It's Halloween, Matey!

The annual costume frivolities come to an end, once again. Harper was a pirate this year. Let's see if I can recall her brief costuming history: last year Eloise and previously a veterinarian, her own white teddy bear named Tess, a mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, and a 2-year-old beauty queen. I offer for your viewing pleasure a drawing Harper made in September of her costume plans, juxtaposed with the real thing, a photo taken earlier this evening before she tossed the belt, dropped the scarf, and broke the earring:



And one more shot, in which I'm not sure if she is a 7-year-old pirate or a 17-year-old fashion model...
The pirate and I headed on over to her friend Anthony's house for tricks and treats. Anthony's grandpa and dad took the kids out while the moms and grandmother enjoyed hot cider. It was so refreshing to hear kids exclaim "Cool" when presented with a tray of raisins and small toys instead of candy, which is the tradition with Anthony's folks. Harper, on the other hand, is a candy maven. You should see the obscene pile of it currently on our living room floor. Her dad offered her $10 for half of it, but no go. MUST HAVE CANDY!

All this sends me on a walk down memory lane, when Harper and I first began our tradition of trick-or-treating with friends in other neighborhoods, leaving Jay behind to man the candy stand. It was 2004, and he had just started blogging. Pop on over to his site, click on the 2004 entries, and scroll down a bit to the three Halloween posts - which appear in chronological reverse, so be sure to start at the "Halloween - 6:06 PM" entry and then read up through "Halloween Concluded." It's good for a chuckle.