All Hallows' Eve

Dear Lila,

Happy Halloween! I think I enjoy this holiday more now that I have kids than when I was a kid myself. It's so fun to dress you and your brothers up in your costumes and to see how excited you get about all of the candy. This year, you were a chef for your school party and your new favorite Disney princess, Elena of Avalor, for trick-or-treating:

Halloween fell on a Monday this year and we went trick-or-treating right after school. You're usually tired at the end of the long school day and after an hour of trick-or-treating, you were really exhausted, so I was going to take you home. But we were walking down a big street with lots of houses giving away candy and as strong as your desire to go home and rest was, the desire to collect more candy was even stronger! You kept saying, "Just one more house, Mama." So we'd hit one more house and prepare to head home, but then you'd say again, "Just one more." And so that "one" house became about two dozen more! Near the end of the street, you couldn't even hold your heavy bag of candy--I carried it and you would take it when we got to a house, get the candy, walk back to me and immediately hand the bag to me. By the last house, you could barely muster the strength to walk up the stairs and open your bag. You draaaaaaged yourself up the steps and just stared at the man, who had to push the candy down into your bag for you. You looked so sleepy, I went to the top of the steps and carried you down, for fear that you were going to fall down. Wow.

I usually let GuhGaw and you eat one piece of candy when we start trick-or-treating and one more when we get home afterward. You, however, managed to sneak several pieces by me, which you ate in addition to the two Munchkins you got at Dunkin' Donuts and the cup of ice cream you scored at Shake Shack. So really, it was no surprise when you came to me after we got home and complained, "My tummy hurts!" Awww!

Love,
Mom

Beautiful Old Lady

Dear Lila,

Happenings this month:

-When you could't spear a piece of broccoli with your fork, you said, "I can't fork it!"

-You learned about the five senses in school, so when you were drinking a cup of bubble tea one day, you said, "I tasting my bubble tea [you drank a sip]. I 'melling my bubble tea [you took a deep breath]. Now, I seeing my bubble tea [you held the cup right up to your eye]." So cute!

-You are beginning to write letters better and can write the first three letters of your name well (the a still gives you trouble). And you have also graduated from drawing people by making brief streaks across the paper to drawing people with round heads, actual faces and stick-figure bodies. It's kind of amazing how that just seemed to happen overnight.

A Lila Original

-You had your first shelter drill at school a couple of days ago. I felt so sad when GuhGaw had his first one last year and I felt sad again when you told me about yours today, especially when you said that when you started talking during the drill, your teacher warned you and your classmates, "If you talk, your mamas will never see you again." I get it, it's a serious thing and they want you to take it seriously but yeesh, that was a little harsh, wasn't it?

-Today, you said to me, "You look like an old lady who looks beautiful." Um, thank you?

Love,

Mom