Happy Halloween!

Picture this: Friday morning, let's say 7:30, Elaina confirmed my fear of what I could have only guessed could be her Halloween trick for me. She told me she didn't want to be Ariel the mermaid again for trick or treat that evening. Oh really.

This child, God love her, is so me. And I mean that in the nicest way. She wasn't throwing a fit or being bratty about not wanting to be Ariel, she just simply hasn't grasped the whole idea of what it takes to get a costume together and expressed that Ariel just didn't thrill her anymore.

Judging from the weeks leading up to Halloween, she had first asked to be Fufah from the Noggin show, Yo Gabba Gabba! She soon moved onto Ariel which I panicked over finding Ariel until a friend gave us her daughter's outgrown Disney costume (HOORAY!) and then Elaina told me that she didn't want to be Ariel, she wanted me to be Ariel. Oh. After that she asked to be a square, an angel and exactly one hour prior to trick or treat, she asked to be a clown. So, what alternative costume can I come up with in an hour you may ask? Heeding a suggestion offered by my mom over the phone, I dug through the storage bins in her closet and she became a firefighter. I actually impressed myself at what a great 5 minute costume I paired together for her from stuff I dug out of our closets. I even found a toy fire extinguisher! Impressive, no?

Lincoln was innocently contented to dress as a puppy once again and the three of us made our rounds through the town collecting the treats. Even though Lincoln wasn't given the option to go to every house like his big sister, he still managed to haul in a substantial amount of candy from his happy seat in the wagon while Elaina, as a seasoned beggar, made her way up winding driveways and steps to bring in her loot.

And like every year, our town concludes trick or treat with a bonfire at the park near our house. Since it's a lot of standing around, our little dressed up beggars conned us into letting them swing on the playground swings in the dark of the night while their hands began to freeze against the swing chains at a chilly 45 degrees outside.

That sums up trick or treat with a one and a three year old. I can't wait to see what's in store for us next year when Elaina has even more opinions to share and Lincoln will be talking his way through protests over how I plan to dress him. Their costumes have already been purchased and neither of them involve a shiny red nose and afro. Halloween 2009, we're ready for you!