So, seeing as how we're in November now and the stores have filled their shelves (magically overnight) with Christmas apparel, I think I can safely post our Halloween pictures. Meaning, I think we're officially done with the trick-or-treating and Halloween parties.
So, going back a couple weeks, I'll start with the pumpkin carving party at the home of one of Dakota's work friends. The kids had fun designing their pumpkin faces, and Emma even carved some of her own pumpkin this year.
From L to R... Emma's kitty pumpkin, Ashlyn's, and Josiah's.
This is my spider pumpkin.
The next week the kids got into their costumes for the first time, and we headed to our church's Great Pumpkin Party. Emma dressed up as the American Girl, Molly, who dressed up as a hula girl in the first book.
Josiah couldn't decide if he wanted to be a fire fighter or an astronaut, so he combined the two and said he was being a "fire astronaut." He has a raincoat that looks like a fire fighter's jacket, so he wore that over the astronaut suit when he was outside. Problem solved! And Ashlyn was a lovely Cinderella.
The kids had a great time playing on the inflatables and playing games for candy. Emma found her BFF there (in the midst of the 3,000 other kids there). They were both dressed up as American Girls.
But one of their favorite parts was the petting zoo set up in the parking lot. (Yes, the cow is trying to eat Josiah's jacket.)
A few days later we went to another fall party at a friend's church. Once again, more inflatables, games, candy, face painting, and animals for petting! Josiah was rather fond of the large pig, and if he had been allowed, would have quickly climbed into the pen with it! There was also a fire truck outside the church, which they offered to let Josiah work on.
That weekend we visited the nursing home with the kids in their costumes, handing out candy to the residents, while Dakota played piano for them.
Then came Beggar's Night. For those who don't live in Iowa, Beggar's Night is traditionally the night before Halloween, and that's when kids are supposed to go out trick-or-treating. We were treated to better weather than we expected, so the kids got to walk around the neighborhood collecting candy. As a bonus treat at one house, they got to Skype with a babysitter-friend who is currently going to school over in London. We also went back to the nursing home on Beggar's Night, where the residents were the ones handing out candy to the kids. And another church down the street from there had trunk-or-treat in their parking lot.
Do we know how to milk it for all it's worth, or what!
Yesterday, the girls dumped out their bags of loot and began sorting through it all. This Halloween was significant, because it was the first year that Emma has been able to eat ANY of her collected candy. Since her peanut allergy required her to stay away from any and all peanut products in the past, most Halloween candy was off limits to her. But this year, with her allergy on the run, the peanuts are not a threat to her! Can you imagine being a kid at Halloween and getting to taste a Snickers or Reeses for the first time? It's one to remember!
But don't think that just because the kids CAN eat the candy, that their mean old parents would actually LET them eat it all! Yep, we're those kinds of parents. But they're actually ok with that. We let them pick out a few favorites, and they very willingly put the rest into a big bag to take to the dentist office for their Cash-for-Candy program. They're excited about turning in most of their candy in exchange for some cold hard cash!
Happy Halloween!
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