Halloween 2009: Spiderman vs. Puppo

Our first real official Halloween came to a close last night with a trick-or-treat excursion down a nearby street and a pit stop at our friends, the Studdifords, who live two blocks away. The Studs have two children of similar age to ours--Natalie and Zach.

We probably hit about 15 homes total down about a block-and-a-half. It was Matthew's first experience on his own approaching homes and saying "trick or treat." He did pretty well--in fact, he liked it so much, he started sprinting ahead 1-2 houses ahead of the rest of us. Hmm...that sounds familiar (for those of you who knew me when I was younger, apparently I ALWAYS had to be first and/or ahead of everyone else).

Amy did great, too. The big hit of the night for her? As you might guess, a face-to-face with a dog. It was Puppy v Puppy--and the only thing separating the two was a thin pane of glass. I'm guessing Amy could have taken him...

There was one house on the block that really got into the spirit with ghosts and ghouls flying through the air using a semi-advanced pulley system. They even had a witch out front with a talking skull in her crystal ball--a big hit with Matthew and Zach. I think mezmorized is the word.

After the kids were worn out, we headed back to the Studdiford's abode to let the kids play and consume some candy while the adults enjoyed a few drinks.

But there was more to the day than just the evening festivities--Matthew and Angela participated in a Halloween parade at Blue Cross Blue Shield. The kids always trek up to the corporate headquarters and walk around and show off their "crazy hair." I went last year--it's always a lot of fun for the kids (and I think the BCBS employees actually enjoy it more).

Angela also made a Shepherd's pie (with ghosts) that was quite tasty. Unfortunately, we didn't get to carve our pumpkins before Halloween, but we're hoping to do that in the next few days. After all, the kids won't know the difference. We like to do things kind of backwards in the Hanson house.

We're already looking forward to Halloween 2009!