Trick-or-Treat Overload

This is the second year that Brady has been able to participate in trick-or-treat.  We've been working on getting him to say trick-or-treat for the last month and he can say it really well now.  Initially, it was "Treat! Andy (how he says candy)!"  We also made sure he knew to say thank you at each house.  He's a very polite boy and tells us thank you after we do the littlest things like get his milk out of the fridge, but we made sure to reinforce it anyway.  Above is a picture of him on Halloween morning, eating breakfast.  He was saying, "Boo!" to scare me and was smiling so big afterwards, that I tricked him into thinking that I was taking a pic of him saying, "Boo!" when in reality, I waited for the smile afterwards.

Our friends, the Reese family, invited us to a trunk-or-treat at their church the Saturday before Halloween.  What happens is the kids walk to everyone's trunk to get their treats.  It's a little safer than on the real day where there are streets.  Sam was a cowboy, Ainsley was Red Riding Hood, and of course, Brady is Mickey Mouse.

Andy and Brady ready to trick-or-treat in our neighborhood.  My family went to Disney when my brothers were 8 and 12, so they got a Goofy hat and a Fantasia Mickey hat so they could be those that Halloween.  We borrowed the Goofy hat so it would go with the theme.

Brady did really well out in the neighborhood.  Last year, he was in the stroller, and in Europe, every time we decided not to take a stroller, he decided he didn't want to walk and instead wanted to be carried.  We were worried what would happen here, especially since he's very independent and often doesn't like to hold hands.  Andy took some videos of him screaming at Andy to stay back and that he could go up to the houses by himself, which he did at every house.  Andy was worried about the cold, but that kid came in soaked in sweat!  He had a great time, and when he rang the doorbell at the end, I could hear his tiny voice through the door say, "Trick-or-treat Mommy!"

Due to Hurricane Sandy, most of the trick-or-treating in Pittsburgh was suspended until Saturday.  It just so happened we were going home for my Mimi's 80th birthday and my youngest cousin, Ava, was eager to take Brady out with her.  Look at the back of the picture and you can see my Mimi wearing the Goofy hat ;)

Ava was Pocahontas.

Brady running up to my grandparent's old house they had in the 60s before the built a house and moved about a half a block down the street to where they live now.

Hanging with some of the other kids in the neighborhood.  Andy told me that my Mimi was proudly telling all her neighbors that he was her great-grandson.  We moved when he was five months old, so she hasn't had many opportunities to show him off.

Brady had a blast every single time he went out.  Of course, he went out three times in a seven day span, so it's been hard to tell him this week that he won't be trick-or-treating.  Each time he went out, he wouldn't allow Andy to help him carry his candy bucket, and he had quite a bit, so it was heavy.  I'm sure he thought Andy would try to steal some.  His bucket is full and he earns a piece every time he goes on the potty, which is more and more frequently these days.