no tricks, just treats

Halloween was a huge hit with Olivia! She had a blast! I was shocked by how much she got into the whole thing. I figured she would still be too young to have much of an interest. Boy, was I wrong!

Our Halloween celebration started earlier in the week with a trip to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo for their annual Great Zoo Halloween. Each year they cover the zoo with pumpkins and cool festive displays. There are about 10 candy stations that the kids can visit to collect their candy while they walk through the zoo. There aren't many animals out at this point because the zoo is closed for the year and it is usually too cold for some of the animals to be out. Even though it was a cool night there were some animals still out so Olivia was pleased. It was the perfect fall night to be out doing a little early trick-or-treating. Considering the fact that Olivia's costume was quite warm I was hoping that the weather would be cooler so she would not be uncomfortable while being stuffed in a big furry costume. She must have been snug as a bug because she did not complain one bit. In fact she really liked her costume and was more than happy to wear it.

We talked to Olivia about Halloween beforehand so she could possibly understand the whole thing. We told her that she was going to dress up and go around collecting candy. We also taught her exactly what to say if she wanted candy. Within a day she had it nailed. When people would ask her what she was going to be for Halloween she replied, "I be Elmo costume". Once we got to the zoo we explained to her that she had to hand a ticket to each person in order to get her candy. She caught onto that right away. She refused to say "trick-or-treat", but she said "thank-you" each time without fail. I was very proud of our big girl!

The trip to the zoo exhausted our Little Elmo. And luckily after giving her only one piece of candy she forgot about it all. She did manage to find some energy to run through the leaves on the way back to the car though. It was such a fun night, and it wasn't even Halloween yet!

Now you would think that the weather would stay fairly cool this time of year. Nope...it was 65 degrees on Friday! I was super worried about Olivia wearing that heavy costume on such an unseasonably warm day. Yes, she was warm...but once again she did not complain! We had a great night! We started out doing a little trick or treating in our neighborhood. We took the wagon so Olivia would not get overheated walking from door to door.

She did not hesitate walking right up to the houses and ringing the doorbell if necessary to get her candy. If allowed she preferred to pick out her own candy too...as if she knew what she was choosing! She always finished with a big "thank-you" before moving onto the next house. She had the routine down pat in no time. She was a trick-or-treating pro!

We visited some friends in the neighborhood and hit up a few other houses before packing up to go visit the grandparents! Next we headed off to Todd's parents and then to my Mom's. Everyone was dying to see Olivia all dressed up. At each stop I would pull Olivia's costume down around her waist so she could cool off a little. The poor thing was sweating like crazy underneath. I thought she would resist putting it back on time after time, but again...no complaints!

After one more stop we finally made our way out to final destination. We ended the evening with our friends Korrie & Tom and their two boys. It is becoming a tradition that after trick-or-treating is over we go over to their house for chili and a little relaxation. We arrived much later than we planned and we were all exhausted. It was way past Olivia's bed time but she was having so much fun. She refused to release her Elmo pail from her death grip all night but she only requested a few pieces of candy. I think she just wanted to hold onto her stash which could only be considered a huge accomplishment. The amount of candy this child collected was insane! Lucky for us she has since forgotten about it. Now it will be sitting in our house for the next month as we slowly eat it all.

Halloween was so much more fun than I expected it to be for Olivia. I never thought she would get so involved in the holiday! I can only imagine what the next few years will be like. Now from one big event to another. In just two short days Olivia will turn two years old! We thought she was excited about Halloween? She is even more excited about her birthday!