Remains of 2007

Everyone needs inspiration, or a gentle reminder from one's kin to keep this blog current. These 5 photos take us from the summer of 2007 to present day. Thanks mom!



1. July: Who says there's no free lunch -- or free ride -- in life?



2. Halloween: Tigger and Blue Ranger Are Friends. You've never heard of this crossover series? You're strange.



3. Embrace: I don't remember this, but it's worth posting!



4. Shepherd #2: Aidan in costume from "The Backward's Christmas Pageant."




5. Giant Slide: Sport's Day in Chicago.

625

Aidan the Jedi Knight and Aubrie the cowgirl force tricked and lassoed a combined total of 625 pieces of candy from unsuspecting folks in Homewood during Halloween tonight. This destroyed their previous high of 450 set in 2009.

We walked the neighborhood with Aidan's and Aubrie's friends, Sam and Suzie, as well as David, Andrew, Maurissa and Allison. While everyone but the Li's left halfway through the evening, Aidan and Aubrie powered all the way to the end -- two and a half hours in total.

Their desire for free sweets never wavered as even at the last house, they ran to the door.

Ginger and I were delighted to hear them be somewhat socially gracious, saying "hello" and "thank you" and even responding to strangers' greetings.

Top 5 Candy by Quantity:

1.  Suckers - 108
2.  Snickers - 61
3.  Tootsie Rolls - 47
4.  Hershey's chocolate bars - 39
5.  Reece's Peanut Butter Cups and Pieces - 35

Aidan's favorite:  Take 5 or Twix
Aubrie's favorite: Take 5
Ginger's favorite: Take 5 or Twix
Ken's favorite: Pay Day

Complete Candy Inventory by Child and Kind:

Halloween 2015

This year's haul: 404.5.

Completely Random Observations:

• Kids took home four "Take Fives," their fave.
• Aubrie likes the original Almond Joy wrapper better. (Yes, this was what she told me to write when I asked for her observation.)
• I've never seen so many golf carts zooming around. Ginger and I thought: "Rex Eckert would love living here"
• Looking back at Homewood trick or treating, there was an absence of Smarties, Dots and Charleston Chews. #1 candy in 2012 was Suckers. #1 candy in 2015 was Twix. You know where the kids liked getting their treats! 

Cute pic of them with their stacks of candy forthcoming.

Fun Foos-ing

Fun Foos-ing, a photo by Kenneth Changkuo Li on Flickr.

Forget about high school football. This is how Friday night should be spent: foosing around with your family at the office, then watching Goosebumps (a Twilight Zone for kids) on the big screen plasma display while drinking a mug of dark hot chocolate and scarfing Halloween candy.

We know how to make the most out of delivering Aidan's Cub Scout popcorn to my work colleagues! (Thank you @Kuna_5 for shooting the photo!)

450

That's the number of pieces of candy that Aidan and Aubrie accumulated tonight on Halloween from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dinner break between 5 - 6.

With a group of their friends, A&A dashed from house to house in a mad sprint for the next delicious treat. Aidan was a Power Ranger. Aubrie dressed as Cinderella.

I think they truly enjoyed the journey, and of course the destination--though they didn't eat as much candy as I expected when we reached home.

From visual inspection, the most popular candy were M&M's, Snicker's and Milky Way. They each collected one lonely Pay Day each. Plus two nickels each.

Favorites: Aidan - Hershey's chocolate and Nestle's Crunch; Aubrie - Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Put a smile on their faces: popcorn and chips.

Least favorite: Nerds, Dots, Twizzlers, Mike & Ike's.

Best costume: Half-naked man greeted the kids, quite hairy, very delightful.