This year Halloween felt a bit chaotic. Among other things going on, Clint has a new role at work that is currently requiring him to work longer days and some weekends (including the morning of Halloween unfortunately). Our usual Halloween festivities seemed like a lot to squeeze in, but we did what we could, and we all still had a good time.
Clint picked up two pumpkins at the store, and the boys had fun carving the pumpkins the evening before Halloween. Part way through carving Parker’s cat (his opinion– I think it’s supposed to be a dragon), with only the lid cut on Austin’s pumpkin (which was supposed to be ghosts), the kids got tired. Clint finished up Parker’s pumpkin, but neither of us was up to carving the ghosts. I thought we’d get back to it, but finally I realized that trying to squeeze that in was going to bring more stress than fun, and it just wasn’t worth it. I did manage to bake pumpkin seeds the next day though… mmm.
My mom was a saving grace through the craziness. Shortly before Halloween, she came to help with the kids so I could go to a dentist appointment, and afterward we managed to track down Parker’s costume. He wanted to be Robin Hood (mostly because he has a bow– Parker has been making bows out of hangers and sticks and arrows out of Q-tips for months now), and our local store was sold out. She also came over early on Halloween and helped Parker make arrows (this time out of skewers and construction paper) for his quiver.
We weren’t sure we were even going to dress Audrey up, but then we came across an adorable Very Hungry Caterpillar costume in a store. It was ridiculously expensive, but Clint’s cousin Kelly (you can find her at Kellz Bellz Creations) is excellent at crochet and was able to whip up an amazingĀ costume for us.
Austin was supposed to be a monkey (Parker’s old costume and fitting since Austin likes monkeys), but Austin refused to be put into the costume. Fortunately, Clint had the smart idea to bust out his leather chaps from when he was a kid, and Austin was ok withĀ that since it was a lot less restrictive.
We were fortunate to be invited over to our neighbor’s home for a quick get together before trick or treating. They had prepared dinner and some amazing desserts (her speciality), and Parker and Austin had fun hanging out with their friends (they have a 4 year old and a 2 year old).
Then the whole gang headed out, including a mother of two who had just had her youngest daughter three days prior! I was amazed that she was up for trick or treating, but she didn’t want her older daughter to miss out, so she did what she had to do I guess. Meanwhile, motherhood was calling for me as well…. Audrey decided she was hungry, so I managed to walk and nurse because I didn’t want to miss out on the festivities either.
I knew Parker would be all about trick or treating just as he had been the previous year, but I was concerned about Austin after the costume incident. It seemed awfully reminiscent of the previous year where he had worn his costume but hated it and decided to ride in the stroller the whole night (happily, but still) rather than trick or treat. However, Austin warmed up to trick or treating quickly this year and was even comfortable walking up to the houses on his own as long as they didn’t have particularly scary decorations or people in scary costumes outside. I was so glad that he was finally enjoying it!
We all had a good time, and since Halloween the boys have been loving their bags of candy. They like looking through it, and if they eat well, picking just the right candy for a treat. They have even been good about sharing. Parker gave his grandma some treats to take home, but he warned her not to eat them all on the drive (although she did not heed his warning).
We hope you all enjoyed Hallows’ Eve too! Let the holiday season begin (ready or not)… š
Great post! Glad to see an update. š Isn’t having three both so simple and SO CHALLENGING??? Hope you guys have a wonderful holiday season!
Thanks Sara! With all that’s been going on lately it has been hard to find the time to write, but I’m trying to prioritize it more because I really do need the outlet for my thoughts, and I like capturing our lives in writing. Anyway, so simple and so challenging sums it up well. Hope you have a wonderful holiday season too!