The Trick's on Mom

Halloween is my silly ramp up to the holiday season!

Goofy, giddy, gory, whatever. The dressing up, decorating the house, choosing pumpkins from the patch and carving them up - mess and all... I've had a blast doing all of these creepy cool things with my little kids over the last 7 years.

Noah was rearing to go, in his dirt-bike costume and skeleton bucket, which he traded in for a Target plastic bag because it held more, lol. Despite the rain, he and our little neighbor friend were on a serious, strategic, candy-finding mission. And efficient, those two! We were out and back in 45 minutes. At times, yelling at us parents and my mom to hurry up - ha! They practically ran the entire way. Those houses participating despite the storm were few and far between... about every 5 or 6 houses and the wind was blowing and well, it was kind of miserable. But, all in good fun. It's a tradition, and I was happy to participate with my son one more year... until he outgrows this and me and because the years, they are whizzing past me and cackling like a witch on a broom! Don't look now, but another year has almost passed us by. What's next, the great Santa conspiracy and cover up? Ugh, my heart aches just thinking about it.

A good friend at work just told us the other day that he thinks his son doesn't believe, or has caught on and may be trying to hide the fact that he knows... and it made us all so very sad to hear that. Luckily, unlike the neighbor boy, Noah is not embarrassed to be seen with me and (cross fingers) he is still wide-eyed and excited about the prospect of old St. Nick.

So the neighbors. Poor parents. Their child, the youngest of three, told his mom and dad that they needed to stay back when he saw a pack of kids from school. They smiled, but ouch! It had to hurt. I don't know. With two older boys I guess that they've had their share of this 'growing up' behavior, but from the baby of the family... I would have cried. Sniff, sniff.

Now let's talk about Mr. Rowan. 2 going on 42. Remember last year? Yes, well. Buy, cry, repeat. The 2011 garden gnome was a bust as you may recall. But I still get whoops and hollers when people hear that he was a gnome last year. OMG! THAT IS THE CUTEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD/SEEN... THERE WERE EYE BROWS, AND A BEARD?  I know, I am still this excited about that costume and I am saving it for my sister's children. Like it or not, we are dressing her future trick-or-treaters up as a monkey, a gnome, Woody and... this. It already has an eBay tag, "Never Been Worn."

What Rowan was supposed to be for Halloween.

Ok, he had a cold and was a bit out of sorts and I wasn't about to take him into the rain anyhow. But I really just wanted one little photo of him in the costume. Granted, he picked the thing out himself. Thought of the idea all on his own. He wanted to be "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse." So when the costume came. I opened, slide the package in front of him (yes, while he was watching Mickey on TV) and let him get used to it slowly. I peeked from around the kitchen doorway to see the progress. He looked to his left, down at the package, pulled it closer and stared for a minute, then continued watching Mickey. I gave him another few minutes then went in to make the pitch. I had to be joyful and easy-going, but not too over-the-top excited or this would all blow up in my face. I just went for it and asked how he liked his costume and did he notice that it was like Mickey's on the Halloween special. He didn't say he didn't like it, but the ears? They were a non-starter.

Costume manufacturers, please listen up: infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers do not like in any way shape or form, a head piece, hat, etc... with a tie string that goes under the chin. Not having it, no way, no how. Why do you continue to make these? Ugh. So the ears ruined the whole thing. But, um, you kind of need Mickey ears to be Mickey. So I removed tie strings and fashioned the ears on to a regular snow hat and we were golden. Carousel costume shop veterans, you would have been proud!

Right, so we're back from trick-or-treating with the big kids and Rowan wakes up. I give him about 20 minutes to refresh and approach him gently about putting on his costume to finish handing out candy to the kids. Without looking up from the iPad... watching, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, of course... he gives me a curt 'no.' I think I asked maybe 6 different ways from Sunday to get this kid into the costume. I bribed, my mom was the wing-nana, offering up even more elaborate ideas and bribes as we go desperate. I think she offered him money at one point. Hysterical. Now, mind you, we're doing all of this like someone trying to catch a dangerous animal. Not getting to close, not making any quick movements. It was like Honey Boo Boo meets the Discovery Channel up in there.

I think he looked up one time from the iPad and gave us a 'nope. I don't yant to, mom.' And so my dreams were dashed. No, seriously. It's all good, and my mom and I had a great time cracking up at the length to which we stretched ourselves to con this headstrong little 2 year-old into a costume. It was truly a sitcom. Good memories.

Maybe next year?