BOO!

Ok so a couple of days ago we were putting the kids to bed and the doorbell rang. Jeremy went to the door to find we had been "Boo'ed" - are you familiar with this tradition? Someone left us a cute little pumpkin bowl filled with candy, popcorn, hot chocolate and note that said:

"You just got BOO-ed! A generous spirit has left this bag of Halloween cheer!
It's filled with sweet treats instead of fright and fear!

Now it's your turn to spread the ghostly fun!
Go out and repeat the treat for someone!

Just make up a Boo Bag and make it good!
Then treat someone else in the neigh-boo-hood!"

Connor was, of course, very excited about this idea and asked over and over again when we were going to make our Boo treats. We made them today - two little pumpkin buckets filled with candy, a small slinky and two small containers of play doh. We decided which two houses to take them to and then decided that we should wait until it was really dark so we would do it after Connor's bath. Connor talked all afternoon about how we were going to wear dark clothes and tip-toe, tip-toe, tip-toe up to the door, ring the doorbell and then run away as fast as we could. He couldn't talk about it without getting completely giddy with excitement.

So dinner finally came and went and Connor hurried his bath up as much as he could. He put on dark pajamas, shoes and his dark hooded sweatshirt and we set off for the first house (only two houses down so, yes, we left Logan sleeping alone for 5 minutes while we all did this - our house was locked, in plain view the whole time and he was sleeping soundly :) ). Two of his friends live there - a 7 year old girl and a 3 year old girl - and their house has about 8 or 10 steps up to the front door. Connor was so excited tip-toeing up the driveway but when we got to the bottom of the steps and he saw that their living room blinds were open a bit he froze.

Most of this conversation was in loud whispers, with me at the bottom of the stairs, Jeremy at the end of the driveway and Connor on or at the top of the stairs....

Connor: What if they see me?

Me: It's ok. Just go up, leave the bucket, ring the doorbell and run back down. I'll help you get down the stairs fast.

Connor: But they're going to hear me.

Me: It's ok, Connor. Just ring the doorbell. I'll help you get away before they see you. Just run toward me.

Jeremy (standing at the end of the driveway): Come on, Connor! You can do it!

Connor: No. I'll knock.

Me: Ok, fine. Knock. Just do it! :)

He moves toward the door, sets down the bucket and then knocks on the milk box.

Me: Connor! They can't hear that! Ring the doorbell!

Connor: I'll knock on the door.

He again moves toward the door and this time knocks very softly.

Me: Connor! It has to be louder! Ring the doorbell!

Jeremy moves toward the bottom of the stairs. Connor quickly rings the doorbell and Jeremy quickly helps him down the stairs. Jeremy and I run back toward our house but Connor...well, he runs in the opposite direction! Across their grass! And then stops in the middle of the sidewalk, in plain view of the front door.

Jeremy and I (now in really loud whispers through laughter): Connor!

The porch light and lights on either side of the garage door flood the area and the screen front door opens. Oh no! We're caught!

Connor (now yelling): Hi! It's me! Look down!

Me (laughing hysterically but still trying to save our anonymity somehow): Run over here! Shhhh!

Neighbor: Oh, hi Connor! Oh! Thank you for the treats!

She comes down the stairs to see why Jeremy and I are laughing so hard as the girls check out the treats. We had to explain how it was supposed to be a surprise but Connor didn't quite get it and how we'd been on their steps for a few minutes before he got up the courage to ring the doorbell. I'm not sure I can portray here just how funny it was but it was hilarious! I was laughing so hard I was crying!

We caused such a commotion that our neighbors in the house between ours and the Boo-target came out and asked "is it Halloween already?" We could only reply "Um...no. Sorry!" :)

We left Jeremy back at home and moved on to the next house. It is a block over from ours so the whole way Connor and I were planning how it would go - there were no steps at this house so Connor would take the bucket up, ring the doorbell and then run to the garage side of the house so that no one would see him. He seemed very clear on his role in the whole thing but when we got to their house he saw that their front curtains were open slightly. Uh oh. He stopped in his tracks and insisted that I do it. He said he'd wait on the driveway so reluctantly I went up to the house, rang the doorbell, ran around to the garage side and immediately light flooded the driveway and their dogs barked loudly. Connor was so confused he ran down the sidewalk in front of their house and I had to do the whole loud whisper thing again to get him to turn around and run my direction so he wouldn't be in the light. Somehow I think these neighbors didn't see us so we may have had our first success!

We giggled the whole way home and Connor asked if we could do two more tomorrow night. I'm not sure about that but it was fun! I've never tp'ed anyone's house or anything but I can see how it would be fun - our adrenaline was definitely flowing and I felt like a 3 year old running next to Connor and giggling :)