Halloween: The Story Behind the Photos

About a month ago, at bedtime, I asked Emerson what he would want to dress up as for Halloween.

"Pink!" he told me without hesitation.

"Pink?" I repeated, with interest.

"Pink...and lions. A Pink Lion!"

So I tucked him in, waited two weeks without mentioning it, and then asked him again one afternoon.

"I want to be a Pink Lion!" he told me again.

I have not been able to determine the inspiration for this costume but we did manage to make it a reality for him on Halloween.

Ethan's costume was inspired by his nickname - Godzilla. He is a perfect teeny* incarnation of the dino-lizard creature who staggers, arms outstretched, knocking down everything in his path.

We trick-or-treated around the neighborhood with some of our neighborhood friends. Here are a few of the kids getting ready to go out:

I do give Emerson credit: he is the only one of his peers who chose his own costume.

Emerson was also very much his own person for the trick-or-treating. While the other kids ran from house to house in an eager candy-accumulating mob, Emerson had a very relaxed pace and he chose to take it all in. He appreciated the Halloween decorations (many of which he had never seen lit up before) and he told us in great detail about everything that was happening and how his bucket was getting so heavy and full of candy. We let him choose one piece of candy to eat and he had a lollipop. He loved it.

Ethan will be getting his Halloween candy indirectly (through his milk). Not too much, though.


*Relative to Godzilla. Not relative to other children.