sweet talking will get you everywhere

our baseball player and princess-with-a-wand enjoyed every single minute of their halloween. and why wouldn't they? a quick synopsis: a) their costumes were easy and comfortable. b) it was a clear, balmy 80 degrees. c) there was no rush to get home, since we were gaining an hour of sleep that night. and, most importantly, d) they made out like bandits. our far-too-generous neighbors all seemed so happy to hear their doorbells ring -- we're one of only two families with young children on our street -- and they certainly made our stops worthwhile. (truth be told, they were probably more excited to have an opportunity to unload the gobs of candy they'd bought than they were to ooh and aah over the trick-or-treaters on their front step.)

the most memorable stop of the evening occurred on the street behind our house, with an older gentleman who did not at all agree with liam's choice of costume. he opened his door and immediately gave a friendly scowl. "a dodgers player? trying to get my candy?" he harrumphed. "i'm a lifelong yankees fan and i have to say, i'm not crazy about your uniform," he said, before giving liam one nestle crunch.

chris and i exchanged a glance, both curious as to how liam would react. the boy could make friends with a brick wall, so i guess i shouldn't have been surprised at what followed. "oh right, the yankees. from new york! i pull for them sometimes. like, if they play a team from chicago or something -- well, i pull for them then."

and just like that, the man grinned, reached back into his stash, and dropped five more candy bars into liam's bucket.