Halloween. What a night. I swear this was the most overwhelming one yet! It started at 3:45, when it was time to pick Emma up . We stop at Walgreen’s to try to find those battery-powered tealights so that our pumpkins wouldn’t blow out. We don’t find them, so I buy a bunch of little reading lights, instead. They work nicely.

Anyway, it’s now 4:05, and we’re supposed to be at a neighbor’s house for a Halloween Potluck at 4:30. And I have to make a meal to bring. So, I call her and tell her we’ll be late. We make macaroni and cheese and hot dogs, get all dressed up (including long underwear and tights to keep the little legs warm) and get to the party at 5:00. We stay for a half hour, but we need to get home to start passing out candy, since Tom isn’t home, yet.

Back home at 5:40, and the doorbell starts to ring. Little goblins beg for candy, and I call Tom. He’s only about 8 miles away, but he thinks it will take about 20 minutes to get home. At 6:15, I call again. He’s about 2 miles away, and will be home soon.

The kids pile back into their coats and mittens and hats (all covering the costumes I spent so many hours sewing!) and head out. Tom takes them all, including Johnny, and prowls the neighborhood in search of candy. I stay home and bake a cake for my Cake ‘n Crumbs launch this weekend and answer the door for the Trick-or-Treaters.

They come back an hour later, smelling vaguely of frozen baby sweat, and spread their bounty on the kitchen table for Tom and me to inspect prior to ingestion. They all look okay, plus Tom only went to the houses of people we know, so we’re not too worried about razor blades in the miniature Hershey bars. Patrick proceeds to tear open a Pixie Stick and spill sugar all over the floor, and they pass around the one piece of candy that they all hate, hoping one of the others will eat it (and, therefore, be obligated to trade with another piece of better-tasting candy).

I wrangle them upstairs, and give Patrick and Gracie quick baths. Emma showers while I put the others to bed. Johnny decides he’s not interested in sleeping, so I get him back out of the crib and tuck in Patrick and Gracie. Emma gets out of the shower and gets ready for bed.

I go back downstairs and collapse in my favorite purple chair with Johnny on my lap and watch House. Ewww!!! They’re related!!!! (You have no idea what that means unless you watched it tonight).

Then this. And now I am off to frost my cake for this weekend’s festivities and make some lollipops.

Pictures here. Happy Halloween!