Cinderella and Her Mouse Entourage

There was a lot of thought put into Halloween this year. First of all, Callie's first hair cut was going to have to wait until she could use her long locks to be a proper Cinderella. Second of all, we had to get Reese acclimated to her mouse costume. Believe it or not, this took several weeks. Heading into the big night we were still a bit unsure about whether or not the mouse would be wearing the proper headgear.

As you can see in the picture above, however, it all turned out well. Both Cinderella and her mouse escort took the neighborhood by storm.

What we mean by taking the neighborhood by storm, of course, is that they looked the part. This was Callie's third year walking around the neighborhood. Unfortunately, this wealth of experience has yet to lead to a well developed approach to the craft of trick-or-treating. Put simply, Callie still refuses to say trick-or-treat to the generous person at the door. She does a very good job saying thank you, but has no opening game. But her energy and excitement going from house to house is a lot of fun to watch. And she certainly made a great Cinderella.

Then we have Reese, who certainly benefited from looking cute and rambunctious. We have high hopes for her as the opening act since she caught on quickly to the appreciation part of the evening, saying "thank you" at each stop. We should be clear, however, that Reese's thank you's come across clearly in tone and not necessarily in words. She has the right intonation if not the pronunciation. However, it was obvious that she was having fun and that our neighbors appreciated her energy and effort.

Callie was quick to let people know which princess she was and what mouse Reese was. They made a good team. And they were troopers, especially since it was a pretty cold and slightly rainy night.

Their parents held up pretty well themselves, although it must be said that they had some help. If you look at the picture above closely, you'll see a cup in John's hand. Trick-or-treating goes so much better when you are carrying something that looks like coffee but tastes like a nice pinot noir. Whatever it takes to keep you warm, especially if you are not the cute one getting loads of candy.

When done right, Halloween doesn't have to be about only one night. And the girls love their matching skeleton pajamas. The bones also glow in the dark, which makes them even cooler. Callie still does a great job naming her bones and we encourage you to test her whenever you get the chance. Her favorite bone remains the femur.

As is evident here, Callie and Reese continue to love to play together in all sorts of ways. Jumping up and down on their parents' bed is only one source of such enjoyment. And Reese just wants to do everything her big sister does, from drinking out of a cup to posing in her PJs with her arms raised. it is cute and dangerous all in one little package.