Boo!

Max has been talking about Halloween since June. I don't know where he gets his love of Halloween, except that he gets to dress up in costume and knock on strangers' doors and collect loads of candy... ok, I guess I know exactly where he gets his love of Halloween. 

We recycled our beloved lion costume for Lucian, originally worn by Uncle Liam back-in-the-day. That one was easy. Max, on the other hand, has been dead set on being a green and yellow triceratops since before my parents closed their swimming pool. Supposedly this would be a good thing, giving me lots of time to prepare, but you know me. Need I say more? Thankfully my mom came to the rescue, finding a green dinosaur costume and sewing on a yellow frill and three horns. Have you ever seen a better triceratops costume?? I think not. 

We carved pumpkins the Sunday before Halloween with Chris and Grant again, and the boys were beside themselves with excitement that their two friends were finally back! Paul was happy to put them to work doing the bulk of the carving while he whipped up some tasty roasted pumpkin seeds. 

On Halloween, we invited the Rogers and my parents over for pizza and trick-or-treating. Anna was adorable as a little bumblebee, and the three kids were the definition of cute as they trekked around the block together. Everyone gathered more than their share of candy, and I've snitched plenty of my favorites already (don't tell them!). 

It struck me this year how incredible it is that in this day and age, people still come out of their homes in droves once a year and knock on the doors of strangers. No, we didn't stop any one place long enough to make much of a connection, but at least we have seen the faces of our neighbors. It gives me hope that people do still want to be a part of their community. We just need more opportunities to open our doors and come out of our shells!

Yes, that is actually Lucian sticking his hands in the nasty pumpkin goop.

Jolly Roger, Triceratops, and Frankenstein