Trick or treat 2008

Trick or treat!


Elmo gets an early sugar rush.


Our little pumpkin.

Close observers might notice a major haircut in that last photo. That would be the result of 4 inches leaving my head this afternoon. I chickened out on bangs. Again. They scare me.

And how 'bout that road soda in that there picture? Who knew trick or treating involved beer?

(Also, an update on little CiCi: she is taking baby steps toward improvement, but they still don't know any more. Please continue to send your positive thoughts her way. Mom Jenny says knowing how many people out there are pulling for them is helping more than we can know.)

Happy Halloween

Nemo collected an absurd amount of candy for a child who does not eat candy. But he was so cute, who could resist?




There were even two houses on our route, right around the corner, that were giving out full-size candy bars! Full-size! A neighbor told us that after we were done for the night, there were even some houses giving out beer and wine to the grownup trick or treaters. I love Lincoln Park. Mansions, Bugaboo strollers, $17,000-a-year preschools, Starbucks every two blocks and full-size candy bars and beer on Halloween. I am never moving.

Notice in the second picture, the kid behind me IS AS TALL AS ME. And he was trick or treating. I really think that's a bit much.

But not as much as the kid who marched up next to us at a house around the corner and held out his school backpack. The homeowner said he wanted to know where his costume was, because he was not giving candy to kids without costumes. The kid, without missing a beat, replied, "I am a black gangster." He was dressed in black sweats and pretty much looked like he probably did at school all day. I would say he was about 13 years old.

He did get his candy, incidentally.

But that was not the best part of Halloween 2007. Oh ho know.

We left with Jack about 4:30 p.m. But I didn't want to not leave any candy for the kids who stopped by while we are gone. So being Dorothy from Kansas, I assumed that leaving a bowl of candy out on the porch with a note saying "Please take one!" would be sufficient. Plus, I reasoned, if people took more than one, then they clearly needed that candy more than someone else. So I left two bags worth of candy in the bowl and off we went. I have lived in this city for nine years, I didn't grow up on farm either. I grew up in a fairly big city. You would think I would know better.

Please let me note, we live on a busy street. Lots of foot traffic.

We come home an hour later, and not only is all the candy gone, BUT SO IS THE BOWL. Now come on, that's just shitty. Who steals the bowl? Like no one noticed a kid carrying a heaping bowl of candy down a busy street in broad daylight? And for god's sake, where was this kid's parent?

So yeah, Happy freaking Halloween. I hope that kid's teeth rot from all the Snickers and Skittles in there.