Happy Halloween!
I know that Halloween isn't the most beloved holiday for all people. Many people abhor the gore that seems to have overtaken the holiday . Others dislike the non-Christian aspects of it. Others dislike the emphasis on sugar. I can't argue with any of those points, and yet there is still something I like about the holiday, especially now that I have my own kids. I guess it's all in how you present the holiday to your kids, and how well you can monitor the sugar intake! And for my kids, it is a time of excitement and wonder and imagination. We can guard them quite a bit from the gorish aspects and regulate the candy.

I guess I'm just a big softie when it comes to any chance to see my kids full of that wonder -- I love it at DIsneyland, at the State Fair, at Christmas, at seeing a moose in the yard, at seeing the stars out in all their glory, I love it always -- and that includes at Halloween. Seeing Cate so filled with joy at each stop along the trick-or-treat path, or Christopher trying to figure out all the different costumes is just fun. That said, the kids will be in bed, asleep early tonight, even though trick-or-treating only got them to bed about 40 minutes later than usual last night. Cate actually asked for her bed at naptime today -- she was ready to go.

Don't you love our little ghost -- and the pumpkin with its face designed by Christopher? The kids named the pumpkin several times. According to Christopher his name is either Sport or Happy. Cate wants to name it Pinky. Either way, Greg did a great job with his carving knife!