I’ve shared before about our *ahem* spin on Halloween.
This year we changed it up even more.
The verdict is still out on whether or not we’ll do it this way again but, all things considering, it was a really good time.
We used to do Halloween pretty traditionally.
Here we are in 2008. Jude in that rainbow wig, oh my.
Here we are in 2009, the last year we technically trick or treated.
Jude and Shepherd were just itty-bitty peanuts.
In 2010 though, we had to make some changes.
We wanted to still have fun with the kids, but Chris was away and single-handedly navigating busy streets with a bunch o’ kids, all cranked up on one-too-many Snickers just didn’t seem like a good idea.
P.S. did you see the cheeks on Vivienne? Where’d my baby go?
And in 2011 we were back at our homegrown version of hunting candy around our house sporting crazy costumes and carrying flashlights.
Just seeing baby Poppy pictures gets me all misty.
I’m not sure what happened to the pictures I took for the last few Halloweens. Heck, I’m not even sure what we did for the last few Halloweens.
But this year we decided to try something new and went to our local Publix. 
I know, who trick or treats at a grocery store?
Well, evidently we do, because we did.
My kids already love Publix because they give out free balloons and free cookies. So they were game. And that was pretty much all the encouragement we needed.
We ended up kind of digging it for several reasons.
One: Clementine. This is a girl on the move and the place is an enclosed space. Need I say more?
Two: The lights. Seriously, I have not had such fun taking Halloween pictures since ever.
Three: The goods. The kids got some candy, some treats. But not too much. Mama don’t need a whole lotta candy coming home.
Four: The roof. It was raining. Trying to trick or treat would have been maddening. And messy.
Five: The cost. Free.
Six: The time. We were in and out of there in 45 minutes which was just enough to feel like we actually did something, with enough left for them to enjoy their loot once home.
Seven: No tricks. We didn’t have to worry about any of the scary stuff that mean people do on Halloween. And with a child newly home from China, you really want to keep the surprises to a minimum.
The biggest down side was that there were lots of other people there and the kids had to wait in line to play games.
Except Clementine.
She didn’t wait for anything. 
All in all I’d say her first Halloween was a success.
And I think she’d agree.