Halloween at UVa

There are only a handful of holiday traditions that this tiny party of four cling to each year. Attending Halloween on the Lawn at UVa is one of them, and probably one of our very favorites. This year marked our fourth Halloween at UVa; our very first one was just 2 months after Oia learned to walk at the age of two. Attending such a big event then with our wobbly daughter who was finally on foot was a celebration in many ways. I relive that memory every Halloween and will forever. But this year, make that daughters on foot.

Dressing in costume wasn't what Oia considered to be a good idea but with some serious coaxing, she gave in. Thank goodness, because she made a lovely Tinkerbell even though she demanded to remain wingless for most of the night. Adorable, nonetheless. She roamed, observed costumes, found delight in walking up and down small hills in her sparkly shoes, nibbled on M&M's and smiled a whole lot.

And our littlest was quite the attention-getter. If we heard "That's the cutest outfit ever!" once, then I promise you, we heard it 100 times. The awwww's were endless. I can't even begin to tell you how many people beelined in our direction to stop and snap a picture of our knee-high garden gnome, who aimlessly wandered and weaved in and around the festive chaos as if the place was truly her own. Scooping her up every now and then to smooch her sweet gnome cheeks to then put her back down again to wander on her way was pure and utter happiness. For me.

Both of our girls shiver in fear at just the sight of the Chic-fil-A cow who frequents the mall so one might assume that an occasion like Halloween would be purely terrifying for them. It's always interesting for us to see their reactions but surprisingly, Oia made friends with Bee and Esme tolerated the Chickens, although you should note that she kept one foot safely pointed towards her emergency escape. You know, just in case...

The evening was closing in and despite the layers, the girls were becoming chilled and hungry. Even Tinkerbell and garden gnomes must eat dinner on time. So home we headed... It was indeed another happy Halloween and yet another day, among many, to be thankful for.