Halloween 2009 has come and gone. It sucks that it goes by so quickly. Kinda like your wedding day. So much planning goes into just that ONE day and within a matter of hours, the wondrous event of your life is over....and then you're left saying to your handsome new husband, "Um....so what are we supposed to do now? Make babies or something?"
So yeah, Halloween 2009 is officially over. But as always, it was good times.
Of course, Tim and I learn quite a few lessons along the way and throughout the years. Thought I'd share them....
1) The classic "before" picture...where no one wants to stand still and pose for a picture, especially little Buzz Lightyear who has to be wrestled into the picture by a Power Ranger.
There is no way around the "before" picture...it's a necessary evil. Mainly because the the grandparents will hold it over your head for years, how they were denied pictures of "their babies" on Halloween.
And then you'll get the privilege of hearing about it every SINGLE FREAKIN HALLOWEEN for the rest of your life....and it'll probably be the very last thing they say to you as they lay on their death bed. It'll go something like this, "Mom, I just want you to know that I love you"...."Yeah, well, I'm still pissed off at you for not taking pictures of the kids on Halloween 2007", and then she flatlines.
2) You will never win. The one year you don't bother bringing a stroller or a wagon along with you while trick-or-treating, that will be the year they all complain how tired their legs are. It'll be non-stop whining the entire time. But the one year you remember to bring everything but the kitchen sink along with you, they will absolutely refuse to have anything to do with it.
3) You must bring "back-up candy buckets" when trick-or-treating. Because after they have about 6 small pieces of candy in their buckets, they'll start complaining "my bucket's too heavy". Unless you want to listen to that for an entire 2 hours, bring back-up buckets.
But be forewarned, if you have children 2 years old and younger, they will believe that you are STEALING their candy every time you dump their candy into the back-up bucket. And they will cry violently, as if you just told them that Elmo had a stroke and didn't survive. This will most definitely slow down the process of trick-or-treating, resulting in the older kids complaining. So, you're pretty much screwed either way.
Keep in mind....you will end up with more candy than you know what to do with. One look at this picture and the kids' dentist will be jumping up and down with excitement because we will have finally helped her purchase the Bentley Coupe she's been eyeing for the last year. Truly, a dentist's dream come true, right here....
4) There will always be one kid in the crowd who will stand there forever at the door, staring at the huge candy bowl full of chocolate bars, and crying, "Do you have any lollipops? I want a lollipop. Can you go get me a lollipop?" And, of course, it's always one of MY kids.
5) When their eyes start glowing in the dark, that's when it's pretty much time to call it quits...."Okay, guys, let's wrap it up....we gotta get home before your horns start poking out of your heads and you all turn back into demons".
6) Lastly, no Halloween is ever complete until each child falls down and skins their knee. I was panicking Saturday night when we were maybe 10 feet from our house and one of the kids hadn't fallen yet. Right then, he fell....signaling that Halloween 2009 was officially over.
Once home, Candy-Fest 2009 began....followed by an enormous sugar rush....and ending promptly with a sugar coma.
Candy-Fest 2009 continues well into the next day. However, the little sugar fiends start slowing down when you tell them, "What?! You didn't know?! With each piece of candy that you eat, another one of your brain cells die and you shrink an inch in height".
Just another
little white lie to add to the list....
So yeah, Halloween 2009 is officially over. But as always, it was good times.
Of course, Tim and I learn quite a few lessons along the way and throughout the years. Thought I'd share them....
1) The classic "before" picture...where no one wants to stand still and pose for a picture, especially little Buzz Lightyear who has to be wrestled into the picture by a Power Ranger.
There is no way around the "before" picture...it's a necessary evil. Mainly because the the grandparents will hold it over your head for years, how they were denied pictures of "their babies" on Halloween.
And then you'll get the privilege of hearing about it every SINGLE FREAKIN HALLOWEEN for the rest of your life....and it'll probably be the very last thing they say to you as they lay on their death bed. It'll go something like this, "Mom, I just want you to know that I love you"...."Yeah, well, I'm still pissed off at you for not taking pictures of the kids on Halloween 2007", and then she flatlines.
2) You will never win. The one year you don't bother bringing a stroller or a wagon along with you while trick-or-treating, that will be the year they all complain how tired their legs are. It'll be non-stop whining the entire time. But the one year you remember to bring everything but the kitchen sink along with you, they will absolutely refuse to have anything to do with it.
3) You must bring "back-up candy buckets" when trick-or-treating. Because after they have about 6 small pieces of candy in their buckets, they'll start complaining "my bucket's too heavy". Unless you want to listen to that for an entire 2 hours, bring back-up buckets.
But be forewarned, if you have children 2 years old and younger, they will believe that you are STEALING their candy every time you dump their candy into the back-up bucket. And they will cry violently, as if you just told them that Elmo had a stroke and didn't survive. This will most definitely slow down the process of trick-or-treating, resulting in the older kids complaining. So, you're pretty much screwed either way.
Keep in mind....you will end up with more candy than you know what to do with. One look at this picture and the kids' dentist will be jumping up and down with excitement because we will have finally helped her purchase the Bentley Coupe she's been eyeing for the last year. Truly, a dentist's dream come true, right here....
4) There will always be one kid in the crowd who will stand there forever at the door, staring at the huge candy bowl full of chocolate bars, and crying, "Do you have any lollipops? I want a lollipop. Can you go get me a lollipop?" And, of course, it's always one of MY kids.
5) When their eyes start glowing in the dark, that's when it's pretty much time to call it quits...."Okay, guys, let's wrap it up....we gotta get home before your horns start poking out of your heads and you all turn back into demons".
6) Lastly, no Halloween is ever complete until each child falls down and skins their knee. I was panicking Saturday night when we were maybe 10 feet from our house and one of the kids hadn't fallen yet. Right then, he fell....signaling that Halloween 2009 was officially over.
Once home, Candy-Fest 2009 began....followed by an enormous sugar rush....and ending promptly with a sugar coma.
Candy-Fest 2009 continues well into the next day. However, the little sugar fiends start slowing down when you tell them, "What?! You didn't know?! With each piece of candy that you eat, another one of your brain cells die and you shrink an inch in height".
Just another little white lie to add to the list....