(Oct 2011) (Need Pics)Halloween 2011

I got Padon's Devil costume done in time for Halloween and I impressed myself by turning a 5T dress into a size 2T for Sophia.  At school Padon's age group got to have a Halloween parade and we excitedly put Padon in his Devil costume, cape and Devil horned cape and then remembered that the Josephine Center was affiliated with the Lutheran Church next door, and while they didn't preach about God in the classroom, we didn't want to offend.  Walter checked and they didn't mind and Padon gleefully went around class, without his Pitch Fork, slapping everyone within reach with his tail.  We didn't send Sophia with her costume, I'm not sure why, I think her class, because the kids were so young, were not participating in the parade.

After school was over I beat feet home to meet up with Walter and to take the kids to the Lake Goodwin Community Center for our first Community Halloween Party.  It was completely free and at the end I made a note to myself to plan to give them a large donation next year because it was so perfectly done.  They had musical footprints where every child ended up winning a cupcake, most of the games were suitable for all ages, and when they won a game they were given a token to take the pirate at the treasure table where they could pick any one of the many prizes on the table.  Sophia walked away excited with her bendy monkey, Padon with big bag of candy, and both of them with bellies full of cupcakes, punch, and popcorn.  

When we left Walter really wanted Sophia and Padon to have chance to go Trick-or-Treating, truly, door-to-door.  Having been raised a Jehovah's Witness for 16 years and been confused about what my religion was for another 5 years I still get an instantaneous pit in my stomach when it comes to doing things that were big no-no's like Halloween for example. The shyness is extreme and I felt teary at seeing my kids run up to the doors.  Like they were braver then I was and I was so happy to see them happy.  We drove through Stanwood and saw a group of kids go down a street near the Elementary school.  We parked our car, got out, and followed the group to discover a long street of well decorated and lit houses.  Padon and Sophia went to about three houses before both of them were running to the next excited for more Candy.  They had the Halloween bags that they made at the Pumpkin Patch after party and they were excited to get candy put in them.  It was so wonderful to see them happy and at the end of the street, we went down the next and then called it a night.  It was bedtime and had been a very good Halloween.