Halloween 2010

Giraffes, tigers and pirates- oh my!  The kids were looking forward to Halloween for weeks, well, the girls were, anyways.  Lucy was dreaming about specific things: boxes of nerds, the "pirate house", carving pumpkins, her friend's Halloween party and seeing Ian and I in costume.  Harper wasn't sure about the specifics, but did love playing a game of trick or treat nearly daily.  She would follow me around the house and knock on doors and I would pretend to see her in different costumes, pulling random "treats" out of my bulging pockets to place in her plastic pumpkin.  Her treats were no more than puzzle pieces, matchbox cars and colored wooden blocks, but she loved the game, nonetheless.  Graham practiced for the big night by working on his roar- a low, menacing growl.
The night did not disappoint.  We started out at a party at a friend of Lucy's- a cocktail party outside, then headed out on the candy trail.  The neighborhood was great with lots of decorations, kids and running from door to door.  We worked that neighborhood until Harper and Graham showed signs of fatigue and then headed to our neck of the woods where Ian and the little guys continued to hand out candy and Lucy and I decided to go for more candy.  Our immediate neighborhood was pretty quiet, we only ran into about 5 kids, but that meant that Lucy was getting handfuls of candy at each door.  "i got nerds!" she exclaimed at one house, where they decided to grant her with another box.  We were treated to green apple martinis, pumpkin donuts and offered hotdogs- we gobbled the donuts up and Lucy is still talking about them!  Lucy's favorite part of the night was when she knocked on a door and no one came.  I could see that they were home so I opened the storm door to knock and when I did, the door opened.  I startled me and Lucy laghed so hard that I thought she was going to fall over.  The thought of me getting spooked on Halloween was the best for her! 
After making the neighbor rounds we headed home, Lucy's plastic pumpkin over flowing from the top, and my pockets full of treats that wouldn't fit.  We were welcomed by Harper who was refusing to take off her giraffe costume and soon a massive puddle of candy filled our front room floor.  Lucy was generous, choosing to give Harper all her M&Ms and giving Ian and myself lots of candy bars, tootsie rolls and sweet tarts.  Sorting and trading ensued until bedtime and no sugar high could have kept them from sleep.  The anticipation and hard work of a large haul were enough to knock them out.