Halloween, Part I -- CDC Trick or Treat

Last Tuesday, Eli's preschool went Trick or Treating around the high school. At the last minute, when Dendi called to volunteer, I decided to dress up Keira and tag along. I'm so glad I did -- there were tons of great photo ops. This year, Eli decided to be Mickey Mouse. At the beginning of September, when we started looking at costumes online, he was interested in being Blue from Blue's Clues. The Blue costumes looked a little chintzy, but on the same page they showed some Mickey and Minnie costumes. Almost kiddingly (since I didn't think he'd want to), I suggested that he could be Mickey and Keira could be Minnie. He got really excited and wouldn't entertain any other ideas. Since I knew that their years of coordinating Halloween costumes were likely numbered I happily ordered the matching costumes. They turned out great.

Here's Keira showing off her "Mi Mou" costume and Minnie eating a pre-Trick or Treat cracker to build up her strength.



Before hopping in the car, I had the kids pose for a few photos. Of course, the ones of the two of them didn't turn out as I'd hoped, but they're still worth posting.




When we arrived at Eli's preschool Keira was in seventh heaven, as she is whenever I let her stay and play a little. She LOVES his school. She especially loves the slide in the middle of the room and the perfectly proportioned chairs. After taking a few slides she waited for no invitation to sit down and have a little breakfast.



Right after Dendi arrived, we all set out. It was great that Dendi came to help. At first, she held Keira which gave me the opportunity to hold Mickey's hand for a little while. Although, Kaitlyn held Eli's hand for most of the Trick or Treating around the high school. It's one of the great things about Eli's preschool program. They have so many teenage "teachers". On field trips and for special events, they each have a teenager assigned to them. Fairly quickly, Keira made her opinion known -- she was not a fan. I think she may have thought she was at the doctor's with all the long sterile hallways and small rooms full of strangers. Dendi and I left with Keira after about five rooms.



Keira recovered quickly once we left the high school and headed to Mike and C's for some brunch. Most of the restaurant was filled with retirees who were tickled to have a miniature Minnie in their midst.


After filling up, Dendi, Keira and I headed out for a walk and a trip to the park while we waited for Eli's preschool day to finish.



After I picked up Eli, we made once last appearance in their costumes. We drove to CLT to see Grammie at work. Fortunately, it was the most successful trip to the thrift store with both kids, ever. Eli slipped his costume over his shorts (he had taken it off when he got hot) and both kids seemed to enjoy the attention of my mom's coworkers. To make the trip even more magical, Grammie found Keira a perfect bike. The fact that the bike had to be stopped so that I could take the picture explains Keira's expression, but I absolutely love Eli's grin!