Halloween 2012 and recent conversations

A few notable conversations have caused me post reflection giggles, such as a conversation I had with Madeline and Ella Thursday morning.  We (I) woke up late, and as I woke the girls up, I told them they didn't have to worry about practicing violin in the morning, they could practice with their dad when he got home from work.
Madeline: "Oh, great, that's just what I need, Dad always gets mad when we practice violin together."  To which Ella replied with just as much vehemence, "Yeah, he does, but at least he apologizes when he's done being mad".

The other situation occurred after another violin practice with Ella, in which above dad became angry with Ella and then apologized.  This was a week after after Halloween.  Ella was so grateful to her dad for apologizing that she made both of us cards.  My card simply said, "Mom, Rest in Peace", as in the tombstones that decorate Halloween:  RIP.  I told her I hoped to be able to do that that very evening and that I appreciated her consideration.  Ryan's card was a little more difficult to decipher, and he asked me what I thought of the picture of the girl who appeared to be singing boisterously.  I replied that she appeared to be singing.  He then asked Ella about the girl, and Ella said, "Ooh that's me vomiting.  Because you got up and took care of me when I vomited."

our blue-eyed tiger

Halloween was downright balmy this year, contrary to previous years when the temperature was reminiscent of frigid food freezers, we were out with 40 degree weather and no breeze.  In the car for the previous month, there had been on-going negotiations about what everyone would be for Halloween.  This was initiated on my part to prevent last minute claims of negligence with overwhelming evidence of the need to spend 40.00 on a brand-new costume.  After several go rounds, Madeline and Ella decided to be dragons, Max followed suit, and gratefully this is one area where Sam is not opinionated,  so we were going to have a lair of dragons tromping out of the Swapp residence on Halloween.  

The one dragon from the entire lair to show face on Halloween

We hit all the second hand stores a month ahead of time, and found great dragon costumes for everyone except Sam, for whom we remembered we had a bat costume that would fit him perfectly.  The day before Halloween, Ella had emphatically declared she was wearing the bat costume, regardless of the fact that is was size 12-18 months, Madeline decided she must be a vampire, regardless of the fact that we had no such costume, and Max decided to wear the Tiger costume. I just smiled and made sure my camera was charged so that I can be sure to show Ella the picture of the bat costume that came to right above her knees and elbows, and amazingly fit across her torso. 

Ella was very proud to be a bat, Max loved having a girl his age go with him, and Madeline created her own vampire costume.  

Ella off-set the size difference by wearing striped tights beneath her costume.

Trick or treating was most magical for Max and Sam, who had never imagined a circumstance when they would be handed more candy than they could carry or hold.  Sam learned the names of the important candy-bars, and reminded me when we went to Hobby Lobby two days ago, "OOH LOOK Mommy, IT'S A MILKYWAY, and there's a SNICKERS".  Why do store displays always come between me and my children?

Here's another look at the bat costume last year when Sam wore it on Halloween.