This may not have been Calvin's first Halloween, but it was his first attempt at trick-or-treating, and he took well to the new skill. Before we could get out of the house our bell rang and we found ourselves giving candy to a frog about the same age as Calvin. After that flurry of activity Calvin remained glued to the screen door, and his excitement grew exponentially as he 
watched other kids moving up and down the sidewalk just outside. It was great fun for us to see him really take interest in the holiday, understanding at least that something was special about the day. We had some difficulty trying to get him to move at a decent pace because he was too busy looking around, taking everything in. It only took two houses for Calvin to catch on to the game: 
he would toddle up the driveway in his puffy pumpkin costume, sign please to whatever person or creature met him at the door, and then took the candy and added it to his bag. He was very good at taking only one piece, but wasn't very good at leaving once the transaction was over, especially if there was music. We visited most of the houses on our block, complete with masked werewolves, spooky lighting and sounds, and 
seemingly still figures coming to life. Surprisingly, only his parents seemed slightly spooked while Calvin laughed at every fright. We ended our evening by handing out candy from our own driveway (including the pieces Calvin had brought home), then reading through our Halloween library books one last time before returning to the shelf until next year.
Just for kicks, does anybody remember this little giraffe from last year?
