Trick or Treat

Some moments are really, really hard. Yesterday morning was one of those. And that was all before 8:30 AM. It probably didn't help that he was up at 3:30 to tell me that he didn't like the song that was currently playing on his CD player. And then again because he couldn't find the blankets that he had probably thrown to the floor. So by the time I had to roll out of bed for real, we were already off to a bad start. Three nights in a row of being awakened between 3:00 and 4:00 for three year old end-of-the-world problems was beginning to wear on me.

The temper tantrum when I turned off Goldilocks and the Three Bears so we could go to pretty school was wearing, and then spitting at Hope and kicking her in the van because he didn't want to be buckled into his carseat was wearying to say the least.

And when he walked into pretty school late he announced to everyone, "I WAS A JERK!" And he was proud of it. His student teacher thought he said he was good. "No," he repeated, "I was a jerk," but since it rhymes with took when he says it, she tried again, "You were a joke?" "No, I WAS A JERK!" At this point I stepped in, translated, and left as quickly as I could.

But sometimes, he can be kind and polite and cute and cuddly like at the end of the day, when it was time to Trick or Treat, he was a new person. Almost normal.

No, he was normal. He happily said, "Trick or Treat" at each house, usually remembered his thank yous, wanted to eat each piece of candy handed to him (definitely normal), and when I would ask, "Do you want to go to another house?" he'd respond with, "Yes, Mommy." 100% compliance during Trick or Treat? Who would have guessed?

Maybe he'll even sleep through the night tonight.

Progress. Not perfection.

And then there's these two. Perfection. Definitely perfection.

Rey and Finn

And our other Elmo...