It was the best of times & the worst of times

I have been looking forward to Halloween since the day we landed back in the states.

I love Halloween. I love getting the boys dressed up, running from house to house and trick or treating, candy, fall air. 

I love it. All of it. 

This year though, we had a few major scares. 

Let me start with the week leading up Halloween......

Halloween mail!

A warm fall day

Grandpa love

Jack-o-lantern

Fall school work

So far so good. 

Halloween Day. 

School Parade

Halloween night...

Costume change due to dropping temps

Our wonderful friends came over to trick-or-treat with us. 

And in the chaos Noah disappears. 

Literally gone. 

For a good 15-20 minutes 4 adults and 5 kids searching the house and going up and down streets looking for him. 

Worst case scenarios are racing through my mind and literally as I'm about to dial 9-1-1

we find him hidden in the back of a deep coat closet playing. 

Thank God. 

I collect myself.

It's about time to head out. Kids are dressed. And alive.

Phil's sister, who was driving 3 hours to trick-or-treat with us is lost but on her way. 

SO we hit the streets, despite the rain. 

Then, Phil's sister arrives. 

Phil heads back to the house with Luke to greet her. 

(Noah is already back at the house with grandpa & grandma because he was freezing)

I proceed with Sam and our friends for about another hour. 

THEN. 

Then my dad calls and says you've lost Luke. He is hysterical. 

And instantly I think, Oh my god, he's been out in the cold alone and scared for over an hour. 

I start freaking out. I can't figure out what happened because I was sure Luke had been with Phil. 

Apparently, from what I can piece together is Luke went back home with Phil, and at some point wanted to come find me, Sam & his friends, so he left and none of the 4 adults that were home with him noticed. 

A neighbor found him, scared and crying under a tree and came to get my dad, who picked him up and called me. I'm not sure how long he was gone. Maybe 5-15 minutes. Even 1 minute was too long. But it's just horrific to think about how easily this could have been much much worse. And how is it even possible a 3 yr old can go missing that easily?

And to make it worse, poor Luke has a horrible phobia of people in costume. 

Basically his worst nightmare came true. He was lost and cold in the dark with a bunch of scary looking people running around him. 

Those are the horrible stories you read about on the news, and you think, what is wrong with that kids parents? 

Now I'm that parent. 

I carried Luke for the remainder of Halloween, more for me than him, and so he could get some more candy. 

(He was equally upset about being lost and about missing trick or treating)

We missed a post-halloween kids party at a neighbors because we were ready to shut down for the night, count our candy, kids and blessings....

November 1st!

First snow!!!!!

Story time with Julia!

more candy and less scares. 

Happy Halloween. 

I'm off to sign up for a "How not to be a horrible parent" class