Lots of Treats this Halloween

After a few very heavy weeks I honestly wasn't sure I was up for Halloween this year. It isn't my favorite holiday to start with (although I did really enjoy this article and its perspective on this day), and I didn't really want to spend much money on a costume. Well, thankfully a good friend gave us a costume her little boy had worn, and it turned out to be quite the wonderful night.

Up until this point we have enjoyed seeing the holidays as new through A's eyes, but he hasn't really gotten in to them or understood what was going on. So, I wasn't really expecting the pure joy he would get from the festivities this Halloween! We started on Saturday night with trick-or-treating at Concordia University. This is always fun for me because the dorm I lived in is always the one that hosts it. They decorate each hall in different non-scary themes, and the kids had a great time! We got to go with my little sister and her kids, as well as Matt's brother Sam who moved (back) up here from Missouri:

Then Halloween night we were busy, busy. Matt and Sam took Bubs to a "Trunk-or-Treat" put on by the church across the street from us, while I finished preparing for our Godparents meeting. A had so much fun! He had his first glass of apple cider and thought it was the best stuff ever. He proudly carried his big-boy cup of it around with him.

Next it was off to the youth building at the church for our Godparents meeting. We had a lot of fun with the kids, doing some Bible based "Trick or Treat" hunting, and playing a few games. There was also lots of food and teenage craziness.

While I cleaned up, Matt and Sam headed out with the Bubs again, this time for neighborhood trick-or-treating. (Notice a trend here? haha) They came back with a full bucket after only a few houses, and I was shocked. Then I realized that the thing taking up a lot of room in the bucket was a miniature pumpkin. I thought it was weird that someone would hand those out, but then I found out that A had sweet-talked a lady into giving him not only one of the pumpkins from her porch display but also a bag of animal crackers and a new (unopened) Hot Wheels! He is definitely a little charmer! After hearing how much he loved the trick-or-treating I decided we would do a little more once we packed up at the church.

We headed to my mom's neighborhood where I got to experience the bubby cuteness first hand! It was dark out, so he was so excited to spot which houses had their lights on and look for the "button" (doorbell). He was so sweet, and told everyone he saw "Happy Halloween!" even though neither Matt nor I had taught him that. Matt said he picked it up after the first couple houses where the adult at the door said it. He ran from house to house, asking for another house every time we left a door. It really was just the most magical night for all of us. Seeing A really get into the spirit of things was so awesome, and definitely has me even more excited for the winter holidays now!

Believe it or not he wasn't all that interested in the candy itself (which is not a bad thing!) and only ate a couple pieces of chocolate and licks each sucker a few times before he loses interest. Luckily we have teens who will take care of the rest of it for us! It definitely was not about the candy this year, but instead just a perfect break from the stress and worry going on in our life at the moment. Such a wonderful gift from a day I almost didn't even celebrate this year... that will teach me...