Our neighborhood held their 2nd Annual Halloween Block Party last night. I told Lila there would be children, music and dogs, so she was more than game to check it out. When we arrived on the scene there were a good 30-40 adults, no dogs, and the only kids present were a baby and two brothers who were busy tearing through the neighbors' yards wielding large sticks. I think Lila was a bit disappointed and so insisted on hanging by my side and pestering me with repeated requests to be picked up/put down and sample treats of the likes I'd hoped never to touch her lips (cupcakes, brownies, M&M cookies, etc), which kind of put a damper on the meeting & greeting aspect of the evening. And then, salvation: a family with 2 young daughters arrived. Lila was in love :) She initially set her sights on the 11 year-old, who sat quietly on the curb reading a book. Lila sat beside her and smiled admiringly. But soon after, when the 5 year-old girl came storming by chasing after the two stick wielding boys, it was ON. From ~7:30pm until 9:15pm, when I had to physically remove her from the premises, my sweet, mild mannered daughter was transformed into a veritable one-toddler freak show. After her attempt to join the kids failed due to her inability to keep up, she began simply running all willy nilly. This then progressed to running laps around the crowd squealing at the top of her lungs, with absolutely no concern whatsoever for the whereabouts of either of her parents. And when she wasn't running, she was bustin' a move to the pumpin' beats of the *sweet* dance music churning out of the party's makeshift sound system. I'm telling you, this girl was on fire! At one point, a 5 year-old girl was directing Lila --"Touch the ground!" Turn Around!" "Put your hands in the air!" -- and she happily offered her full compliance. By 9pm she was still groovin' out, even though all the other kids had been shuffled home by tired parents. Stationed smack in front of one of the speakers, she was bouncing and twisting and stomping to Kanye West as if her life depended on it (I have to say, I was a little freaked out and started to wonder if her wee brain had short circuited from sensory overload). At this point I was starting to feel like a neglectful parent, and so packed her up and brought her home, much to her displeasure -- this child was ready to shut that party down! One bath and 3 books later, however, she was down for the count, and both mommy and daddy enjoyed a few extra zzzzzs in the AM due to the super late bedtime. 