Yes. We put our baby on the stove.

Finneaus celebrated his first Halloweener yesterday and Abby mourned her last Halloweener getting candy.

Next year Abby will have the dubious honor of passing out candy (she can still wear a costume, so don't get your panties in a knot).  There comes a point when the dentist calls and says, "By the way, you should have started saving for this kid's mouth six years ago," and you think to yourself..."Well, shit, who needs to retire?"  Actually, the reasoning is two-fold (why I feel that I have to justify this decision is beyond me, but I feel as though I do, so bear with me):

1.  She's going to need braces next year.  Her dentist really did tell me at her appointment in June that I should start saving for orthodontic work and it will start next summer.  And, while her oral hygiene has taken a complete 180 in the two years that she's been living with us, we're still cleaning up a little bit of a mouth mess.  So if I'm a little over-protective of her mouth, it's for good (financial) reasons.
2. Halloween really is for younger kids.  If you can grow a beard you should not be trick-or-treating.   If you can drive yourself to other neighborhoods to collect the KitKats and Butterfingers you should not be trick-or-treating.  So, next year Abby is going to have fun scaring the little kids and passing out candy.   She doesn't know it yet, but it will be much more fun to put on a mini-Halloweener production on the front porch than to be running around on a crazy sugar high for 3 hours only to throw up in an attempt to purge the body of excess sugar.  (This did not happen to us, but it could, so I like to avoid all possible scenarios where vomit could be involved).

So...Abby was a Punk Pixie this year and her costume got really good use.  She wore it to a Fall Party at the beginning of October and again for the Halloweener party that her Girl Scout troop had a couple of weekends ago and then again last night to Trick-or-Treat.  She spent Saturday night with Aunt Megs and they carved a pumpkin and watched scary ghost movies (Earnest Scared Stupid and Ghostbusters).  She did her own make-up for trick-or-treating and got a bunch of loot.  I, of course, found staples and poison in all of her Almond Joys and Milk-Duds and therefore had to confiscate them immediately.  Luckily I took a poison antidote in the morning so I personally "dispose of them."

Finneaus went as a lobster.  And yes, we put him in a pot on the stove.  I know...we are those parents.  Uriah put on his chef uniform and posed for pictures for me.  Yes, I am that wife.  Finn also got some Frankenstein socks from his Yankee Grandpa and Grandma and I got some pumpkin socks, so we had to pose for a picture together.  And, yes, I also put him in an I Love My Mummy onesie.  I am that mother.

All in all, I think we had a spooktacular day yesterday.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous (although cool and windy for the actual trick-or-treating part; Uriah is convinced that Finn is sick already).  This week has started off on a decidedly sugary note...it's amazing the powers those poisoned Almond Joy's can have on an otherwise long and tedious Monday.