the king.

halloween thus far hasn't been super exciting. don't get me wrong, i love dressing james up and picking out the perfect outfit. i mean, james just really hasn't been an active participant in the halloween festivities. the first year he couldn't walk and got abnormally hot in his perfect costume for thirty degree weather. i think it was like seventy. oops. the second year we ramped it up and tried to make it more fun for him. we i tried to pick out an outfit he couldn't hate. let's face it, 19 month old baby boys don't like accessories. they want to be mobile and free. this year, well, i wasn't sure exactly what we'd do. we were newbies in texas without our family or friends to celebrate. luckily i had some options and talked to a neighbor ahead of time. the costume search began. here's what happens - i think about it and think about it. i talk to my friends about their kid's costumes and then i think about the photo session opportunity. obviously.

this year, i knew i could ask james what he wanted to be. he'd tell me a toy story character, like woody or buzz. man, he'd love those wings. if so, i would have loved to be closer to my friend, chelse, who is a nice mom and let her daughter pick out her own costume. she chose jessie. how cute would that have been? two little toy story characters running around asking politely for candy and joyfully saying thank you as they skip on to the next house. except, i think my daydream really is just in my dream world. our children are young and exert there own personality on this wonderful holiday. and i think it is safe to say, we'll work on improvement for next year. i think there is an 18 year learning curve to being a mom, right??

so, knowing james would have picked a mainstream character, i thought i'd ride it out one more year and diligently pick his costume. i might let him decide next year. if mr. h has anything to say about it, we'll let james choose. and i'm okay with that. totally. as long as it's cute. or as long as he can rock a photo session with dear old mom. but this year, this year i thought "the king" was fitting for my little prince.

my friend, haley, made his costume. from scratch. i know, right?!! it was perfect. except he wanted nothing to do with the gold glasses. wouldn't even touch them. still hasn't. dang. anyway, my work had a halloween carnival and he got to rock his costume and hear all the women coo-ing over him. i bet that is what the real elvis got, probably not g-rated though. he was a hit! until it was time to eat and jump in the bounce house. we changed his outfit so he could enjoy it more. and truth be told, so he didn't ruin it with kethcup and his rambunctious ways.

next up was actual halloween. my first thought goes to the traffic. that could be an entire post itself but let's just say that it was the longest commute home i've endured so far. i think everyone leaves work on time to get their kids ready. i told my boss to remind me to take a half day vacation next year to avoid the mess. he laughed. and said i could leave early. he remembers those days. luckily, i married an awesome hubby and dad. he had james dressed and ready to roll when i got home. since round one at my work, he kind of understood - wear this costume and i'll get candy. specifically i'll get chocolate. (i know, i know. my toddler had chocolate. he loved it. don't be a hater. it was october! if you deprived your child, you should point that finger right back around.) we successfully made it to a grand total of 4 houses. only three answered their door and i made james go to the forth so mr. h could meet the neighbors to the west. jackpot! they, by far, had the best candy. of course, james did not say one trick-or-treat or thank one kind person for the candy. awkward! he did however say trick-or-treat to ask mr. h and i for candy around the house. funny how that works, right?

thank gawd halloween is over. i loved it. i loved every kitkat, snickers bar and dumdum sucker. i have no self control. sweets are definitely my weakness. i think james got that gene from me...but i got it from grammie. so we'll obviously blame her.

thank you.

thank you very much.

**note to self - if you put the plastic pumpkin holding halloween candy in the pantry, the strong-willed toddler will know how to open the pantry for the rest of your life!**