When it come to Halloween, we love to plan big around here.
Real big.
We had plans to all dress us as characters from Clementine’s current movie crush, Trolls. We even did a test run with some pink-spray-on-haircolor to see what we thought.
In the end?
We got busy. And lazy. 
And pretty much waited until the last minute to unearth some definitely repurposed yet hopefully semi-presentable costumes.
But these guys? They’re so cute. And so creative.
They totally pulled it off.
(Said their mother.)
Kinda like last year.
And this year, like last year, our plans included some good Halloween fun and games – all within the confines of our local Publix.
Our favorite stomping grounds for sprinkle cookies, buy-one-get-one free deals, fried chicken and once a year Halloween-ing.
The fact that all the kids wanted to go this year was an indicator that, although the candy accumulation is less-than-extraordinary, there is some fun to be had.
They played games.
They decorated cookies.
And they collected as much candy as possible at every opportunity.
(And one of them, who shall remain unnamed, snuck in with her little dog just so she didn’t miss a chance to watch her chocolate-faced siblings run around on a sugar-induced high.)
Finally, they all lined up for the obligatory family picture in the dairy section.
Because mama insisted.
Clementine, while being adorably excited about Halloween this year, was not excited about wearing the hood to the costume. Nor the eyeliner-turned whiskers and nose that usually go along with being a kitty cat.
Which resulted in her having a single dot of eyeliner on her tiny button nose.
Instead, she opted to carry a makeup brush along for the entire evening. Because sensory stuff. 
Magnolia, on the other hand, loved playing the part of a puppy, makeup and all. Which wasn’t surprising considering her current TV crushes are Clifford and Paw Patrol.
We hung out front for a bit afterward, catching up with Victoria (who now lives 30 minutes away!) and her boyfriend, Jon. 
Because we miss her like crazy.
Then we loaded up and headed for home.
Since we all met at Publix, we split up and Chris – and the kids with him – went home. 
I, on the other hand, found the well-lit, clearly-open-for-trick-or-treaters houses in our neighborhood irresistible… especially considering Clementine’s budding sense of holiday excitement.
And so we pulled in and rang a few doorbells. Just to see what she’d do.
Which turned out to be the sweetest surprise of the night.
That face.
Next year, I think we’ll be knocking on a lot more doors.