Halloween 2012

We started October at Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch, which is an annual tradition. Besides pumpkins, it has a hayride, corn maze, jump castles and pillows, play structures, and a new spider web.

Spider Web

I think we're lost!

"It's not too heavy!"

"If you're gonna take my picture, I'm gonna look goofy!

We had fun carving the pumpkins!

And finally... HALLOWEEN! Rob and I felt very safe walking the streets of our neighborhood with two ninjas to protect us!

The boys got a big haul, most of it thanks to Jay who asked each person, "How many can we take?" When we returned home, Cole built Mt. Chocomore, and Jay got a candy bar's worth of chocolate on his face! Two signs of a great Halloween!

Halloween 2011

This year we decided to get creative and use stuff from around the house as costumes. Cole was a detective and Jay was an angry bird.

Five Little Pumpkins

The boys put together this little Halloween program. Here are the lyrics in case it isn't clear. Enjoy!!

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.

The first one said, "Oh my, it's getting late."

The second one said, "There are witches in the air."

The third one said, "But we don't care."

The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run."

The fifth one said, "I'm ready for some fun!"

Oooo went the wind and out went the light,

And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight!

Deja Vu Halloween

No, this is not a photo from a previous Halloween. Cole decided to be an astronaut for the 3rd time, and Jay wanted to wear his Spiderman costume for the 2nd year in a row. Boys certainly make shopping easy!

We joined our neighbors again this year for trick-or-treating with a caravan of decorated golf carts and a whole gaggle of kids. After hitting all the hot spots, we returned for hot dogs, chili, and, of course, candy.

Since it was a school night, the party ended early. I felt sorry for all the teachers dealing with tired, crabby, sugared-up kids the next day (but also relieved those kids weren't at home).

Throughout the rest of the year, Jay wears his Spiderman costume so often that it has a hole in the knee and a broken zipper. While shopping the day after Halloween, we were thrilled to find a half-price Spiderman costume in the next size!! Even better, it closes in back with velcro instead of a zipper, which should lead to fewer Spidey accidents. Now we're set for the next few Halloweens.

Halloween 2009

Yes, it is a Halloween post in June. Since I've started selling Usborne children's books, I have even less free time. But I love to do it. I set up book fairs in preschools and elementary schools and get to talk about my favorite thing--books!! I decided to start because I wanted to get a discount for myself, but once I started selling, I realized I really like it. (My website is www.theUsborneAdvantage.com.)

This Halloween, the boys were Spiderman and Optimus Prime, otherwise known as "Octimus" Prime, which Cole insists is his name. The Spiderman costume had puffy chest muscles, and when Cole saw them, he said, "Spiderman has boobies!" I bet Spiderman's creators never imagined those words would be said!

This year, Yingy was visiting, which was great fun. We were lucky enough to score a ride on our neighbor's golf cart. A lot of people in the neighborhood have golf carts, and we made quite a procession. The boys lasted a lot longer without having to walk, and they were thrilled to be able to cover more of the neighborhood. Some people really get into the spirit and dress up and decorate their houses. It was fun to be able to visit all those houses, which would have been impossible on foot.

As soon as we got home, the boys began planning for next year!

Happy Halloween

Halloween is one of the boys' favorite holidays. This year it was even more special with a visit from Grandma Carlene, aka Yingy (no, I don't have any idea how Jay came up with that moniker).

The festivities started with my friend Holly's costume party the week before Halloween (for the kids, not the grown-ups). She set up her sons' Geotrax trains in her living room, and Cole spent the entire time there. He skipped playing outside with the other boys, watching a Mickey Mouse video, and dinner. The only time he left his station was when the cake was served. I'm afraid he is going to ask for a set of Geotrax. It's a great system, but I don't want to get into it since we have baskets of Thomas tracks and trains that rarely get used.

On Halloween the kids weren't allowed to wear their costumes to preschool; instead they were asked to dress as their favorite character in a book (who does the administration think they are fooling?). Cole was an astronaut again this year (click here to see last year's pictures) and brought the book Quasers, Pulsars, and Black Holes from the Isaac Asimov Library of the Universe series (remember those, Dawn?). The book is for much older kids and I got a kick out of seeing it next to princess and Spiderman books. Jay was a fireman and wore his hat backwards all day, as he always does with hats (click here and here to see some of his other backward-hat styles).

