Happy Post Halloween

Whew. The last several days have been a whirlwind, to say the least.

Some kids get to have multiple birthday celebrations . . . you know, one with the family, one with the friends, etc. Then there are the many days of Christmas – which go the same way. At your own house, at your Uncle’s house, at your Grandmas . . . you know the drill.

I never knew there could be the 7 days of Halloween.

It started last Thursday with a very fun playdate, hosted by one of my “moms group” friends. The group started out as part of the Breastfeeding Moms support group sponsored by Northside Hospital, and we spun off into our own play group. As the babies have grown, we see each other less and less . . . so we all got together for a Halloween Playdate. The kids were out in full trick-or-treat gear . . . but it was really just for us moms. They played together and had their lunch, all in full costume, and totally oblivious to their funny get-ups.

Friday was Day 2. Meg joined her preschool classmates for a visit to the pumpkin patch and a Halloween Party. Of course, Mommy was there, camera in hand. Meg had a great time at the patch . . . and she really enjoyed the party. I have to say – the party was really just all the kids putting on costumes and having their morning snack together. Nonetheless, it was adorable and so much fun to be a part of. I can totally see myself as “classroom mom” one day (soon). I love to be a part of her school activities.

Day 3: Saturday, Neighborhood Halloween party. As was previously blogged, Jim put up with me dressing Meg as Matthew Stafford for this event. The kitty costume is FABULOUS, I know . . . but this party was on the day of the big Georgia-Florida game, so some red and black was certainly in order. Meg was one of the youngest at this party (if you don’t count the other little baby brothers and sisters that came in strollers or baby bjorns). Somehow, I don’t think she even knows when she’s surrounded by big kids . . . she just jumps right in and has herself a grand old time. Mommy and Daddy have a grand time watching her, too.

Day 4 was Sunday, and a trip to Buford to attend Kathleen Harvell’s 2nd Birthday party. Lucky little Kathleen was born on Oct 29, so she can always have a fantastic costume party for her birthday! This party was a real trip . . . there were 10+ kids, all running around in the Harvell’s backyard, playing and playing and playing. It was so much fun. Meg must have climbed the slide ladder on the playscape at least 50 times, and she slid down by herself each and every time. She had a total blast, and Jim and I did, too. Again, it was a group of kids all dressed up in their gear and playing as if they were in their regular clothes. What a riot. Fun Fun Day Four.

We were able to take Monday and Tuesday off, so I guess you can call those Days 5 and 6, even though we had a bit of a break. The break was a blessing . . . Meg’s kitty costume needed a break. She, unfortunately, had quite a blow-out in it at the end of the Sunday birthday party, so mommy had to do some serious scrubbing to get it back in trick-or-treating shape.

Finally, Day 7 – the real thing. Halloween! What a fun experience for everyone. I was so excited all day, I couldn’t wait. My parents called at lunch time and decided they wanted to drive up (an hour from Newnan) to participate, too. What a lucky little Meg – mommy, daddy, granddaddy, and grandma all here to watch her trick-or-treat.

We went to a neighborhood party around 5 and met a ton of new people. The kids all had a great time playing on yet another playscape . . . swinging and sliding in their full costume attire. Meg, once again, took her turn on the slide as much as she could. After some mingling, mixing, pizza, and beer/wine . . . we were off to trick-or-treat.

Meg wasn’t really sure what to make of it all. She happily carried her pumpkin bag up to each door and held it out for candy. Really – if you can picture it – she had it draped over her arm, and she’d just hold her arm straight out and let the bag hang. If the family was kind enough to let Meg choose which candy she’d like from their stash, lollipops were the selection of the night. She’d take one, two, three . . . as many as she could until I stopped her. She’d place them all in her bag, then take each out and try to eat it. Paper and all. She didn’t get the idea of collecting candy in the bag . . . she believed it to be for immediate consumption. So, as a result, I kept taking her candy and stuffing it in the pockets of my fleece . . . which were full by the end of our night.

We probably visited 10 houses, total – including our fantastic neighbors across the street who had made Meg her very own special treat bag. I love this neighborhood – every is so friendly. (Side note – we even had a neighbor bring over a special pumpkin cake just for our family! Some people are just too much!)

As the sun really started to set and the big, scary kids came out, Meg, Jim, and I just hung out on the porch and greeted the trick-or-treaters. Meg enjoyed that as much as trick-or-treating herself. She laughed and ran around in the yard – and probably wondered what the heck we were doing letting her play outside in the dark. Finally, at about 8:30, the house was quiet. Meg was asleep and the visitors slowed . . . Jim and I were left to enjoy the memories of our night and look forward to another Halloween next year.

If Halloween is this great every year, it might become my favorite holiday :)