Happy Halloween!

When we were at Disneyland this summer Isabelle saw Tinkerbell fly through the night sky above Sleeping Beauty's castle to begin the fireworks show. From that moment on she has loved everything that has to do with fairies and magic. While there was much discussion with regard to what she would be for Halloween (everything ranging from a monster to Cinderella), it was not a surprise when Tinkerbell was the final selection.
We went trick-or-treating in my friend Meghan's neighborhood, which has something for everyone. Full-size candy bars for Jason, lots of decorations and children for Isabelle, hot apple cider and wine - definitely for me. Meghan's house is quite the attraction and draws huge crowds. Last year she had a Wizard of Oz theme, complete with a yellow brick road, stage show from the balcony and theme music blaring from her speakers. This year her husband decided to turn the house into a scene from Jurassic Park. He spent weeks building a velociraptor out of wood and rigging his garage to open and have the dinosaur jump out at trick-or-treaters. He used a black light and florescent paint to make it really scary and spent the entire night acting out the scene from the movie where the dinosaurs escape from their enclosure. In case you're wondering, this is what a retired Navy commander does with his time. It was pretty spectacular and I'm sure they're already thinking of what to do next year.

As for Isabelle, she thoroughly enjoyed her night as Tinkerbell. As she was going to sleep she looked up at me and said, "Mommy, I wish I was a real Tinkerbell and I could really fly in the sky." Oh, if only personal jet packs were a feasible reality!

Isabelle's wand and wings lit up so she sparkled wherever she went.

Could Halloween really be complete without her friend Winnie-the-Pooh in the form of a trick-or-treat bag?

Now it's time to get down to the serious business of eating that candy!

The hardest part of the evening?: Getting Isabelle to actually say "Trick-or-Treat!"

Let's talk candy.

Remember when a piece of chocolate-covered peanut butter was all it took to make you sublimely happy?