Well this post is long overdue! That’s just the story of my life lately…too much to do and too little time. And it’s always this blog that suffers first. I’m settling back in though, and really making it a goal to start blogging regularly again. I tend to go a little crazy when I don’t write, so yeah, it’s time. And I figured the perfect way to get back into it would be to share Cadence’s Halloween photos.
I gotta admit, I hadn’t been this excited about Halloween since I was a kid. Last year was a bit of a bust. Cadence was not quite 2-years-old, and just didn’t understand what the fuss was all about. Sure, she looked seriously cute in her little punk rocker costume, but that’s about where the fun ended. No matter how many times we tried to explain it, we just couldn’t get Cadence to understand that she was supposed to collect the candy in her little basket. No, the moment someone handed her that first piece, she wanted it NOW! NOW! NOW! Of course, we caved. We figured maybe eating one piece of candy would keep her occupied so we could continue to make the rounds.
What do you expect? We were first timers.
We learned quickly though, as soon as someone dropped a second piece of candy in Cadence’s basket, and she promptly spit out the slobbery, half-masticated piece of candy she’d been working on and demanded we open the new piece NOW! RIGHT NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW!
Needless to say, we called it a night shortly after, and spent the rest of the evening passing out candy to the neighborhood kids.
This year, however, we had high hopes. Cadence was a whole year older, a whole year wiser, and (in spite of the occasional Mt. Vesuvius-style meltdown) a whole lot more mature than last year. She listened attentively when we talked to her about Halloween, and practiced saying “Trick-or-treat” and “Thank you much”. And, much to her Daddy’s delight, she even picked out her own Batgirl costume.
We decided to hit the mall for trick-or-treating again this year because, well, let’s face it, chasing sugar-fueled 2-year-old through a dark neighborhood when she’s dressed in a black Batgirl costume sounds about as fun as sitting down to eat a meal prepared by Jeffrey Dahmer. Between the hoards of other families escorting their costumed progeny in an orderly fashion and the added safety of being in a well-lit environment complete with security cameras, we felt pretty good about unleashing our very excited Batgirl to enjoy the Halloween fun.
After Cadence woke from her nap, it was time to start getting dressed. I was beyond excited when Cadence agreed to head outside so we could take a few pictures before her Daddy got home.
Are you ready for the cuteness? Brace yourselves.
Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I give you…Batgirl!
And after a good half-hour of crime fighting in the yard, Cadence was starting to get antsy for Daddy to get home. After all, he’d promised to bring her a pumpkin bucket for trick-or-treating. She kept a watchful eye for his car.
And then…
“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Pumpkin bucket! My pumpkin bucket!”
At last, the costume is complete…
We arrived at the mall a little early, and had a little dinner in the food court. Cadence managed to eat a few french fries and a fruit snack in between giggles of delight as the other costumed children began to arrive. And then, it was 6:00, and the candy-feuled mayhem began…
Cadence wasn’t too sure about this guy’s painted face. But he got a smile, a “Thank you”, and a very enthusiastic “Happy Halloween!” after dropping a few pieces of candy in her pumpkin bucket.
We met up with Cadence’s cousin Odin and made the rounds. The kids had a BLAST! And I have to say, our girl sure made her Daddy and me proud. She waited patiently in line and only had to be reminded once or twice to wait her turn (there’s just something about an adult holding a basketful of chocolate candy at eye level that makes even the most patient kids’ brakes fail). She greeted each shop owner and candy bearer with an enthusiastic “Trick-or-treat!” (and even took to shouting “HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!” to all the passersby in the mall), and remember to say “Thank you” to everyone who dropped a piece of candy in her bucket. When some of the workers held out the candy bowl and let her choose, she took it very seriously, and carefully chose one piece. A few were so impressed with her politeness that they dropped a few extra pieces in her bucket. She didn’t cry or whine. She didn’t even demand that we open just one piece of candy. She was an angel, dressed as Batgirl, and I’m surprised her Daddy and I didn’t burst with pride.
Halfway through our rounds, Cadence decided that her mask was impeding her vision (after all, it’s important to keep a close eye on the candy), so she handed it off to her Daddy. And you know Steven couldn’t pass up an opportunity to channel his inner Batman.
With a bucket full of loot, we headed back home to spend the rest of the evening handing out candy to the neighborhood trick-or-treaters. After a few pieces of chocolate, and a couple pictures with Daddy, it was time to put our little Batgirl to bed.
We hope you all had a very Happy Halloween! 🙂
Lori Romano 