Okay, so obviously we didn't take him trick-or-treating. Come on--he's just a little feller. But he did get a sweet little Halloween onesie.
First, Gabriel: My in-laws are incredibly sweet people, and they love my babies very much. As most will attest, there is little that interests Gabriel besides Veggie Tales. Nothing ever gets him as excited as that show. Rhonda and Ken got him a Larry the Cucumber costume to wear this year. You should have seen how excited he got when he saw it--he didn't even mind wearing the hat that much, and he was so darned cute waddling around the house as a big green cucumber.
Emerald had been telling me she wanted to be Captain America since her birthday, but the week before when it was starting to bear down on her, she started considering more options. We took her to Toys-R-Us and let her pick through the costumes until she found one she liked. The ones that were most interesting to her were Cinderella and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). That is, they were until she saw the Tinkerbell costume. She loved that one! I actually kind of liked it too because it meant that she and Gabriel were both wearing green, so there was still some continuity to their costumes. This year was exciting for me because for the first time, Emerald was old enough to really pick her own.
Another flashback:
Emerald's first Halloween (6 weeks old), Oma got her a red chili pepper costume. Second Halloween, she was 13 months old and was a Pumpkin (Oma), then a Lion (Gigi), and finally a pink fluffy poodle (Glo and Pawpaw).
Third Halloween, she was 25 months and wore a Ladybug costume (Glo). Gabriel was 8 months old and was a Zebra (Oma), plus he wore the Lion that Emerald had the year before. Fourth Halloween, Emerald was 3 and Gabriel was 20 months: Emerald picked out a Rosetta costume (the pink flower fairy from Tinkerbell) as well as a Batgirl costume, so I went ahead and got both, lol. Gabriel got a Batman costume because Emerald got the Batgirl costume and I couldn't resist, so they matched. It was really cute.
Now I have caught you (and me!) all up on Halloweens past!!
Back to this Halloween though: Emerald was Tinkerbell, Gabriel was Larry the Cucumber, and Benjamin was staying home with Glo because he is just a little dumpling right now.
Pawpaw, Michael, and I took Emerald and Gabriel trick-or-treating at the dorms like we do every year. I like it because it is safe. That being said, it stressed me out pretty bad.
We had a lot of fun, and the kids really enjoyed it, but it is warm and there are a ton of people so I feel claustrophobic, and I get turned around easily which means that I don't know which way is out and that is not a feeling I enjoy. To be honest, I do have concerns that this whole event is a terrible fire hazard, with so many people and decorations all over the walls that can so easily catch flame from the strobe lights and everything...okay, so I am getting myself worked up again, but those were the paranoid thoughts that were running through my head as we went from room to room.
The thing is, those kinds of situations stress Michael out as well, so it is no surprise that the kids were a little frazzled afterwards either. Like I said, we all had a great time, but (and this should come as a shock to no one), Mommy is totally high strung. We all ready know that Emerald and Gabriel can't handle large groups of people or loud noises without having no small amount of anxiety, plus the whole seizure thing was never quite resolved so when we got into the hallway with the flashing strobe light...
I am rambling. My point in all of this is: while we had a really good time, I think maybe next year, I will let someone else (maybe Glo and Pawpaw or Daddy) take the kids trick or treating, and maybe I will try and throw a small party for the kids and their friends. Obviously this is just the preliminary, knee-jerk reaction to a stressful situation, and I am a problem solver, so I start plotting way in advance. How much fun would it be to have bobbing for apples or decorate your own candy apples or a Halloween relay race out in the backyard? Plus, Emerald would love to have Cooper over to play.
Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!!
--Andie!--
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