Happy Halloween!

Hank had a great time last night! We took him around in a stroller as he slept last year, so this was his first Official Trick or Treat! We went out to my parents' house at about 5 pm. I had stuffed all the costume alternatives into a tote bag (banana, dragon/dinosaur thing, daniel boone hat, wizard cape and hat, pumpkin hat) because he was still refusing to put any of our costumes on. I have an old wizard's hat from a halloween several years ago and he had been enjoying playing with that during the week. When I passed by a toy store yesterday afternoon I went in bought Hank a cape and a magic wand that lights up and makes a "woosh!" when you press a button thinking that maybe I'd be able to get him to wear the wizard hat and cape if I distracted him with the wand.

Well, that plan worked like a charm. After playing in the back yard and having some pizza for dinner we threw the cape and hat on Hank and gave him the wand and went outside to go up and down the street.

At first Hank wasn't really sure what to think. The first couple of houses we went to he just walked right inside! (I think he thought that we were house hunting?). But then he noticed that there were so many other people and kids out in the street, that everyone was wearing funny outfits, and that everyone was walking up to houses, getting to take candy from them, and going to the next house. Something clicked and he was off! He ran up and down the street from house to house just having a ball! He'd ring the doorbell, stand in front of the door until it was opened, hold out his little treat bag and say "twick oh tweet!", burst out with at "tank oo!!", and then scamper back into the street with all the other kids. Oh, it was such fun!

He managed to go to every single house on my parents' street with out wearing out. By the time we made it back to ring Geepop's doorbell, he was pretty tuckered out, but still wasn't quite ready to call it a night. We all sat on the front porch and handed out candy. Hank played with all the decorations that my dad had put up (they were all glowing under a black light), and then he sat quietly with us on the porch and enjoyed a huge lollypop. When that was done we took him inside and put him to bed.

It was such a lovely evening. Henry took tons of pictures and I hope they will be ready soon.