Trick -or- Treat!

So, Emily's first Halloween Day started just like any other day, at daycare! She was very excited though, because I am done teaching at 11:00 on Wednesdays, so I was going to be coming to get her when I finished to bring her back to school for the Halloween Parade and parties.

When I got to daycare to pick her up, we quickly put her costume on (over her clothes because it was very chilly on Halloween) so she could model it off for her teachers, and then we were off to school! Emily could hardly contain herself because she had never seen a Halloween Parade before and she had also never been to a Halloween party before.

She got all comfortable in her stroller, with her witch's broom and cat. She actually wore her witch's hat for awhile before she took it off to play with it. Emily was happy to visit with her friend Arabella (the music teacher's daughter, born 2 weeks after Emily) who she hadn't seen since the school's Open House night in September.

Then it was time for the main event, the Halloween Parade. We made our way to the gym, because everyone walks through the gym so that's the easiest place to sit if you want to see all of the kids in their costumes. We found a great spot, right against the wall, next to a pile of gym mats (so mommy had a nice cushy seat too), we were all set for the magic that was about to begin. Emily was on the edge of her seat with anticipation!

Then it began! The students started filing into the gym wearing their costumes. Emily, who loves to watch big kids in action, was enthralled. She was clapping and jabbering, jabbering and clapping. There were skeletons, and monsters; princesses and witches; horses and ninja turtles; devils and "Scream" villains; Disney characters and cartoon characters; and even some of the teachers were dressed up! There was only one thing wrong with this year's parade. For some reason, the kids were all racing through the gym. When you saw a cute costume, by the time you focused your camera, the kid was long gone. Usually, you have plenty of time to watch and interact with the students on their way through. We were all trying to tell them to slow down so we could enjoy their costumes, but the students all seemed like they were on a mission to get back to their classrooms and eat their Halloween treats; also, once one group rushed through, everyone behind them thought that they were supposed to rush through. The entire parade was over in less than 30 minutes. Over 500 kids marched through the gym in less than 30 minutes!

Emily, was now a little overwhelmed by these Halloween-crazed big kids and decided she didn't want to go to any of the Halloween parties. We decided to go back to the teachers' lounge and relax with the music teacher & his family, and the PE teacher. Emily loves to make faces at the PE teacher; she loves to flirt and make faces at any man.

When the school bell rang to dismiss everyone from school, we went around and visited a few of my school friends, so that they could see Emily in her costume. This also gave the parking lot time to calm down before pushing Emily out there in her stroller. When it was safe, we went to Grandma Kathy's house. We were going to be having a little Halloween party of our own and helping to pass out the Halloween candy to the 5-10 kids that actually knock on Grandma Kathy's door. I think we actually ended up with about 12 kids in the end, so it was a busy year for the trick-or-treaters in the neighborhood.

The highlight of Emily's day was a brief visit from Daddy, when he came by to change his clothes before going off to his next endeavor. It is safe to say that Halloween rated an "A" in Emily's book. She had a lot of fun and wore herself out. It was a very busy day, but she seemed to enjoy every minute of it. She is looking forward to next year, and is hoping that maybe she can trick-or-treat at a few houses with her Daddy.

Emily was pretending to be her cat and was growling at the camera.

Emily was on the edge of her seat with anticipation for the start of the parade.

After the parade, Emily got to visit some more with Arabella.

Arabella was an octopus for Halloween.

At Grandma Kathy's, Emily was back to what she does best. Destructing and Redecorating.

Don't forget, nibbling on straps.

Sometimes she combines a few activities. Here nibbling on straps is combined with destructing as she pulls this toy loose from it's velcro with her teeth.

Playing with her newly released toy.

Daddy!