Miriam Grace Climenhaga

Our town does Halloween over and over and over again around here. It's a bit annoying, actually. So Halloween activities started around here last Thursday, culminating in last night. Last Friday it was homecoming for the University so they combined trick or treating in Aggieville w/ a homecoming parade and pep rally afterwards. Are they nuts? Aggieville is this little four block radius of mostly bars and businesses that's next to the University. Well, I must be nuts too...because I went to that one! These pix are from that excursion. I went with my friend Meri whom I've known since first grade and used to go trick or treating with every Halloween. We've made it a bit of a tradition to go trick or treating together now that we have kids that are close in age. Her little girl dressed up like Mary Poppins. Oh she was cute! I really feel that I should make sure it's okay with Meri if I post a picture of her daughter here before I do, so you'll have to wait to see that... In the meantime you can look at H. in his not so original spider man costume...but oh so cute!

Last night we went trick or treating downtown and also around the old neighborhood in town that we lived in....where grandma still lives, and my sister. And I forgot the camera. I went downtown with my friend Wendy and her son and hit the neighborhood with my sister and niece and her friend a bit. It ended on a sour note though when we walked up to a house that had a man sitting in a chair on the porch dressed up like the devil or some such thing. Black robes, devil mask. He was sitting perfectly still and you had to second guess whether he was real or not. I went on the porch first so he would scare me (if he was real). That would have been plenty scary for the kids. Instead, this jerk waited for H. to come up to him. I mean waaaaiiiiiteeed. I had just started thinking "oh he's not real" or that he would wait until all the kids were up there to get candy. Nope. The guy waited for H. and then did his little "scare" thing and H. about jumped out of his costume and immediately burst into tears. I don't think I've ever felt H. cling so tightly to me before. I couldn't figure this guy out...he has his own son about H.'s age. Aarrgghh. He did (at least) take his mask off right away and was apologetic, but H. didn't want to look at him. And then when he finally did, he jumped again because now it was a man's head and not a devil head. H. kept saying that there had been a monster on the porch and that then there was a man inside the monster. Poor boo. He seems to have recovered, but he wasn't interested in trick or treating anymore. And plainly told me that he did not like "scary Halloween" anymore. Well, he's four....he'll change his mind. But it was a crappy way to end the night. So, I am truly one of those parents that didn't let him rip through all the candy (like I used to). I will in the coming years, but we've all been sick and all and I don't think the sugar is doing him any good...so I was the sugar police last night. After I ate my almond joy, etc.