First Halloween

Who knew there were so many rules and routines to teach about Halloween?!

• Dress up in a costume but you don't need fancy shoes - tennis shoes will work perfectly even if they don't go with the outfit.
  
• Yes, a Hannah Montana wig (with bangs cut off if you don't like them) works great with a Cinderella dress and wings to make Tinkerbell.
  
• You finally get your big wish to put on makeup (but it's hard to stop putting more and more on until you have to be dragged out for trick-or-treating).
  
• Only ring the doorbell or knock once. Any more than that irritates folks.
  
• Say, "Trick or Treat."
  
• No matter what they give you say, "Thank you."
  
• It's not a good idea to talk about the people until they have the door closed and you've walked far enough away.
  
• Saying things like, "I love your dog!" and "I like your house!" goes over big.
  
• Walk on the sidewalks, not on people's lawns (that's a hard one when you're eager and want to get there first and as soon as possible).
  
• Five pounds of candy is plenty.
  

Needless to say, Lydia was very excited about her first Halloween. She was nervous at first so we started at a friend's house and practiced there, then did about six houses in our closest neighborhood before heading over to our destination neighborhood. By the time we'd done those few houses she proclaimed that she wasn't going to be scared anymore and was going to just say, "Trick or Treat!" And she did. We picked up their friend and headed out. Lydia got the hang of it very quickly and really enjoyed herself.

The other photo is at the park near our house after we had gone to Ethiopian dance lessons a few weeks ago with a family we got to know through my agency's adoption online group. We were lucky enough to meet their two kids in Ethiopia and brought them letters. It's great to finally see them home with their family.