And this year was no exception - in fact, it was probably the best Halloween yet!
To start with, I made it to the Halloween party this year. And may I just point out again what a HUGE deal that was for Logan...and me!
Then, I wanted to do something special for my boys this year. Papa Murphy's has been all over the radio advertising their Jack-O-Lantern pizza, so when Logan and I were heading home from his school party and we were stopped in front of our very own Papa Murphy's, I decided to swing in a pick up our very own Halloween inspired pizza (can't beat a pizza for six bucks right?). Logan was so excited about it, I was beginning to wonder if he'd even let me wait until dinner time to cook it! (He did...barely...) Gavin wasn't too interested in this special pizza until it was cooked...and then I think he really only cared about eating it!
After dinner, I dressed Gavin up in his costume...much to his displeasure! Logan, on the other hand, didn't need to be outfitted since he had refused to take his Iron Man suit off after his party and was therefore still wearing it. I forced my boys outside then for my very favorite activity - Pictures!!!
The only thing that made Gavin perk up and stop thinking about how much he hated his costume was when I lit up the pumpkins! Then it was just a matter of making sure he didn't catch his sleaves on fire...
And, finally, it was time for Trick or Treating!
Turns out we jumped the gun a little bit, because on our first run through our neighborhood, we only found one house open for business (besides our own). Gavin only went up to one house, and he clung to me the entire time. In fact, he only reached one hand out long enough to take a box of Dots from a generous Logan. At this point, we headed back to our house to wait it out a little longer. Luckily, Mimi was there to help console a disappointed Logan with one of his favorite Halloween books!
On our second round out, Gavin stayed back at the house (supervised, of course) while Logan and I headed out to canvas the neighborhood again. This time we struck gold! The neighborhood was in full swing, and there were lots of houses open for business. Logan had a blast going from house to house saying "Trick or Treat!" It didn't take him long to catch on to the fact that he needed to say "Thank You" too. (This Mama pushes the politeness!) This year was probably the longest and farthest we have ever gone for trick or treating. Logan let me know when he was too tired to walk any farther by handing over his candy bucket and informing me he was too tired to carry it anymore!
One of the fun things about Halloween is that my in-laws (Mimi & Papa) always show up to join in the festivities. They love to pass out candy, and it keeps our house in business even when we are all out doing our own Trick-or-Treating. (It also means that Gavin has people to watch him when, like this year, he doesn't have any interest in major trick or treating.) Papa, in particular, loves this particular job of distributing candy. Okay, really, he just likes wearing a scary mask and jumping out at people. For example...
Passing out candy also happens to be one of Logan's favorite jobs - he may even still like it better than actually trick or treating himself. And this year Gavin got in on the action, too. I love watching my boys pass out candy to other kids, watching them freely give away to others. I think it's awesome that even during Halloween there is an opportunity to teach my children about the fun of giving to others!
Of course, there's nothing wrong with nabbing a piece or two for oneself either...
At this point in the night Gavin decided he really like wearing his costume - as long as he didn't have to wear the ears. In fact, he liked it so much that he insisted I take more pictures of him. No joke!
At the end of the night (a whopping 7:30) we closed up shop and sent Mimi & Papa home for the night. The boys and I crashed on the couch watching Disney Junior (they were still dressed in their costumes) until 8:00 when I finally found the energy to get them ready for bed. It wasn't long before I was in bed, too.
I loved getting to spend the afternoon and evening with my children doing something different and fun - a once a year kind of activity! And, I really do think it was our best Halloween yet!
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