Well folks it's Friday morning and we are all Halloweened out! We saw every costume imaginable (the little sushi baby was my personal favorite), we had some cotton candy that the rain threatened to entirely melt and we even got not one but two balloons!! The second was awarded based on cuteness level, which I agree was through the roof. Birdie even snagged her first piece of candy whose wrapper she thoroughly enjoyed since mama and papa felt a little strange snagging candy for themselves when there were so many little goblins afoot hungry for some cavities.
We celebrated over at Eastern Market since it was one of the few areas that were offering kid/baby friendly activities that night. Well man did we luck out!! It was as if all of Eastern Market was out for the night! Residents were taking pride in their decor on their front stoops and handing out what I assume were endless amounts of candy since no one seemed without. It was festive and fun and everyone was in such a good mood. How could you not be? Everyone took the costume part of the evening very seriously and smiles and ooh's and aah's abounded over twin iron mans, a bevy of ballerinas and firemen, astronauts and everything in between.
I've always loved Halloween, my inner child relishing the opportunity to dress up and make a general fool of myself but this year was different. This year was all about "let's do this for Birdie, she'll love it!" And so we drove into the city during rush hour, papa bear circled Eastern Market for half an hour looking for a space and we squeezed through tightly packed sidewalks in search of "the balloon man." As did hundreds of other parents that night. I loved the way a parent's face would light up the moment you complimented their child's outfit, in that instant you could see that you just made all those hours sewing and glueing totally worth it. I couldn't really take a lot of credit for Birdie's outfit (thank you Target!) but I do believe the nose was a nice touch!
So thank you Halloween! Thank you for giving us a day to all be children for the sake of our children (or for the sake of candy, however you look at it's a great holiday!). We're already looking forward to next year but the slight remnants of that teeny tiny nose will be a reminder of the fun that was had by all!
