halloween 2011

we surely missed our st. louis friends this year.  trick-or-treating wasn't the same without our annual shared chili and corn bread dinner afterwards.  but that didn't seem to dampen mya's spirits.  she has been counting down the days until halloween for weeks.  her enthusiasm for this holiday was really sweet.  to see her get so animated and experience it to the fullest was refreshing, took my eyes off of myself for a while, especially in the midst of still getting ourselves used to the idea that we live in greenville, not st. louis, where we've been, or boston, where we're going.  mya lives in the moment, and halloween was no exception.

bryan and i have great memories of trick-or-treating as kids.  halloween for us holds the nostalgia of enjoying the world of pretend, of meeting your neighbors, and feeding off of the energy in the air, not to mention the overindulgence of candy.  no one is a stranger on halloween.

last night, it was fun to see neighbors swing their doors open wide, put on all the front lights, get in the spirit and go out of their way to decorate, get into character, and make it something special for the kids, instead of what we all usually do night after night, sitting secluded on our couches, turning off welcome lights, and shutting the world out. there is really no other holiday like it where all the strangers who want to come by are welcome at your front door.

my favorite houses as a kid were the ones where the moms would invite us to step inside the foyer where we would find a table of hot chocolate and warm chocolate chip cookies waiting.  we got to sit a few and 'defrost' before heading back out into the cold.  now that i'm older, that means more to me than just a chance to eat and drink sugar and get warm.  i didn't think about it at the time but i was experiencing grace and love from a neighbor.  someone was investing in me.  i can't imagine how long it took those specific people to bake enough cookies for countless kids to come by.

mya had a blast. to her, saying 'trick or treat' did not make sense. instead she shouted with a smile 'happy halloween!' sometimes she perplexes me. i think last night she just couldn't imagine not wishing other people the happiness she was experiencing.  she got lots of candy.  she had so much fun. and she doesn't quite yet realize that she is making lifelong memories that she will share with her kiddos one day.   enjoy!

on our way to grammie and grampies:



an accidental "a belly shot" that better satisfy my long distance friends:



super excited!

 

great participation in this neighborhood!



the sugar is kicking in....



personality.