Halloween!

The following was originally posted November 2, 2009, at http://www.parentclick.com/BlogPost.html?id=1279:

It was our first Halloween with three munchkins, and though Mason is still a bit young to trick or treat, we still dragged him along for the ride, in full costume.

Mase was "Silly Bones," a babified skeleton that for some reason featured a white tuxedo jacket. Jenna was a witch, and Riley, ever the flip-flopper, changed from Batman to Snake Eyes to finally Wolverine, as we patrolled the crowded costume aisle at Wal-Mart Friday afternoon.

Riley has, how shall we say, a large head, and the mask to his costume, size 7-8 (which I presume means it's designed for a 6-7 year-old child), just didn't fit. I trimmed out the eye holes a little, but it still was a snug fit for him.

Crystal slathered a little green eyeshadow on Jenna's face, and she was a rightly scary witch, albeit one with a slight pigmentation problem, as she kept wiping the makeup off onto her costume, leaving flesh-colored splotches on her face.

We loaded Mason up in the wagon and set off (my dad came by to visit and handed out candy while we went door to door.

It was a chilly night, so we bundled Mason in a blanket, and he had a layer under his already-thick costume. Jenna's costume was, as most girls' costumes seem to be, rather thin, so a long-sleeved shirt, a pair of tights, and a jacket had to be enough for her. Riley's costume was padded, and with his extra layer he seemed to cope with the elements just fine.

Jenna had trouble keeping up with Riley, who was raring to get himself some candy. She pitter-pattered up driveways and through front yards, despite my orders to stay out of our neighbors' grass.

Once they reached the front door, Riley let loose with his signature doorbell ringing style, which is to hammer on the button like he's getting points for pushing it. The door opens and Jenna holds out her hand rather than her bag, then, after collecting her bounty, proceeds to stand there. Was she waiting for more? Scared to wade through the throng of other trick-or-treaters? Or just too excited to move?

Finally, she turned and left, her candy bag dragging on the ground behind her.

And on this went for a few blocks, until Jenna, again trying to catch up to her brother, ambled up a steep front yard, caught her boot on the sidewalk, and plopped to her knees on the pavement, just as the front door opened.

Jenna screamed, and I rushed up to get her. The woman at the door was horrified, and apologetically began throwing candy into her bag, saying "let's make sure she gets enough." I thanked her, and declined her offer for a band-aid, before moving on.

Mason cried in sympathy for his sister, but I quickly proved that brotherly love at his age extends as far as the length of a sucker, which kept Mase quiet the rest of our chilly trip.

Riley had his own spill as we headed home, but came away with only the smallest of scrapes on his hands. He whined briefly, but soon quieted as we reminded him of what he was holding.

The prospect of sifting through his loot was more than enough salve for him.