Halloween

Let's talk about Halloween for a minute here.  And when I say minute, I mean this whole post.  I think I actually over did Halloween this year.  Really.  By the time Halloween actually arrived, Rex was sick of wearing his costume that he helped design and didn't really care about trick-or-treating.  Next year, we just trick-or-treat.  We started on the First Day of October with a play group and craft making.  

As as a wild thing, on the First Day of October

Rex, not super excited to be a monkey, on the First Day of October

Then we had pumpkin carving, the ward trunk-or-treat.  Then I decided it would be fun to take treats to a nursing home, but Alice was sick so my mother-in-law took Rex for me (that was the 30th).  Then on Halloween I thought it would be fun to make treats for Dad and take them to work in costume, but Rex refused to put his costume on.  Actually, it was pretty funny because he said if we were going to Dad's work he had to wear a belt just like Dad.  I got out a pair of old glasses and ta-da, a young blonde Greg.  Greg thought I'd dressed Rex up like me.  His co-workers got it.

Rex as Greg.

And then Halloween night came.  It was bad.  The night started with hot dogs for dinner and me threatening in my worst mom-voice, "Rex, if you don't sit down and eat your hot dog we're not going trick-or-treating."  Rex just wanted some of the soup I'd made for recovering Alice.  He got soup, which then turned into, "If you don't eat that whole bowl, we're not doing trick-or-treating."  He finished most of the soup.  And we were off.  

Since we don't live in a neighborhood, we had to drive to one.  As we drove, Greg and I strategized over how to get the most candy.  Rex wanted to know what we were talking about--"Nothing Rex!"

We arrive at the neighborhood, park, snap a few pictures and we're off. 

Alice still getting over a cold.

"Rex, walk faster!"

"Rex, don't go that way, go this way!"

"No!"

"We'll hit this house and then this house."

Rex: "Why are we going to hit the houses."

"It means go to that house.  Hurry up."

Alice --shove a piece of candy in her mouth.

We must keep going.

Rex: "I'm tired.  My bucket is full."

"No.  You can fit more in there.  Quick just run up to that house."

Seriously, Greg and I were terrible.  All we did all night was yell at Rex to walk faster, knock louder, follow more closely, and essentially to not have fun because Greg and I were in it to win it.  Win what?  A ton of candy whose wrappers I find ALL OVER THE HOUSE and which require me to bath Alice twice a day and that I could have gotten half off the next day.  We were so competitive.  We completely forgot that we were with CHILDREN and that two pieces of candy is a lot to them. 

We ended the night at a ward member's house, which seemed to cheer Rex up.  He really likes their decorations (the Carlson's) and was thrilled to see all their lights.  And then we walked the mile or more back to the car all the while Alice just cried because she was so tired and cold and still getting over a cold.  In the end, Rex had no more room in his bucket and Alice's got dumped in the bottom of the stroller so she'd have more room.

Seriously, we're terrible parents.  Next year, we decided to just park at the Carlson's and trick-or-treat their block and call it a day.  

Rex and his loot.

As a side note, Rex and Alice are in love with their candy buckets.  They carry them around all day.  Just holding them.

Alice mid tantrum because I told her she had to eat dinner before she could eat more candy.