When I was a kid, Halloween wasn't really a big deal in our house. Sometimes we would dress up in whatever costume my mom had made us and we would go with our next-door neighbors to the few houses in our neighborhood that were handing out candy. A couple of years we went to a festival at our church. But most of the time. our Halloweens were spent sitting at home watching a movie, wondering if anyone was actually going yo stop by our house and trick-or-treat.
My husband had a very difference experience. Part of his childhood was spent in a little Southern town where everyone went all out for Halloween. When I envision his experience, I see a long country road, lit up with Halloween decorations and porch lights, with children of all in ages in all sorts of costumes running up and down and back and forth, swinging their pillow cases full ow candy. It's a picturesque scene right from an old movie. And that's pretty much the way he describes it as his eyes glaze over with the happy memories of Halloween as a kid.
Our very different experiences mash together in creating what our kids will remember as their Halloween. I wish I could have had a bit more fun and craziness at Halloween and Hubby wants to pass on all the fun he had. Unfortunately, we live in a small, boring neighborhood much like the one I grew up in. This is great for the crime rate but nit great for trick-or-treating. On Halloween night we will still go door to door and collect a decent amount of treats from the five or six houses that will give out stuff but we do most of our fun Halloweening at different Halloween events around town. Tonight, we participated in our first fun Halloween event- Boo in the Zoo.
We have done Boo in the Zoo every year since Client One's second Halloween. (She wasn't quite 6 months old at her first Halloween so she wasn't really into all the fun stuff.) Usually, we go with friends, but this year it was just us. This year, Client One was a 50's girl in a poodle skirt. It was her dance costume this past year, so we decided it could get some more use. I made her some cute saddle shoes from some cheap white canvas shoes from Walmart by drawing on them with a black Sharpie so her outfit was complete and cheap. (Well, not cheap, really. The costume was a bit pricey but we had it on hand so it was no extra money.) Cient Two went as a Greaser in his white t-shirt, black jeans, black leather jacket and his black Converse All-Stars. I even slicked back his hair. Together, they made an adorable duo,
This year, the zoo provided a shuttle from a nearby location so the zoo parking lot wouldn't be quite so overrun. Of course, since we took advantage of this service, the busses were given the wrong schedule so we had to hang out in the parking lot a little longer than anticipated, but it was okay. Client One made some new friends and Client Two had fun doing whatever his sister was doing. And when the trolley did swing by and pick us up, both were thrilled for the special ride.
Having been previous years, we knew to buy our tickets ahead of time so we were in the short, fast line to get in. We went right as the even started, so many of the animals were actually still awake. As we wove our way through the zoo ahead of the larger portion of the crowd waiting in a looooong line to get it, we made stops at our favorite animals. Client One loves the giraffes and leopards the best, so, of course, they got prolonged visits. Client Two loves all the animals. The Ocelot was jumping around and playing, so both clients were pretty happy with him. Client Two even gave him a clap or two.
Along the way, there were other little things to do beside look at the animals. They had plenty of places set up where kids could have their pictures taken. Everywhere you looked were fun cutouts or blow-up decorations. They also had a Clemson Tiger walking around and greeting kids and some princesses. Client Two is always wary of these people all dressed up (as he should be), but Client One always gets excited when there are princesses involved.
Of course, the main attraction of Boo in the Zoo is the trick-or-treating. As you go through the zoo, they have the path clearly marked with big orange arrows. There are tables set up and sponsored by different companies and groups and each of the tables provide the kids with goodies. I really appreciate the fact that they majority of what they give out isn't actually candy. Tonight, my kiddos got little coloring pads, cups, and several little toys, Sure, they're mostly junky toys that will get lost or broken, but I'd rather have that over candy. We also got a few coupons to different restaurants around town.
All in all, we had a good first night of Halloween fun. This upcoming week will bring even more fun and we can't wait!
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