206 pieces of candy.

I'm a little behind on the fun stuff we've been doing here in South Carolina...I can't wait to blog about so much once I get back from Love Affair!

So...we did actually go out trick-or-treating.  I know that my kids thought is was up for debate whether, if ever, we would really go pound the pavement and get a boatload of candy.  We did...206 pieces of candy for each person to be exact.

Every year my kids decide what they want to be and then put together their costumes with stuff around the house.  I think it's really fun to see what they come up with.  This year Emmett decided to be a mad scientist and his costume was hilarious.  He made his hair pretty wild with gel and made his face look like an experiment had blown up in his face.  My very favorite part of his costume has to be the swimming goggles, though.  They totally make the costume!

For the first time...I think, in their entire lives, Miriam and Emma wore the same thing.  I was totally surprised when they said they both wanted to be witches.  Even though they are both witches, it's hard to see, but their costumes are different from each other.  This was also the first year we went out and found costumes at the store for the two of them...not sure we'll be doing that again next year.  Their creative take on costumes from things around the house are way too fun.

Gracie was a princess and she talked Miriam into letting her use the princess costume she got for Christmas.  Gracie made it extra fancy with her jeans that have pink flowers on them, a long sleeved pink shirt, her pink tennis shoes, and a gorgeous crown, necklace, and ring. 

The second the girls arrived home from school they put their costumes on.  By the time Emmett stepped off the bus 20 minutes later they were ready to go around the neighborhood yelling trick-or-treat.  The wait just about killed them, thankfully they made it through the torturous experience.

After going through almost 2/3 of the neighborhood the girls decided to call it quits.  I think the newest thing about this year was that Emmett went trick-or-treating with his friends.  Is he really that old?  Am I really ready for this?  We missed him but I was so glad to have him back with us at the end of the night when all of the kids sat around counting their candy and then dividing it into organized piles of candy by varieties, and then finding new ways to divide their spoils. 

It's amazing that such a simple night can be a favorite of the year.  Just dress up, go from house to house, get candy, come home count it and divide it, and then collapse from exhaustion on the couch.  There's not much more a kid can ask for when they dream of the perfect night.

I'm glad I got to be here for it.

dream. LIFE.

**and yes, that blue color is one of the walls of my new studio...