That afternoon we went to a party at a classmate of Cole's. Apparently John informed his parents that he was having a Halloween party for all his friends. They assumed he would forget the idea, but the next day he invited all the boys in the class and talked about it nonstop. For a last-minute party hosted by a four-year-old, it was a lot of fun and thoroughly exhausted the boys. (This time Cole spent most of the time playing with motorcycles that loaded onto a truck, missing pumpkin painting, dinner, and the pinata.)

Trick or Treating went quickly this year. After five houses, they were done. I was worried about getting them to bed, but both fell asleep rather quickly as mom and I finished a bottle of wine (after that day, we needed a treat too).

Halloween!

About two weeks into October, Cole started asking, "Can we go to the neighbors' houses and get candy." He didn't see why we could only do that one day a year. When he realized he was going to have to wait until Halloween, he asked a few times each day, "How much longer until we get candy?"

When the big day finally arrived, he and Jay were ready. Their costumes looked great. Cole loved his astronaut suit and Jay was adorable in his baseball player outfit. He even kept the cap on all night (once I turned it around--he didn't like the bill in front). Cole didn't wear his helmet at all once we started, so Rob got to carry it.

Rob and I figured we go to a few houses on our street, then head home to pass out candy. The boys had other ideas. They were like energizer bunnies, running from one house to the next. Our neighborhood decorates and there were orange lights, blow-up ghosts and pumpkins, and skeletons to draw the boys farther and farther from home with us tagging along. Finally, about halfway around the loop we took, they ran out of steam and wanted us to carry them. So I got a chance to work off all the candy I'd been sneaking.

By the time we got home, Jay was a gooey, sticky mess. The first house gave them lollipops (by far the most popular treat with them) and they ate them the whole way around the neighborhood. We also learned that Jay loves Twix bars and that chocolate drool stains. Unfortunately the pictures don't show the true extent of the mess on his face. This one, with his mouth full of Twix, came the closest.

Cole becomes a big goofball when loaded with sugar. He wouldn't sit still for a picture once we got home.

Luckily, they aren't all that interested in the candy after that night. For a few days Cole asked about it first thing in the morning. I always said he had to wait until after lunch to eat it. By then he'd forget most of the time. When I did allow him to eat some, he'd try a bite or two and that was enough. He definitely did not get my sweet tooth.

Pumpkin Carving

Of course, after picking the pumpkins, we needed to carve them. Cole was very excited until I explained that we had to remove the guts inside--he decided that was a "grown-up job." I started to save the seed to roast, but Jay decided it was more fun to fling them around the kitchen. Once I got the basic eyes, nose, and smile carved, Cole added his own touches, like nostils

Pumpkin Picking at Boone Hall Plantation

Pumpkin picking this year was a lot of fun. Boone Hall really does it up with jump castles; a maze; hayrides through a haunted forest; dirt and hay piles to climb; goats and rabbits to feed; and U-pick pumpkins. The boys enjoyed it all. It was a gorgeous day after a week of rain and they were thrilled to be outside and run around. Jay especially loved the mud puddles and managed to jump in almost all of them.



At the Rabbit Cage
Not Quite Strong Enough
Which One Do We Want?
100% All Boy

HALLOWEEN (yes, I know this is almost a month late)

Cole loved Halloween this year! Jay had less fun, mostly because he sweated like crazy in his lion costume (made by Grandma Carlene who is used to bitter cold Halloween nights in the Midwest). At first we planned on only going to 5 or 6 close neighbors, but when Cole realized we were going home, he said, "No. More houses." His little voice was so sweet that even his demand sounded nice. So he and I kept going while Rob and Jay passed out treats at home. I was surprised--he was so shy at the first houses that I wasn't sure he was enjoying himself. We went to a few more houses, then a few more, then a few more. I think he would have kept going all night. He was adorable picking his treats. He studied the basket intently, like this was a critical decision, then very carefully selected a piece of candy. At the last house, he started swaying and his eyes glazed over. This time when I suggested going home, he didn't argue.

Once home, he instantly revived and wanted to try all his candy. Lucky for us, he spit most of it out (I really don't understand how a kid of mine could not like sweets). Jay was also excited by the candy, although more for the colors and the sounds the wrappers made.

After the excitement and sugar high wore off a bit, we got ready for bed. Cole would not take off his costume. I finally convinced him to take off the overalls so I could change his diaper, but the jacket stayed on all night. He really didn't want Halloween to end.