Halloween Happenings Part 2

I left of my last post promising I'd share our time pumpkin carving and Lily's first time trick or treating! I finally have time to do just that!

The weekend before Halloween, we carved our pumpkins. This has always been a favorite tradition for Sean and me, and we were so excited this year that Lily would be able to participate for the first time. Now of course we couldn't let her attack her pumpkin with a knife herself, but it was perfectly safe for her to paint her pumpkin! So we turned up the spooky music, set her up with paint, and let her go to town!



Lily of course had a lot of fun painting her pumpkin! Here was her final project:


Unfortunately at some point she decided she wanted to "clean up" the pumpkin, and wiped most of the paint off with a paper towel, and then painted a second masterpiece. Also unfortunately the pumpkin didn't dry in time to come inside for the night, and the rain we got later that night washed away all her hard work! At least we have the pictures to remember our fun time by though!

After she had finished her first masterpiece, Lily wanted to help us scoop out the seeds from our own pumpkins. At first she ws a little leary about sticking her hand in the pumpkin and touching slimy inside. She would only use a spoon to help pull out some of the seeds. I think she got into it after a while though!

Helping out with Daddy's pumpkin:



She really loved our finished projects...which unfortunately I have yet to get a picture of. She kept laughing at the faces we had carved and saying "silly pumpkin!!" She also, being really into spooky stuff lately, was really into the music we were listening to (we just set up a pandora radio station of movie music from movies like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Not all that spooky, but somehow still Halloweeny) She kept dancing around and pretending to be a spooky monster. Hopefully we'll get the video of this editted soon, but here's a picture of her dancing "spooky":

The Monday before Halloween we took Lily trick or treating for the first time. One of the shopping centers near us had a night where all the stores gave out candy, s we decided this was a good way to indroduce Lily to the idea of trick or treating. She had such a fun time walking around with her little pumpkin basket, in her lady bug costume. It was a great way to get her use to seeing other people dressed up. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera that night, so there are no pictures. But of course I have some from our actual Halloween night!


All the fun activities we had done in the weeks leading up to Halloween had really gotten Lily excited for the actual day. From the moment she woke up on Halloween, till bed, she was excited and running around saying "Happy Halloween!!" and "Trick or Treat!!". She waited not to pateintly all day to put her costume on and to go out trick or treating once it got dark. She was beside herself with excitement when we told her it was time to put on her tutu and wings!


She was not hesitant at all going up to the first house and waiting for the door to open. We had been coaching her the whole day to say "Trick or Treat" when the door opened...but as soon as that first door opened, she clammed up! We couldn't get her to say thank you or happy Halloween either! This happened at house after house...every time the door would open, she would go silent and take her candy! Then as soon as the door was closed again, she would shout "HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!" or "TRICK OR TREAT!!" Every single house we went to, it was the same thing...she'd get shy in front of people...but as soon as it was just Mommy and Daddy again, she'd let loose! It was pretty funny! We all had so much fun though, even with the rain that started when we were at the farthest point from the car! (It let up after not to long though, luckily...and was never to heavy!) Lily actually filled her pumpkin bucket right up to the top before we had gotten back to the car, and we had to send Daddy to get it so we could call it an evening! She was so possessive of the bucket too. If we offered to help her carry it because it was getting heavy, she'd pull it away saying "No!" We had to let her ride home with it in her lap!

Lily and Daddy walking to our first house:



Walking by herself up to another house:


Everyone we talked to thought she was the cutest lady bug ever. She was the hit of the neighborhood!
At one house getting her candy:

After our long night out we came home and let her have a couple pieces while we watched "The Nightmare Before Christmas", which she was totally in to (it's so funny how she loves everything "spooky" right now!)
Here she is right before she got cleaned up and teeth brushed for bed, sporting her chocolate face:


I'm so glad she really got into the fun of the season this year, Every Halloween is always fun, but this one was really special, as it was the first one she was an active participant of! Every day since she keeps asking to put on her costume and go trick or treating again. She carries her little pumpkin bucket (which is now empty, as we've put away the rest of the candy) around all the time gleefully saying Happy Halloween. It's been tough trying to get her to understand that Halloween only happens once a year, and that we have to wait till next year to go trick or treating again. I wouldn't have it any other way though! And next year will be doubly fun with two more babies...and Mommy wont be 25 months pregnant with twins trying to do all our fun activities!