Halloween Fun

This year's Halloween was a lot of fun filled with pumpkins, parties, costumes, and candy. Grandma bought the boys some pumpkins starters from Moorlands and we planted them back in the spring. We got some good pumpkins. The main ones were a round one and one that is peanut shaped. We carved the round one and the boys painted their pumpkins from the pumpkin patch from Jonathan's class field trip. Each boy got a medium sized round pumpkin and a smaller round pumpkin, similar to the small gourd pumpkins we get every year.

This was our first year carving a real pumpkin. I bought a carving kit and patterns. We covered the kitchen floor with plastic and the boys got to paint their own pumpkins while mommy and daddy carved the big pumpkin. When I harvested the pumpkin, I noticed that the slugs started to get it so that spot became the nose of our Jack-O-Lantern. Once it was carved, the boys helped scrape out the seeds. It was a great sensory activity and of course Ethan was all over that, although Jonathan liked doing it too.

Getting ready to decorate pumpkins

Pumpkins we grew in our garden

Daddy carving the pumpkin

Jonathan painting his pumpkins

Ethan painting his pumpkins

Great sharing between brothers!

Continuing the fun painting pictures. Brushes are spoons with papertowels taped to the end. They did the job.

Mommy taking a turn carving the pumpkin. The pumpkin kit carving knife worked well, but seemed very delicate.

Jonathan and Mommy

Jonathan's little pumpkin has a face

The other side

Ethan's pumpkin

Jonathan's other pumpkin has a face

The boys helping to clean out the pumpkin guts

Getting down and dirty. He usually doesn't like to get his hands dirty.

The finished product









Picture of the boys finished mess. They even painted their cars from the Children's Hospital playroom.



The Suda Halloween party was at Auntie Georgia's party room at her condo complex. Just about everyone was there. As always, there were some great and imaginative costumes. I was a geisha, Bob was Bruce Lee, Jonathan chose to be Curious George and Ethan wanted to be Thomas. I took Jonathan to Party City and he personally picked Curious George. Of course when I went to get one, they were out. I found the last one at the Crossroads store and it was even on sale. The fit was a little snug, but it was the only one so we made due. Ethan said he wanted to be Thomas, which was nice because that is what Jonathan was last year so we just let Ethan wear that costume. It was a little big, but it worked out.

Denny and Marcia from the Christmas Story

Family picture

The siblings

Ethan and Uncle Ryan having a conversation while eating dinner

Auntie Julie, Auntie Georgia, and Kay

Andy, Erin, and Ben. Andy is a "cereal" killer :)

The boys reading a story with Grandma

Ryan, Tayla, and AJ

Ethan and Ben. Ben was touching Ethan and Ethan just sat there and took it. He didn't get upset.

Silly Cousins!

Jonathan and Uncle Andy having a converstion. I wonder what they were talking about.



All the cousins at the party. This was the best picture of the bunch!

We also attended a church harvest party that included food and trick or treating door to door downstairs. The boys had fun and this was their first chance to practice actually knocking and saying "trick or treat". Ethan was able to say it too and did a pretty good job. I had to make sure they were only taking one thing and putting it in their baskets.

Eating dinner and cupcakes. Ethan was very happy to eat his cupcake. So cute!

Lining up for the costume contest

Lightning McQueen even showed up. That is a handmade car with real lights. So creative. Ethan is saying, "Look. Lightning Mommy!"

LeAnne's M&M candy holder. The boys really liked it.

On Halloween, we met Grandpa, Ryan, Tayla, and AJ at Bellevue Square Mall to trick or treat store to store. We made the mistake of starting by the Disney Store and it was a zoo. I was worried that Dad, Ry and Tay were a little overwhelmed by the amount of people. There was a complete traffic jam at the Disney Store and all the way down the aisle. There were so many people and as usual, a lot of chaos. Parents and kids pushing and no organization. I will never understand those parents who let their kids cut in the front of the line. Irritating to say the least! Last year, we just got in a line at a store or walked in an orderly line from store to store. Once we got away from the Disney Store, the orderly lines started and we just got in the flow of the crowd. The kids got pretty good candy for a mall as well as some silly bandz and a lego key chain.

AJ and Jonathan hand in hand

Ethan getting help from Grandpa

Good bye hugs from AJ

Good bye hugs for Ethan with the paparazzi capturing the moment

I noticed that people were looking at Ethan and smiling. Thomas has never been so cute!

When we got home, the boys had fun dumping out their candy buckets and got to pick out a treat. We have to go through all candy now and take out all the peanut products. Fortunately, my boys are not big candy eaters. They prefer cookies. We always have left over Halloween candy that gets tossed. That's fine with me. Despite the chaos, we will continue trick or treating at the mall until the boys ask to go trick or treating in neighborhoods. Right now, they don't care how they get, they just want to get it. We will avoid freezing outside and getting wet for as many year as we can.

 

Overall, it was a great Halloween filled with firsts. Such a fun weekend. I love being a mom getting to share all these experiences that I loved as a kid with my own kids! I love seeing them smile and having fun.

 

 

-Dina