Trick or Treat

Last year was the first year we all wore costumes. Before that Animesh and I had not even thought about costumes for ourselves although we loved dressing up the kids. But that all changed last year. It began with a wild fascination with The Incredibles...and it became even MORE popular with the kids when they realized we had the exact family members in the exact order as the Incredible Family--Dad, Mom, Girl, Boy, Boy. Yes, I have pictures of us as The Incredible Family. No, I will not share them with you. That skin tight suit I poured my body into was worse than the leggings I bought for my costume this year.

Because the houses in our neighborhood are 12 miles apart (I might be exaggerating just a tad...) and because there are no street lights in our community, we like to visit Mom and Dad's nearby neighborhood for some trick-or-treating fun.

This year we went as a High School Musical cheerleader (GO WILDCATS!)...

...a simply adorable Peter Pan...

...Go Diego GO!...

...and Mommy the Bumblebee...and Daddy as Shrek. I am pretty sure Animesh will never again tell me over the phone to buy him any costume I want.

When Deven got in the car after school this afternoon, he began chanting the oldie but goodie, "Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!" Preschool education (by fellow classmates) at its finest. I gently reminded him that this was not the POLITE way to ask for candy and that his treat bag might remain empty if he repeated this to perfect strangers. I suggested using manners instead. He thought for a minute and then gave me his trademark thumbs-up sign while stating, "Good thinking, Mom."

We thought Trevor would tucker out by the 3rd or 4th house--but he conserved his energy while "driving" to the next candy stop. He meant business, too...any attempts by his brother or sister to hitch a ride resulted in Trevor racing into the driver's seat and proclaiming, "Me drive red car!"

While we were out on the streets Mom, Animesh, and I were recalling the good ole' days when local hospitals would offer to x-ray candy after you went trick-or-treating. Lucky for us that almost every house we visited was a neighbor-friend of Mom and Dad's...which slowed us down a bit since Mom struck up lengthy conversations with each neighbor...but reassured us that the goodies our kids were receiving were most likely safe and untainted.

Hope you enjoyed your Halloween. Now, time to raid those candy bags.