Downtown Halloween

Halloween is such a fun but hectic occasion. The kids have to be fed and changed into those impossible to get on outfits all while they are running the course of the house YELLING at the top of their lungs something about getting C A N D Y. And this is when, as a really bright mommy, I am thinking, yes just what these little beasts need-more fuel in those already overexcited little bodies. But, alas, I may be bright but I'm also a sucker for the holidays and this is no exception. (We do actually receive the payback for all of our obnoxious behavior as a child. We just have to wait for our own kids to eat a billion snickers and barf on us.) My Ms. Kitty Fairy, Power Ranger and Buzz Lightyear did awesome in getting ready. They were so excited. We go downtown every year because it is just the safest place to be. (Sadly, I can't ever see a time that my kids will have the same enjoyment we did at Halloween. I remember frolicking carelessly through the streets, in the streets and among the bushes for that matter, all in the cover of darkness and for the most part unsupervised. I don't see that happening in this house EVER.) This years festivities were just as great as always. The only difference was that ten times the people showed their scary masks last night. Anyone who has navigated through a crowd with 3 small children (one that stares aimlessly to the sky, one that is falling sideways from fatigue and one that is terrified by the sight of the Darth Vadar kid behind him) knows that a HUGE crowd is only going to disturb what could ordinarily be called difficult but manageable and turn it into that nightmare you have about total loss of control. The kids have only so much pushing power and this mommy gets easily claustrophobic. Daddy does his best impersonation of a wide-eyed seven year old boy in the candy store. (I'm sure he is drooling with anticipation over the heaps of sugar that he will eventually confiscate from the pumpkins the kids are filling) They did fine for the most part. There was the dancing though. (I try like hell to become part of the surroundings, unfortunately my kids think that it is their duty....obligation, to make sure that we are the center of everyone's universe. Why oh why can't they just be good little, blah fixtures that are just part of the scenery and not the main attraction? I was not meant to be ogled by MANY spectators, giving appropriate "ooohs and ahhhs" abound. I was supposed to be on the outside doing that. But I digress.) So, the kids decided to put on their extravagant show. Keara doing some kind of gypsy dance that can only be accomplished using a FULL street corner. Kai doing his best ninja moves. And Drig shaking booty. (OK Drig's booty shaking dance was quite cute.) After we had collected our fee for providing the locals entertainment, we made our way down and OUT of there. On the way out we were lucky enough (or perhaps it's that the kids really are THAT cute) to get pom-poms from some of the Auburn girls that were NOT technically handing them out but "hey what the heck these kids are so damn charming we will give them ours!" Keara and all her issues, decided to scream and carry on as though we were beating her when we finally reached the road to leave. UGH But alas, I maintained composure and we did exit gracefully, albeit LOUDLY, to our car. The kids had a great Halloween and mommy and daddy are gonna get FAT!