Happy Halloween (it was Halloween, right?)

We were ready. We had the candy, the decor, the candles, the pumpkins, the appropriate "Kitty and Frankie" head-dressings on - pizza in the oven and salad, ready to be consumed.

But where were the kids?

What the heck happened to Halloween? Did anybody get a memo that they were canceling this year? Aren't we past razor blades in apples? For that matter, does anyone still give out apples?

I'm just saying - we live in a 4-year-old neighborhood of nice homes, nice people, and lots of kids. I know this, because every time I drive in to my street, I have to slow way down to give the kiddies plenty of time to clear the way from playing ball or riding bikes, etc. So either A) they all went to a church or school or mall function that was indoors and "safer", or B) they boycotted us without telling, or C) Trick or Treating is just not what it used to be.

When I was a kid, my Dad or Mom (or both) would dress us up in the best get-ups (Casper the Friendly Ghost was a personal favorite for me - Underdog for my brother) and out we would roam for a couple hours at least - door to door in the grand old American tradition of begging for candy. Heck, there are times as an adult I'd be willing to put on a little sumpin sumpin and go door-to-door if I thought people would give me chocolate. Hey, at least once a month. But I digress.

Anyway, when I was a kid, this was the THING of the year to do. You waited for it, you longed for it, you had a free ride to get all the candy your little hands could possibly cram down into a pillow case (hey, we didn't have the fancy plastic pumpkin heads back then). We grabbed a flashlight and house to house we ran, as our parents stood back on the sidewalk, making sure we were safe and polite, the occasional "what do you say?!?" ringing out in the night. Now, if you were lucky, you could wind up co-mingling with kids as you made your way through the neighborhood, and by the time your parents called it quits on you - you were one of three Caspers in a group of 15 kids all ecstatic and hopped up on candy they managed to cram down in between houses.

When the parents could not take another step without groaning, we raced home and made a b-line for the living room, where the bounty of the night was non-ceremoniously spilled on the floor in a pile and sorted. Not before Mom got down there and sifted through, making sure someone hadn't slipped any questionable items in with the mix. Once she gave the green light, we were hysterical to tear into our favorites. After about ten pieces, Mom would notice the drugged and drowsy look in our eyes, and tug our booty away to go on top of the fridge and to be doled out in smaller increments over the coming days. Off we would go, to de-costume, take a bath, and start counting until next year.

Which brings me back to our street. What the heck? We had about 7 door bell rings, resulting in about 15 kids - not enough to make a small dent in our MAN size bowl of sugary goodness.

What's up with that?

We did get a visit from our favorite 2 year old - Keira Grace - who was adorable as a USC Cheerleader - sooooo cute! So enjoy and someone please tell me:

Where did all the Trick-or-Treaters go?