Stopping in quick to share a few (several) pictures from our Halloween week. It was Mila's first one and it was a cold one! I had been planning their costumes for months and when the seven-day forecast showed chilly temps. and windy conditions for our trick-or-treat night, we took advantage of the beautiful weather the weekend before and did some practicing. The farmer's market in downtown Waterloo hosted a Halloween event for kiddos, followed with trick-or-treating at all the downtown businesses. I got the firetruck wagon ready, thankfully found Cruz's orange pumpkin before it got packed, and dressed the kids in their fireman best before strolling down fourth street and filling their pumpkin with oodles of candy.
It was gorgeous outside and I was practically skipping down the sidewalk watching the two of them dressed in their matching costumes, convinced I will dress them alike for as long as they'll let me. This was the first year Cruz completely understood the concept of trick-or-treating. He pranced from one door to the next, proclaiming, "trick-or-treat-Halloween" to anyone holding a bowl of candy. Mila sat happy as a clam in her wagon, smiling at strangers and causing quite the stir. We walked over the bridge and all the way down Fourth Street, stopping for a coffee and a sticky bun at Cottonwood Canyon and attempting to stop Cruz from eating every Tootsie Roll in his bucket.
Cruz had two Halloween parties at school this year, one on Thursday afternoon with his preschool class and one on Friday morning with his daycare buddies. He wanted to wear his Spiderman costume and match his friends, who all dressed as superheros, ninja turtles, or, and this may surprise you, characters from Frozen. Mila dressed as a character, too, and I threw together a Minnie Mouse costume using her sweet Minnie sweatshirt all the way from Disney. I hung at a daycare for the morning, played with Mila and her baby friends and watched Cruz march with his class at the Halloween parade.
Friday night, we trick-or-treated in our neighborhood for the very last time. Jordan and Kelli, Charly and Hayes, and my Mom and Dad came over and we bundled the littles up for a quick stroll to some nearby houses. As always, our neighborhood lit up the night sky with porch lights and the kids had a ball scooting from house to house. Our intentions of just one block turned into a good hour of tricks and treats and for the most part, the kids did it all by themselves. It's been such a joy to watch them grow from year to year, to remember their sweet costumes, and to celebrate this simple holiday in such a storybook way. This night has always made me feel as if I live within the pages of a children's book. I love it all.
Afterwards, we removed layers, handed out candy to other trick-or-treaters, and attempted to monitor the candy consumption of our costumed creatures. It was bittersweet to be there, all crammed in our house, the walls lined with packed boxes, knowing it would likely be the last time we were all there together. We ended the night with Pablos' tacos, chip and rice sandwiches, and kiddos up well past their bedtimes.
When we returned home, though, there was one last thing to do with Cruz. All day, I had been explaining the art of candy sorting, a ritual I always did when I was a child. Cruz was intrigued, so while Beau put Mila to bed, we piled on our bed, dumped his pumpkin out, and sorted piece by piece while Casper played on TV. Cozy under covers, we ended our Halloween with monster books and ghost stories, fit for a fireman, a spiderman, or my own little monster who is so fun to share these holidays with.
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