Happy Halloween!

Our Halloween festivities started on Thursday morning, when Chloe's preschool had a Halloween Party. Chloe was so excited to dress up in her costume a day early, but acted shy as soon as we walked in the door.

She hid behind me for a few minutes, then slowly made her way to this couch and sat with her hands over her eyes for a few more minutes. Her sweet little friend Kennedy sat and talked to Chloe on the couch, while this cute little boy stood guard around her and defended the princess's honor until she was ready to party.

Here is the whole preschool class. A cute bunch.

Mitch was our sweet little pumpkin. Chloe wore this exact same costume her first two Halloweens. Maybe he'll fit into it again and wear it next year, too.

Our beautiful princess Chloe! We found other really cute costumes for her that we wanted to get, but she kept telling us that she really just wanted to be a princess (again. She was a fairy princess last year). We decided to enjoy this stage of not needing to buy a costume and just using her cute dress up clothes- things we already have= easy and free.

And yes, that is a black eye- our battered princess (the real Cinderella story). She and Mitchell had an unfortunate accident this week involving the back of Mitchell's head and Chloe's eye- ouch!

Outside and ready to hit the streets!

Chloe was excited to collect all the candy, but she refused to say "Trick or Treat" all night. She would get up to the door and stand there silent or with her hand over her eyes, fingers in mouth, while Ben and I lamely said, "Trick or Treat" 3 million times. At one point, as we were walking to the next house, she said, "We can be done. I have enough candy...." She said that only because she didn't want to say Trick or Treat at the next door. What an internal struggle for her- she desperately wanted the candy, but would do anything to not have to ask for it.....

Mitchell was a trooper and was as good as can be. He watched in awe as we walked to house after house and were given candy. Ben and I hauled him around all night and after seeing many people with their pre-walkers in strollers, we realized we should have done the same thing.

Check out all the candy! We sometimes complain about having to live so close to so many people in such a small space, but on Halloween, this comes in handy! In just an hour's time, and in just a few blocks radius (if that), we got enough candy to last us for weeks. Growing up out in the country, we could only go on foot for the few neighbors that lived close. For the rest of the evening, my mom would have to drive us around out in the country, stopping the car every few seconds, all evening. We did everything on foot tonight and only had to walk a very short distance. There are definite advantages to living where lots of people are! (And our neighbors give out great candy too!)

Enjoying her candy, even though we had threatened her that she couldn't have any for not saying "Trick or Treat."

We decided to let Mitchell go hog wild and eat all the candy he wanted tonight. He loved his birthday cake just 2 weeks ago, so we thought he'd go crazy over all the sweets. We really haven't fed him too many treats, at all (he doesn't know what he's missing, so we don't usually offer), but when we do sneak him a bite or two here and there of sugary things, he loves it. But tonight, he took a few sucks on a sucker.......

And maybe 2 bites of chocolate, but then kept spitting any candy out we offered him. I'm not sure if he was full from the large dinner he ate, or if he just wasn't liking it.

What he did love to do was just play with all of it all night- it was like handfuls and handfuls of new toys. That was fine with us. More for me!

Happy Halloween!