Trick-or-treating

Melissa the tiger.

And she's ready to go!

I admit it, I have not done my fair share when it comes to taking the kids trick-or-treating.  Jonathan has taken the kids every year, so this year it was my turn.  Jonathan manned the door.  Fortunately this Halloween is the warmest it's been since I can remember.  I teamed up with some neighbors, Brian and Amanda, who have a son a little older than Matthew, a daughter a little younger than Melissa, and a baby a few months older than Isaac, but lighter!    

We all set out together, but their baby only made it through our cul de sac before she'd had enough, so Brian took her home and Amanda and I continued onward.  Isaac fell asleep in the sling in short order and dozed the entire time.  The girls were somewhat slower than the boys so we divided and conquered.  They petered out after about a half hour so Amanda took Melissa and Naomi home while I stayed with Matthew and his buddy Mason, or rather Batman and a clone soldier.  

Halloween night was a little drizzly so I was very glad to borrow Jon's heavy black "jedi" robe before setting off.  We made it through maybe a third of the neighborhood, and just over an hour trick-or-treating before I got too tired jogging with the boys.  Isaac is heavy!  We stopped for hot chocolate at a neighbor's yard.  Every year a few of them get together and provide hot chocolate and hot dogs for all the trick-or-treaters who come around.  Very cool.  Our neighborhood is very into Halloween, which makes sense when you consider the literally hundreds of kids living here.  Our next door neighbor, for example, always finds creative ways to scare the devilment out of unsuspecting (bigger) kids.  One year it was stilts, a very long cloak, and a ghoulish mask.  This year is was the hockey mask bit.  They have a good time.  

When I got tired, Brian swapped with me and took the boys for a bit longer.  Matthew and Mason were both blurting out that this was the "best Halloween ever!"  Matthew had quite the haul this year...  Maybe I can buy some of the candy from him.  Hmmm.