Halloween tricks and treats...

Halloween means a church chili cook-off, a carnival for the kids ages 2 to 12 and trunk-or-treating in the church parking lot. Friday, I made my pot of chili, chocolate cupcakes complete with orange frosting and candy corn toppings (which my kids contributed their deco skills masterfully as well), put on my "punkin" shirt and managed to get it all along with each costumed kid to the church by 6:30! My husband was guiding a deer hunt and unfortunately was MIA from 3am until about 7pm that day. He came home exhaused and fell asleep about 8pm as the rest of us enjoyed the sugar rush mayham! My kids had a great time - what kid doesn't generally enjoy chaos?! Lots of treats, and then came time for the Trunk-or-Treat!

Our church building has a very small parking lot and it was filled to capacity! You'd think I could keep my kids pretty contained - well, here comes the trick part to our adventures that night. In all their excitement, I had to remind my children several times, NOT to run off without me - to stay by me so I could keep track of them. Well, the girls did so, but my almost 5 year old son couldn't contain himself! He ran over to be with his friend Tyson and as the girls and I traveled around the parking lot, he apparently pulled away from his friend and got himself lost in the small church parking lot. I asked a few moms to keep an eye out for him and I continued to herd my girls around to get candy. We had gotten through every trunk and were waiting by our last one when a friend said, "I found him!" My son threw himself at me in tears and said, "MOMMY! You scared me!" He knocked me on my bottom and wouldn't let go! His trick-or-treat bag was empty and I realized that my son spent the last 15 minutes wandering around looking for me with no thought for treats - he spent his time panic-stricken and feeling lost! I held him for about 5 minutes until he calmed down. I don't think he will wander away from me anytime soon. I guess that the church parking lot was about the safest place he could have learned that lesson.

Here are our little munchkins... the following night - HALLOWEEN!