Trick or Treat!

Halloween wouldn't be complete without a Jack-o-lantern pizza for dinner, right? Well, we enjoyed this scrumptious meal the night before Halloween, as a nice "lead-in" to the big day. Kayli was soooo excited this year, with all the talk about Halloween, costumes, parades, candy. Every day she would ask me "Is it Halloween today?" On the big day, Kayli's daycare put all the kids in their costumes and paraded them around the building, stopping here and there to practice their "trick-or-treating skills" and fill their paper bags with treats. They had lots of fun and still took a nice nap in the afternoon, so they would be at their very best for the big night! Kayli loved the idea of ringing doorbells, and was thrilled when she would discover one that she could actually reach by herself. Each time we were leaving a house, Kayli seemed to find something she needed to stop and explore. There were rocks to pick up, trees to shake, hug, dance around, leaves to be thrown, bird baths filled with a nice mixture of water and leaves, etc. etc. We were as much on a nature walk as we were trick-or-treating. Once we completed the cul-de-sac, 5 houses, 45 minutes (including visiting and exploring) we hopped in the car and drove to Grandpa's house for a Halloween visit. Then, we headed over to Uncle Kevin and Aunt Karen's, but nobody was home. So, we just parked the car and grabbed our trick-or-treat bucket and headed down their street for more trick-or-treat fun. Kayli was "warmed up" and talking to people, telling them she really liked their houses, asking about their pets, wishing them Happy Halloween, and getting more candy than she could eat in a lifetime! Once home, of course we had to dump out all the loot onto the kitchen floor and savor the sight, smell, and taste of all this candy! WOW! What a day!

What I love, is that whenever we are in the car, coming home from being at a party, a park, the zoo, etc., Kayli will say to me "Whew, mom, we sure had a fun day, didn't we?" and of course I always have to agree!