The "Belle" of the Halloween ball

Leila was positively giddy about Halloween. I think it ranks right up there with her giddiness for Christmas (she's been reciting the months of the year and finishing with flair for December... "and that's when Santa comes," embellished with a wildly enthusiastic smile). The main reason she's been so fervently anticipating Halloween is because of her chance to be Belle. She's had an enduring adoration for Belle and the story of Beauty and the Beast. When I told her I'd dress up as my favorite princess (Ariel), October 31 just couldn't come fast enough. Alas, it came and went and we suffered only minimal damage from all the generous candy pushers out there.

Here we are, about to hit the Halloween activity circuit. First stop, a costume party (of course)...Next stop, her preschool's fabulous annual Halloween carnival. Though she's only been in the school since May, we've now been to the carnival for three years. She was a pro! But she certainly wasn't above receiving some tips from Popo to improve her golf swing...
A little Halloween roulette? Yes, please...
Some treasure hunting...
And some Halloween rodeo action (she'll be ready for a mechanical bull in no time, right?)...
Cheery princesses [it took me a long time to type that]...
"Sheriff Dan" and his partner in crime get a squeeze from the Beauty...
Despite all the carnival fun, the real highlight for Leila (other than the costume itself) was doing the traditional trick or treating and watching in amazement as people put "the forbidden candy" into her bag.
Though we only had time to hit up a few houses, we visited some good ones.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!