Halloween 2010

For a while there, Halloween had lost its magic.  Sure, there was still dressing up and going to parties, but the excitement generated by Halloweens of my childhood was gone.

Silas was born a little over a month before Halloween last year, so I got to put a costume on him, but he was tiny, and it was cold.  So, it was basically just playing dress up with my new baby, which I did everyday anyway.

My baby giraffe Halloween 2009

So, this year, I didn't have much faith that Halloween would be any better than it had been since the last time I trick or treated...I was, maybe, 10.

I could not have been more wrong.  

It started the Friday night before Halloween.  My mother-in-law brought over Silas' costume, which she had put together herself.

When all the pieces were put together, he looked so adorable that I almost cried...just as he was crying...but not over how cute he looked...more over the fact that he wanted to drink his sippy and play with toys, and we were pawing at him and taking his picture.

Saturday, Silas attended his first Halloween party.

There was bobbing for apples, and he, no doubt, felt overwhelming joy at being able to splash around in a "bowl" without me forcing him to stop....for a while...and then he was soaked, and mommy was mean and said we had to go inside....and he protested with much vigor....but it was loud, and no one seemed to take much notice of baby Peter Pan throwing a fit.

At this point, he seems to be saying, "Really, with the camera again?  Must you capture every moment of my life in photographs?"  Yes, son, and one day, you will feel loved for it while any younger brothers and sisters you may eventually have will be distressed at the lack of photos of them because I have grown tired of Kodak moments.

Sunday, after a trip to Wal-Mart and a couple of meltdowns, we took Silas and J trick-or-treating.  Silas got the hang of it pretty quickly, and tried to push this door down.  "Hey, where's the candy?!"

Michael did more than his fair share of toting Silas around and taking the kids to the door, but this is a rare moment where I am actually lugging the heavy, heavy Peter Pan.  His feather did not seem to allow us flight, and his bumbling and stumbling slowed everyone down.  So, he got hauled around and let down on the sidewalks leading up to the houses with lights blazing....where he bumbled and stumbled up to the doors and won many hearts!

This is a more representative photo of how the night went.  Michael carrying Silas, ahem, Peter Pan, and J, ahem, Tinkerbell, leading the way to the houses and doing all the real work.  After all, she was the only one who could say the magic words, "Trick or Treat!!!"

This was Si's haul.  Not too shabby for one street and one hour.  Kudos to the last several houses we hit.  They did not give the baby dum dum suckers.  As for the rest of you, he'll be back next year with more teeth...