Josh as Bob the Builder for Halloween 2007.
Also Halloween 2007: A very pregnant Elyssa, Liz, Mykin and Nesha.
At Pumpkinland 2007: Josh, Kylee, Matson, Bryce and Jenna.
Before trick-or-treating: Alex, Jenna, Josh, Jason.
After trick-or-treating (I think): Josh and Maxon.
Halloween is more than a month away, but I've already been thinking about it for weeks. Some people love the magic of Christmas or the romance of Valentine's Day. Those are great holidays, to be sure, but trimming trees and buying pink teddy bears is a lot of work. Which is why Halloween is my kind of celebration. All you have to do is throw on a costume and go door to door begging for candy. What could be better than that?
Having children has only increased my enthusiasm for Halloween. When my oldest son was a mere 4 months old, I dressed him up as a tiny frog and took him a' knocking. He couldn't hold his candy sack, he couldn't say "treat," and his tricks were limited to drooling and crying. (I think the frog costume was itchy.) After an hour, he was screaming hysterically and way past ready to go home. But that didn't stop me from continuing to hit the neighbors up for goodies. I got some appalled looks from more responsible parents, but I'm not above a little humiliation when miniature 3 Musketeers are involved. (Certainly no one believed that the infant was going to eat the candy, but how are you going to say "no" to a crazed mother waving a baby frog in your face?)
Now that I have a 3-year-old who can hold his own bag and scamper from house to house, I am in the clear. He can do the dirty work for me. After he goes to sleep on Halloween night, I'll pry the candy bag from his sticky little hands and "organize" it for him.
I'll make sure he's collected enough candy so that I can skim my cut off the top without him ever noticing. Never mind how dark it is on Halloween night, or how much the temperature drops. I'll stay out with my son until the bitter end, until we've knocked every door in our neighborhood and within walking distance. That's just the kind of committed mother I am. At least when Tootsie Rolls are involved.
-- Elyssa Andrus
This article originally ran in the Daily Herald on Sept. 24, 2008.
