Sam and Noah Do Halloween

For various reasons, we've been away from our house on Halloween for every year before this one. So we didn't know what the neighborhood was like on the holiday nor did we know how Sam would react to trick or treating as all he had experienced was getting candy at church.

Looking back we shouldn't have been so surprised at the outcome.

Early Saturday afternoon, we headed up to a neighborhood church that was hosting a big Halloween carnival. As we walked up the street, we saw a big tractor pulling a wagon covered with hay. Sam was excited, but Noah was beside himself. He frantically signed truck until we arrived at the church and climbed on for the hayride. Then Noah reversed positions and began crying about the ride (probably because of the loud tractor) until we were finished.

Inside the church were games galore, and everything Sam did, Noah had to try also. Sam decorated a cookie? Noah smeared icing all over one too. Sam wanted to race the wind-up pigs? Noah wanted to pick one up and carry it to the finish line. Sam threw the bean-bag and knocked off Humpty Dumpty without knocking over the wall? Noah threw the beanbag and knocked off Humtpy Dumpty without knocking over the wall. (seriously - we were very impressed and plan to start baseball lessons soon).

Afterwards, we came home for a bit of nutritious supper before heading out to trick or treat. I volunteered to stay home and hand out candy, but Joy insisted I go. I later discovered why she wanted me to go. Door to door trick or treating in your neighborhood when you know most of your neighbors is nothing more than an excuse for parents to revel in people fawning over your adorable children.

The boys had a different reason for being out on the street. Sam quickly figured out the pattern that we only stopped at houses with lights on and would run screaming "trick or treat" from house to house, barely waiting for us to catch up. Once we caught up to him, Sam would always mention that he needed extra candy for his brother just to pad his certainly rich coffers. In fact, in crowds of children, he was the one who sneaked a hand in the bowl to get a piece of candy and then held his hand out as if he hadn't already received some. Noah, on the other hand, wasn't too sure of the entire process and even tried to give the candy he got at the first house to the owners of the second house. But he quickly figured out the game and by halfway through the night, was toddling up to doors, smiling and saying "trii tree" and "than oo" to get candy.

Even with all the candy, the favorite prize of the night was from our neighbors across the street. They gave out plastic kazoos and since Saturday night, our house has rung with double kazoo playing from morning to night. But that's alright - perhaps the kazoos will distract the boys enough so they won't notice that half their candy has mysteriously disappeared.