Halloween 2011 - Elmo style

I did a photo dump off my camera tonight and figured I better document Halloween!  (Although I have several events prior I still need to do.  Oops.)  Landon was Elmo this year.  Mainly because Elmo and Lightning McQueen are the only 2 characters he recognizes and Elmo is way cuter.  :)  I searched for a long time to find a "nice" Elmo costume that didn't look cheap and wasn't $128746.  Luckily, I found the one I wanted for $20 (and it was $40 everywhere else I looked!).  Score. 
We actually have one more Halloween stop - my parent's house.  Dad was out of town on Halloween so we decided to postpone and go when he got back.  That should happen this weekend.  :) 

Andover has a "safe trick-or-treat" thing at the businesses downtown.  We went last year and went back this year.  Landon caught on pretty quick that people were giving him stuff to put in his bucket (which had Lightning McQueen or "car car" on it - I asked Matt if it was socially acceptable for Elmo to carry a car car bucket and he said YES!).  The only thing that caused a little problem was that once he had something in his bucket he wanted to get it back out and wouldn't give up.  So, the system quickly became: candy in bucket, Landon in wagon, candy out of bucket, take bucket away, candy in Mom's bag, bucket back to Landon.  :)

We visited Kelsey at work - sorry, I'll warn you a picture is coming next time Kels!

After finishing at the businesses we headed to Matt's parent's house.  (After a pit stop to remove the costume from a cranky Elmo.)  He trick or treated there and took a few pictures.  I wish I had gotten more pictures but it's kinda hard chasing a toddler, keeping him from running in the street or shoving a sucker down his throat, and taking pictures at the same time.  Even if we did have 2 people against 1 toddler!

Landon started getting cranky then (and we realized it was after 6 and he is normally ready for dinner no later than 530) so we headed home.  I kinda wanted to take him out in our neighborhood and every time he saw his costume he would lift his leg up to put it on so we got dressed again and headed out for a little bit.  We only went down to the end of our street because it got dark quick. 
He wanted to go to our neighbors (who decorate like CRAZY for Halloween) because he liked the big blow up pumpkin in the yard.  However, when he got close to the pumpkin, someone walked by and triggered a creepy something or other to start making noise and fog poured out.  Needless to say, he changed his mind and wanted picked up right away.  We headed the opposite way down the street. :)
Daddy snapped a few pictures on the porch before we headed out. 

He isn't so great about smiling when the camera is out.  :(  He will be in the greatest of moods and smiling ear to ear but as soon as I try to snap a picture he is Mr. Serious.  Oh well, he's still cute.  :)
My favorite part of him dressing up is when we would ask him who he was (and point to his costume) he would reply with "Elmo" with this look on his face like "Duh, don't you know who Elmo is?"  Priceless.