The Halloween Festivities

We had a Halloween weekend jam-packed with fun! You know that commercial that says "Having a baby changes everything"? I can attest that it definitely changes our social lives. I'm suddenly cramming my day planner with Paxton's dates. This explains why he was so bored when he was quarantined during his swine flu scare. Rare are the days when he has to solely entertain himself with the outrageous amount of toys scattered about our house. He likes to mix it up with outings to the park, the gym, friends' houses and stores. Aside from a two-hour nap and a 7:30 p.m. bedtime, he is wide-open to whatever plans we throw his way.

On Friday morning, we finally made it to a Stroller Strides class. Paxton seemed to enjoy being bundled up against the cold weather in his stroller while watching Mommy sweat and toil. We played for a while in the playground with his little friends before we threw on his giraffe costume and rushed to the library to trick-or-treat for a special storytime celebration. He got to color and put stickers on a bag and then take it around to different stations in the library to get little treats. He came home with a little Halloween notepad, a spider ring, a kaleidoscope, a stretchy purple skeleton and some play-dough. He was confused by his good luck but joyful! We stopped by Tizzy's house so she could admire both his costume and his loot!

That evening, we went to an annual Halloween party thrown by an aquaintance from our Music Together class. The host was Sara, and while I don't know her well, I was touched that she invited our whole class to her party. I asked my mom and Carmen if they would like to join us, as Chris had concert plans in Austin that night. My mom lived up to her history of donning clever costumes by dressing as a "new gardener" who just unearthed her first pumpkin, AKA her chihuahua "Seymour" in a fluffy Jack-o-Lantern costume. Carmen had Harper in an adorable Mickey Mouse costume, but didn't have one for herself. Enter my mom with a very funny clown costume she had in her reserves! With a red yarn wig and a big plastic blazer, Carmen was ready for the party!

I'm glad that we came as a group, because none of us really knew anyone else at the party. Paxton made a little friend pretty quickly when we unloaded him from the car and were met by Sam, Sara's two-year old son, dressed in the exact same giraffe costume. Seeing them side-by-side was absolutely adorable. There was a Dia de los Muertos altar where we could set up pictures of our loved ones who have passed. They also had sugar skulls for the kids to paint and leave at the altar. The best part of the evening was when the guests set up their car trunks with Halloween decorations and the children were able to go "trunk-or-treating". We had a really fun time!

On Saturday, we went trick-or-treating on the square in Wimberley. Most of the shops participate, giving treats to the slew of children who go from door-to-door. We arrived at 4:15, with the festivities beginning just 15 minutes before. Already, it was swamped. I was getting overwhelmed by the crowds, but pulled it together to make the event fun for the family. We ran into lots of friends and got to see some clever, cute and impressive costumes. More importantly, Paxton hauled in the goodies. He got the hang of it really quickly. Walk up to strangers, say "trick-or-treat", hold up my pumpkin and say "thank you"? If it gets me free candy, DONE! Of course, he doesn't actually know what candy is. He's had about five M&M's in his life and that's the extent of his candy experience. He surprised me recently by pointing out a "lollipop", but I think he learned that from a book and he doesn't yet realize that you can (and should) eat them. Despite not realizing how great candy is, he still sorted it and hoarded it just like any kid on Halloween night. It was so cute to watch.

After trick-or-treating, we went to the Baptist Church for their fall festival. It was such a neat event. It was all free for the attendees and there were oodles of things for the kids to enjoy. Paxton bounced in the inflatable castle and then played some games. He got the gist of the games, but didn't have the capability yet to master them. When he played the game where you are meant to toss a ball into a faux toilet, he tried first from a distance. When that failed, he got a little closer. When that failed, he stood just above it and dropped it straight in. After that experience, he attempted the golf game. He was good enough to try it with the club first, but when that didn't work, he just climbed right up to the hole and put the ball right in. It was very smart of him!

Before we left, we ran into Carmen, Phil and Harper. Harper and Paxton rushed to the rock garden to admire, chew on and throw the rocks. Paxton took a break to eat some free popcorn alongside his daddy who enjoyed a free hot dog. Then we had to rush home so Chris could get ready for his gig that night with The Whoremoans. Paxton and I enjoyed an early night because our weekend plans weren't over yet.

On Sunday, Paxton and I went to the park to celebrate his little friend, Texas', second birthday. Paxton is a HUGE fan of birthday parties, because he knows they almost always come equipped with cake. He was chanting "cake, cake, cake" the whole time we drove to the party. When we arrived, Texas' grandmother asked us if we would like a piece of cake. I informed her that there was no way she was going to get Paxton to leave the party without one. We shared a piece of chocolate cake with thick icing. Yum! Then Paxton ran off to play on the playground. He went up the stairs and down the slide over and over with Texas. And then I saw the exact moment the sugar kicked in. Whereas before, Paxton had been gently going down the slide, he was now using his mile-a-minute legs to scoot himself down at rapid speeds and laughing happily at his discovery. It was so funny!

Our weekend was very fun! Paxton loved wearing his giraffe costume, and the weather actually cooperated this year so he wasn't sweltering from the unseasonably hot October day. With each new year, holidays are more and more fun with Paxton. I can't wait until our Christmas this year! If Paxton thinks free candy and animal costumes are good, he's going to be beside himself when he wakes up on Christmas morning and finds that a big guy in red has left toys under the tree. Whoo-hoo!