Halloween 2008

Here are a few pictures from last night.

Kaela was a bride--again. It's kind of a joke around here, but a few years ago, she was to be the flower girl in a wedding. The wedding was called off, the dress was non-refundable, and she still hasn't outgrown it. Until she does--she's a bride. :) We added the wig this year just to shake things up.

Ben was Optimus Prime. A transformer. Other little knee-high boys all over wanted to touch him all night. A good choice, it seems.

We went to a potluck dinner at some friends/neighbors' house last night with about 30 other folks. Chili and pumpkin soup dinner in the garage, followed by trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. I took the kids around while Eric handed out candy this year. Afterward, we went to another neighbor's to watch movies and pick through candy. Kaela ended up spending the night there, which means she has now stayed away from home. Yea, big girl!

One final word about trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. First of all, it's nuts. People who don't even live here park and walk their children around to the houses. However, every year it restores my hope in our kids, if that's not too hokey for you. A long time ago, some Mom decided that the little ones should go around at 6:00, followed by the intermediates at 7:00, and the older kids make the rounds at 8:00. For the 8:00 door knockers, some of the neighbors put on scary music and masks and run chainsaws and stuff--but our youngers don't get subjected to any of that.

The same mom must have made another rule--go up to the sidewalk on the left side, get candy on the porch, then back down on the right. No cutting, and be sure to thank everyone. I cannot tell you how much of a pleasure it ended up being to be out with our neighbors on a nice night with well-behaved children. Surely, this is what it must have been like in Mayberry. I remember that Neeny had the same impression a couple of years ago, but until this year we had just done the short loop and turned our porch light off early. Neeny always liked to greet the very last trick-or-treater, and I was glad we did this year, too. None of my students came by last night--that's the first time since we've lived here that they haven't.

Overall, it was just a great festive autumn night. I wanted to take a picture of all the candy, but Kaela about had a stroke at the idea of mixing it together. It will last all year, there's no doubt.