Halloween 2007

On Tuesday night, Aunt Stephanie dropped by with Izzy, so we could see her costume. I put Andrea and Kevin in their costumes, too, so we could get some pictures of the kids together.

Of course, when you've got two toddlers, and it's closing in on their bedtime, and you want them to sit still for a picture, wearing an unusual outfit, and smile for the camera, the result is inevitable:

We tried to get a picture with Kevin, too, but he was crying, and Andrea refused to sit still. She also wanted to get her rabbit costume off right away! So, we let them go their separate ways, and gave them some candy, as well as some popcorn from the Halloween treat Aunt Stephanie brought for Andrea. Naturally, peace was soon restored.

As for Kevin, I got one picture of him in his costume. Actually, this wasn't his official Halloween costume. It was a pair of pyjamas he had received as a gift that I thought might make a good costume, in case he spit up on his real one.

Grrr . . . I'm a grumpy little dinosaur!

***

Seeing their reaction to Tuesday's costumes and pictures, I was pretty nervous about what would happen when Halloween night arrived. And at first, my worst fears were realized! When I tried to put Andrea's bunny costume on her, she kicked and screamed and refused to wear it.

But then, I remembered that Aunt Stephanie had given Andrea a fairy princess dress-up outfit for her birthday. I had thought of using it as her Halloween costume before, but also thought it would probably be too cold. But considering Andrea's reaction to the bunny costume, I figured it was worth a try. So, I asked Andrea, "Would you like to dress up as a fairy princess?" and she immediately replied, "Yes!" Sure enough, I had no problems getting this costume on her. She loved it--especially the wings and her pretty wand. She ran around the house flapping her arms and yelling, "Fly! Fly! Fly!" She was so excited! So, Aunt Stephanie's birthday gift saved the day! Of course, Andrea kept saying that she was a "bee" . . . :))

Kevin, on the other hand, was not so happy about his outfit. I could not get him to smile! He pretty much cried until Daddy got home, and we went out visiting. Then, he had new sights and sounds to amuse him.

***

When Daddy got home, we headed over to Great-Grandma Maurice's so she could see the babies' costumes, and have a little visit with us. Here, the roles began to reverse: Andrea became the crabby and impatient one, whereas Kevin was cute and serene. All Andrea wanted to do was eat the candy that Grandma gave her, and fly around the room! Daddy was feeding her a constant supply of licorice to keep her semi-content, while we tried to have a visit. Ah, well, she is two years old.

***

Then we were off to Grandma and Grandpa Gagnon's for a visit there. Kevin became quite animated, and was cooing and grinning, and thoroughly enjoying himself. Andrea, once again, was only interested in eating candy! Grandma and Grandpa gave Andrea and Kevin each a special bag of goodies. Kevin's, of course, didn't really have treats, but it had a soft cow puppet which he is currently fascinated with. :)) It was also here that Mommy realized she'd left her camera at Great-Grandma's . . . sigh.

***

After our visit with Grandma and Grandpa, Daddy drove home with Kevin to hand out candy, while Andrea and I trick-or-treated our way back home up the street. At first, she wasn't too sure about leaving Daddy behind and walking off with Mommy into the night. But after the first house, when she realized that she was getting more candy, she cheered right up and enjoyed the journey. There were only two problems: one, she wanted to eat each piece of candy as it was handed to her, instead of stowing it in her bag; and two, she wanted to go into each person's house for a visit! Everyone thought she was so cute. Many people quickly realized this was her first time out really trick-or-treating, because she was a bit shy. This definitely worked in her favour--little cutie, first time trick-or-treating? Pile on the candy! At one house, the lady was sitting outside on her steps, handing out the candy. Andrea decided to sit down right next to her and stay for a visit! I told Andrea it was time to go, but the lady was really nice and said, "Oh, let her have a rest! We can have a chat!" So, we stayed for a few minutes and introduced ourselves, and then we were off again.

Soon after that, I noticed Grandpa had come up behind us. He had Andrea's jacket, which we'd left at their house. He decided to join us for the rest of our journey home. Andrea really liked it that Grandpa was trick-or-treating with us, too. :))

***

When we got home, Andrea didn't want to go in the house. So, we let her stay outside and see all the kids coming to get their candy. Kevin stayed out with us, too. Daddy had him all bundled up in his car seat, and he was awake for awhile, looking at all the interesting costumes. But soon, he fell asleep. Our two cuties were a big hit with the older trick-or-treaters; we heard lots of "Awwwww, they're so cute!"

***

Meanwhile, Andrea continued to scarf down the candy! Daddy had decided that she could eat all she wanted on Halloween night; apparently, that was the tradition when he was a kid. So, I said, "Okay . . . but if she gets' sick, you're cleaning it up!" Luckily, there was no sick stomach, but there was one very hyper and sticky little girl! But she was loving it. :))

And you need something to wash all that candy down with, right?

Just kidding! She didn't really have any. :)) She had a sippy cup of milk before bed. :))