what did the gnome say to the safari guide?... "There's an alligator right behind you!"

Halloween this year was more of a carnival event than a spooky one - but the toddlers weren't complaining. In fact, they very much enjoyed the bounce house, pizza, and cupcake decorating.













This was also their first time to go Trick or Treating door to door. My personal crush on the Travelocity gnome resulted in an online costume purchase, and we were going to turn Noah into a suitcase out of cardboard boxes to be carried along [smile]. But a few days prior to the festivities, Ava burst with the revelation that she wanted to be an "alligator" for Halloween. Yes. I was stunned.

Leave it Dad to track down an alligator costume at the last minute in her size! So our little boy aged 70 years and proudly wore a beard the entire night...






It was a lovely evening for us adults too - we got to meet many of our neighbors and actually take a quick peek inside their beautifully decorated homes and ask about their renovation approach to updating their 70s home. One neighbor, a retired teacher, actually pulled out a sparkly star studded wand and circled it over their heads, wishing them well with "pixie dust."

I was the proudest mama on the block - for the simple fact that I overcame my anxiety on whether or not I could justify Halloween Trick or Treating at this age, and as a traditional event for our kids - I debated back and forth with issues ranging from health to safety to even costume purchases. I realized that their costumes could easily be repurposed for dress-up play... and that the moderation of the evening of just letting the kids have fun in the yard and create their own experiences... is one to have over and over again...

We zoomed past other parents with toddlers on the brink of sugar overload, and took in the sights and sounds our neighborhood makes under the moonlight. With their pumpkins only half full, Ava said the most sweetest thing I could hear...

"Mom, I think I have enough candy. Let's go home."