Halloween!

Happy Halloweeeen! 

The kids are SO excited.  Julia was up for the day around 4am, and couldn't fall back asleep despite her best efforts.  Madeleine slept just fine, but upon awakening, she had this announcement to make: "Mama!  I wanna put my outfit on RIGHT AWAY!"

Why wouldn't she, when she and Julia both had their pumpkin shirts picked out to wear to school??:

As Madeleine went with Ethan to get her outfit, she remarked to him: "I almost wanted to fall back asleep in my bed because I was SO cozy...but...who wants to be COZY when it's HALLOWEEN!?!?"

Since this is our first Halloween in our new neighborhood, we had to adjust to a whole new routine.  For one, we attended a neighborhood block party before the trick-or-treating began.  We are REALLY suburbanites now, people.  Fun way to meet new neighbors, right?  For Madeleine, yes.  For Julia, it was apparently traumatic.  The poor kid was in tears because "I don't KNOW any of the KIDS here!", despite the fact that several kids from her grade at school, with whom she is friends, were there.  Luckily, after a group photo and parade around the neighborhood, Julia relaxed over pizza and cupcakes and got to chat with one of the other second-graders.  As with all things, Julia just needed a little time to warm up to her new environment.  Madeleine, on the other hand, ran off with another little girl shortly after we arrived at the party and was happy as a clam.

Luckily for us, the neighborhood is predominantly made up of boys, so Julia and Madeleine only had ONE other Elsa and ONE other Anna at the party.  And just as yesterday's blog post demonstrated, Madeleine has simply no sense of tact AT ALL.  During the parade, while walking right near the other Anna, Madeleine announced to Ethan, "Wow.  I have to say, that other Anna is doing a BAD JOB.  Just look at her WIG!"

Yeah.  We're gonna fit in really well in this new 'hood.  One kid cried at the party and the other one criticized her fellow parade-marcher's costume.  Off to a great start folks!

Speaking of costumes, here are the girls all decked out and ready to trick-or-treat:

It was, of course, completely dark by the time we left the party and began our trick-or-treat route.  How many times did Madeleine wipe out, charging along in the dark, up and down front steps?  Any guesses?  Luckily, only ONE of the wipe-outs was a full-blown face plant.  Maybe next year I'll make her wear a head lamp.

At one particular house, there was a fun little game set up; a wheel of fortune, whose outcome was only "good" or "wonderful," meaning you could take candy no matter what the arrow landed on.  Julia got "good" and happily took her candy.  Madeleine got "wonderful" and was absolutely stumped as to the meaning of life.

MADELEINE: Uh, MAMA!  What did I get?
ME: You got wonderful!  Go get your candy.
MADELEINE: But...uh...MAMA!  What does it MEAN?
ME: It means you can get candy.
MADELEINE: No, Mama, what is it MEAN what I got?
ME: It means you can get candy.
MADELEINE: (glancing around uncertainly) Uh, no, Mama, look at what I got.  What does it MEAN?

I had to bring her over to the mom of the house to expressly get permission for Madeleine to take candy.  Sheesh, what happened to my little rule-breaker non-listener?  Preschool has turned her into a rule follower after all.  And I thought it would never happen!

At any rate, the girls are home and in their Halloween pajamas now, enjoying a candy treat before we get a (hopefully solid and much-needed) good night of sleep!  Happy Halloween!