Happy Halloween!

Tommy was a puppy dog at school and a ghost at home. When I say he was a puppy dog, I mean he wore the ears, and that's it. I didn't know how much the other kids would dress up. It turns out he was pretty under-dressed in comparison, though I noticed they all looked pretty normal by the end of the day. I figured Tommy would want to be comfortable enough to play, so I didn't have him wear the tail, and I didn't paint his face because I figured if he had paint on his face all day long his skin would dry out, as it tends to do, and that would be no fun. I also didn't plan very well. I could have just bought all black clothes to match his ears - and probably could have found a dog mask or nose with whiskers or something. Oh well. He still loved the ears and has been saying "woof woof" since we found them. Next year I'll do better.

The reason I didn't send him to school in the ghost costume becomes clear in the photos (though I didn't post some of the ones where he just looked sooo uncomfortable); it was hard enough for him to see, let alone move around. I finally convinced him it was better if I made one large hole for his entire face, and while it was certainly less ghost-like and not a bit scary, it was far more practical, and he was every bit as happy after as before.

Brian took him out this year. Apparently he and Tommy went to one neighbor's home, and she told her husband they had a ghost at the door. The man then came over and said something about a scary ghost, to which Tommy said "Boo!" and the man jumped back. Tommy thought it was pretty fun to have scared someone. ...I'm not sure whether that was before or after the neighbor we know as "the guy with the Jag" lay on his couch right next to his door and didn't move when he heard Tommy come up, but rather called for the woman he lives with four times before she finally had to run to get the bowl of candy and offer it to Tommy. Light on. Door open. Candy ready. Man lazy. It takes all kinds, I suppose. That's what they say anyway. (Maybe he had a sore back or something. I'd give him the benefit of the doubt, but according to Brain's account, he seemed to be fine. Anywho.)

We haven't had too many trick-or-treaters ourselves. It's a bit surprising, not only to us but to our neighbors, as we live in a community with lots of homes in a small area, but we have been here for three years and have never had more than twenty or so trick-or-treaters in one night. We all buy way too much candy just in case, and then we urge kids to take lots. Tommy wasn't out for long, yet he came back with loads of candy. Tonight we have only had a total of eight trick-or-treaters: three teens that looked way too old to be trick-or-treating (but then who cares - I don't), four more who looked older than the first three, and one little girl. I think maybe the older kids see the value in coming to a place like this. Who knows. I still think it's fun. Maybe some day we'll live in a place where we'll get more. I like seeing all the costumes. And I love the little kids. They're so cute!

I hope you had a fun Halloween!