Trick-or-treating

I went trick-or-treating with the kids this year for the first time since Ruth and Sam were about two. Nate and I went with all the cousins while Heather and Deborah stayed at the house with the babies (Jason was working and Emilio was in Texas on a business trip). The older kids (Reah, James, Ruth, and Sam) literally sprinted to their first 20 or so houses. Lily and Richard could barely keep up. Finally the older kids slowed down and they stuck together more as a group, but you would not believe the energy!

A couple of fun moments...

- Richard was really beginning to slow down after running to a dozen or so houses, but just when you thought he was going to call it quits he would see another door open and start running to catch up. He wanted to get that candy!

- Brother Macedone (the high councilman over the deaf branch) had his garage covered with big sheets of plastic and one of his sons was sitting in front with a bowl of candy. Just when you approached his son with the candy bowl, Brother Macedone would pop a big cardboard dinosaur mouth out and say, "Rawr!" The jaw even opened and closed. It was very cute and not very scary, but Lily and Richard were both afraid to go near that dinosaur!

- At one of the homes we knocked, the man giving out candy was wearing a Santa suit. An older boy trick-or-treating at the same time as us said, "I want a pony!" Boy-scout-age boys crack me up.

- One teen-age boy at a home we knocked said, "Hello, Witch Princess!" to Lily. Her hat did kind of look like a princess hat. It was cute.

- At one point James and Sam stopped at the Nate and Deborah's to get something, and Reah and Ruth waited while Lily and Richard trudged on to the next house without everybody. When they got to a home that opened the door, the big kids were sprinting to catch up to them for once, which was quite hilarious.

- Eventually the three-year-olds (Emma, Richard, and Lily) all ended up in strollers. Emma and Richard were nodding off and Lily was eating her candy. Despite skipping the last 20 or so houses, she still made a haul!