Halloween & the Difference a Year Makes

What a difference a year makes.  We just got down trick or treating with the girls; and they did great.  Payton didn’t try running off.  She held my hand the whole time, and she was super into her costume.  We picked PJ Mask as their costumes.  It’s a cartoon on Disney that they’re really into.  Come on guys get up on your Disney cartoons  Payton would wear her costume and say, “Owl wings!”  Just like they do on the cartoon.  She’d also put her arms out when she said it, also similar to the show.  She’s really scripting a lot; but you can tell that through scripting, she’s learning to express herself more.  She would say, “Happy Halloween!” to every door step we hit; and she’d also say thank you.  We had felt she’d do better this year; but you never really know until you get out there.  These little wins really help us see the gains made over this last year.  It’s hard to think that something as simple as Halloween could be such a huge chore.  The relief of that not being the case this year makes we want to open a bottle of wine.  My parents stayed at our house and handed out candy while we walked the street with the girls.  Once we got home, Payton still wanted to yell “Happy Halloween!” to all the kids stopping by our door step.  She also kept Grandpa busy unwrapping candy for her to eat.  It was heartwarming to see her engaging in something that gave her so much joy, and it’s uplifting to know that she has made such improvements over last year.