The Day After

Well, the festivities are over, and no one got sick-a bonus. I forget from year to year that I really have THE best kid to still take Trick-or-Treating. We got to the Trunk-or-Treat (which, okay, started at 5:15 this year-insane. People don't get off work until 5:00, so it wasn't really very working-parent oriented, and by time we got there, it was half over) and made the rounds there, went back to the house so I could charge up with coffee while waiting for Steve to get there, and during that time Sam took Owen up and down our block. From there, we went to the nursing home to get cookies and popcorn balls; it is really hard to go there, because it is SO sad, but of course that's WHY we go. All of the residents are lined up throughout the dining hall, and they are so thrilled and excited to see all of the little munchkins parade around in their costumes, it makes the sadness dissipate for a little while. Sam is really excellent about talking to them (even when he can't understand a word they are saying) and letting them "pet" him, though Owen was less than thrilled. There was one man who, last year, tried to grab Sam in excitement, and I noticed that Sam made a wide berth around him-but later said, "I am just sick at myself for not going to talk to that Scary Man. I feel ashamed." Poor kid, a social conscience at age nine; it's a good thing, of course, but also sometimes weighs heavy on a kid.

Anyway, after that, we went to two different neighborhoods, Steve took us to three houses where he knew the occupants from work or from growing up here, and it was only 7:30-Sam said, "Can we be done now?" You bet your ass! He has always been like that. He likes the candy, of course, and the whole excitement of it all, but he only likes it for a short period of time-good deal. From there, we went to Steve's mom and dad's to show them the boys' costumes, and there were other family members there so we ended up staying to visit for awhile. Again, I am blessed with great kids-at 8:30, Owen said, "Go home now, I tired." Just like that, we had "permission" to make a graceful exit, and Owen really WAS ready to go-we got home and had a late dinner of some Ramen Noodles and as predicted, both boys were sound asleep by 9:00. Lovely. Steve and I sat on the couch and talked for awhile, not about anything important, just talking, and that was nice, too. For the record, we don't fight-never really have-and there are times when it seems as if he is working toward finding a way to get past some of his issues. Last night was one of those nights, and while I certainly don't hold my breath and get all hopeful and "whoo whoo!" about it, I do enjoy it when we have some of those quiet moments.

So today is November 1st, and it was a beautiful start to the month. We worked more on the tree out back, and other than cutting up the limbs, I think we are finally finished trimming it. Cleaned up the yard some, did a bazillion loads of laundry, went to the grocery store, and now we are getting ready to throw together some homemade pizza. I got a good long nap in, and all in all it was just a peaceful yet busy day. I was happy that Hannah and Eli neither one did anything to warrant getting arrested last night (they were both with friends, and while I trust Hannah and Eli to not be stupid, I also know that it is sometimes easy to just go along...), and am really looking forward to setting my clock back tonight-an extra hour of sleep can't be anything BUT good!

Happy November to everyone; this is the official beginning of the holiday season, isn't it? And won't THAT be something to look forward to!