indulge in took quite some time to wash off. I still have glitters in all the crevices of my wrinkles today!

Baby Alise joined us for the fun as well. We are so happy to have a new baby in the family that when Cheriss and Erik bring her over for a visit, neither of them get to hold her because Jamisen and I have stolen her away. =) Jamisen was a very happy Clifford the Dog – though when people on the street complimented him on being Clifford, he would shout, “No! My name is Jamisen!” He didn’t seem to “get” the whole idea of the costume.

The sweetest baby dino and dog hug ever. Jamisen loves his baby cousin Alise. And, we can tell that she loves him right back. 

Jamisen's got nothin' on his Mama though who can't get enough of baby Alise always. I'm pretty sure hugs from Baby Alise are the only thing saving Chris from having to produce another baby sister in the family.

I went full on Elphaba from Wicked for my witches costume this year. Having seen Wicked 3 times, including on Broadway, it was a no brainer to pay homage to her while also not painting myself entirely green. 

Baby Lily was remarkably patient during the face painting process, showing a gentle curiosity about her surroundings and looking straight at the painter. She got lots of compliments. 

We all walked down to Fairhaven from my friend Sarah's house, to do the trick'or'treating that the merchants put on. 

Little Clifford held my hand tightly the entire time.

Lily really got into character, licking random posts...

The two babies, safely in loving parental arms. 

Baby Alise was the cutest dinosaur the world has ever seen (except for Jamisen last year of course; she ties with him) and played along admirably considering that it was cold, she can't eat any candy and she was wearing a tail.

Our entire merry group of candy gobblers. 

Jamisen was a little unsure about the crowds. He held very very tight to my hand the entire time and would not let go. If I ever tried to even step away for an instant, he became unsure and upset.  Thankfully, he had the promise of candy to help get him through this difficult time in his life.

Speaking of candy ... the kids ate it on Halloween night and never had any more of it. We still have all of it stashed. OH! And some VERY RUDE teenagers stole ALL of the candy from the porch at our house as I was putting Lily to sleep. I could hear them swearing with triumph as they dumped the ENTIRE BOWL into their little grubby little bags. I was so disheartened and irritated. Rude little buggers, and in this neighborhood! Dar!

Back to our perfect little children who will never dream of stealing an entire bowl of candy set out for others ...  The kids didn’t make it longer than 90 minutes of trick’or’treating and also didn’t want to walk much more. Thank goodness for Daddy’s strong arms, right?

What a fantastic night, and an amazing party. We are so thankful for our friends who hosted and our lovely cousin who also came out with us. Jamisen is especially thankful for the entire experience since he's never been exposed to that much sugar in his entire life. I'm thankful that day only comes once a year. Until next year, it's back to kale and apples for us all.