Pumpkins, Kittens, and Candy

Julia, Aidan, what an October it's been! The lead up to Halloween has been in the making for 364 days. We are definitely a Halloween house. A lot of the decorations, including a not-so-glow in the dark skeleton stayed up in your room for the whole year. The second the decorations went up in Home Depot, our trips there got ever more complicated. Aidan, you loved waking up the animatronic Halloween decorations- life-size skeletons and witches and little graveyards and mummies so much that you didn't want to leave them. Julia, you were terrified out of your gourd and were clinging so tightly to me that I didn't even need to use my arms to hold you.

We went to the Arboretum Pumpkin Patch with our friends as soon as we could in late September, and bought our very own pumpkins very soon after. 

 

 

We started watching "Nightmare before Christmas" in September, "Toy Story of Terror" in October, and have been wearing costumes and talking about Halloween since last Halloween! I think it's safe to say, that we are a Halloween family. 

Aidan, you wanted to be a BASS DINOSAUR for Halloween! So Mommy made you a wonderful costume! 

How cool!

Julia, you wanted to be Purple Kitty. So Mommy began work on your costume too. More on both of these critters later.

While your Mommy was slaving away with felt and crocheting these beautiful costumes, we got down and dirty with some pumpkins. 

This was our first year to try carving pumpkins together. In year's past we had only painted. And, I think it went pretty well!

 

 Aidan, you stabbed the pumpkin a lot, Julia, you helped with the seeds, and I, I scooped out all the innards since neither of you wanted to get covered in slop. When it came time to carve the face, Aidan you wanted to make it "EXTRA MAD," so you and I wielded the biggest pumpkin carving tool and had at it. 

You punched the pieces out, and voila- our pumpkin was done!

You, my son, were very pleased with the results.

You, my daughter, thought the pumpkin was "berry scary." And, due to our decision to test out the "candle effect" in the bathroom, also were scared to go in the bathroom for a little while. Eventually you got over that, but still mumbled from time to time about "no pumpkins in my bathroom."

So, you and your mommy made a happy pumpkin to go along with the scary one. 

But, time didn't treat the smiley pumpkin too well...and within a few days, both of our orange friends were looking a bit like compost.

They were immortalized in works of construction paper art, by the two of you.

And then mercifully hosed down...

And then later filled with baking soda and vinegar...

But, now it was time  to suit up, own the night, frighten the pants off of those whose pants need frightening. HALLOWEEN NIGHT! TRICK OR TREAT! Dinosaur and Black Kitty Cat to the Rescue!

...or two black kitty cats to the rescue!

 

After seeing how cool the Julia kitty cat was, the Aidansaurus decided that he wanted to be a black kitty cat too. So your Mommy quickly desleeved another one of Daddy's t-shirts and made another pair of ears, whilst I made an emergency second tail. And our two kitty cats were ready to go trick-or-treating.

 

 

 

After a lovely bounce-housey, potluck dinnery party at Luke's house, Aidan, you were off to the races. Ready to take every house by storm. And that you did. "Trick or treat! Happy Halloween! Good bye (next house!)" 

You definitely stopped and chatted a bit here and there, but mostly you were all business. Fearlessly -even though we saw a few spooky things, like the devil clown - marching through the darkness, singing "This is Halloween," and collecting  quite an envious bounty.

Julia, you were a little less intrepid, some animatronic decorations got you a bit home-depot scared, but you loved dinging doorbells and collecting candy too. 

All in all, we must have trick or treated for miles and miles, and when your buckets were overflowing, we all agreed it was time for the annual dumping out of candy!