Trick or Treat Nights Revisited

I've really been dreading this. This will be our first trick or treat night without Christi. She always loved this night! (Shayla told me today, "Christi didn't like the candy. She just liked that you let her dress up like a cat and go out and walk around with Thersa. What a hoot!) Even in 2002 when Christi was in isolation, she was still here. Even in 2003 when she missed the real trick or treating, her friend Theresa waited a day and went with her November 1st. Tonight we will continue with our tradition of meeting at Grandma Donna's house to go trick or treating with Katie and Donna in Grandma's awesome neighborhood. Theresa and Kaylyn will meet us there. Shayla is thrilled. I'm queasy and just wishing Shayne were home to help me get through this night. (He's been on a business trip with a client in Amsterdam since Saturday. Thankfully, he'll be home very soon - just not soon enough for me!)

2002 (age 5) At home in isolation. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO CAME TO WAVE THROUGH THE WINDOW!

2003 (age 6) "Cat in the Hat"

2004 (age 7) The Cat, Christi with Theresa

2005 (age 8) The Cat, who lost her hat, after a silly night out trick or treating with Theresa

Since Christi was a cat for the past three straight years, Shayla asked if she could wear the black cat costume this year. (Can you believe my mom made it for me many years ago?!) Thankfully, she made it very easy on me in terms of costume creations. Christi's idea this year would have entailed great last minute effort on my part, I'm thinking.

Christi decided her Halloween costume during the summer. As she was thinking out loud, I was praying she'd be alive and able to go Trick or Treating with Theresa and Grandma Donna again this year. Christi wanted to be "half boy / half girl". She said she'd wear a ball cap on one side of her head and her wig on the other half. She said she'd wear a dress on one side and pants on the others. She thought she'd wear one high heel and put make up on one side of her face. I'm certain it would have looked hideous, but she would have loved it!!

Gone were the days when the "Halloween Fairy" would assign the girls' costumes. When the girls were little I'd find their costumes at garage sales during the summer. Once fall arrived "THE HALLOWEEN FAIRY" would leave a note in our mailbox assigning the girls their halloween costumes. Well, it all worked out great until Christi started making friends at preschool and she learned that the other kids got to pick out what they wanted to be for themselves. (Hmmmm! So much for "The Halloween Fairy"!)