Catching up - Halloween

So it has been forever since I've been good about posting much about our crazy life, so here goes my attempt to catch up. In the past I've really gotten in to Halloween and Kiersten and I talk for weeks about costumes and what we're going to do (and of course, how cute she and Tanner will be!). But this past year it just wasn't happening for me . . . I didn't want to do anything that would cost much or require a lot of time. I lucked out with Kiersten - she wanted to be Ro from Barbie's Island Princess, and her dance costume from last year was perfect for that. At first I wasn't going to add anything, but at the last minute I felt guilty (why I'm not really sure!), so I decided to make her some peacock wings to go with the costume which she loved.

(All lined up for the Kindergarten parade at school. It was a LONG parade - there are 10 classes!)

But Tanner . . . I had absolutely no idea what to do for the poor boy. I was trying to decide if it made me a bad mother if I didn't do anything. I was pretty sure at 2 he wouldn't care, but it would hamper my scrapbooking! Then one day it came to me - he is obsessed with plugs and outlets, so why not do something with that. After looking at a few pictures on line of different costumes, I came up with a plan I thought wouldn't cost much money or be too time consuming. I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. While Tanner loved it, and loved that we were telling him to carry around a plug, he never really wanted to wear his costume. Thankfully he put it on long enough to get a couple of pictures.

(Here he is, showing off how to "use" his costume!)

So, thankfully my delima pretty much solved itself and both kids loved their costumes (even if Tanner wouldn't wear it he still carries it around when he finds it telling everyone that it is his outlet!), and I have something to scrapbook!

Picking Pumpkins

Our clubhouse had pumpkins for the kids to choose. Since Kiersten had chosen "her pumpkin" the day before on our fieldtrip to a farm with a pumpkin patch, I told her that the pumpkin we chose this time would be Tanners. Since it was going to be Tanner's, Kiersten was very insistent that we choose a smaller one than she chose the day before! And since we'd walked to the clubhouse with the kids in a stroller, I was only willing to cart home one pumpkin.

She was pretty funny that morning - she wanted to pose on all the different pumpkins. Tanner, on the other hand, didn't want his picture taken at all, and was only happy when we left him alone to do his own thing.

Halloween Happenings

I had decided I wasn't going to do much for Halloween this year. Kiersten had plenty of dress-ups and old costumes that she was sure to find something she liked. And, I had this cute pumpkin costume that my aunt had sent me for Kiersten when she was about 18 months (but we'd never used because I'd already made her a bumblebee costume) that was going to be perfect for Tanner. But then I got this really cute Halloween scrapbook page that was titled "Pumpkins and candy" and I thought it would be so cute to make Kiersten a candy corn costume. So we got looking at pictures on line, and she decided it needed to be a Candy Corn Fairy, complete with wings and antennas. And of course, it had to have a tutu, because as far as Kiersten is concerned, it can't be a Halloween costume without a tutu!

Halloween seemed to last almost a week and a half this year at our house . . . We picked out pumpkins on the 22nd and 23rd (don't worry, there's a post and pictures to come on that!), Nate and Kiersten carved their first pumpkin on the 23rd for our Ward Party and Trunk or Treating the next night. They did a great job and carved Snow White's face. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of it! They even won the pumpkin carving contest at our ward party . . . it helps when you're the only entrant!

Here they are getting ready to leave for the Ward Halloween Party and Trunk-or-Treating. Nate had to hold Tanner's hands so he wouldn't take off his hat!


Then on Tuesday Kiersten got to dress up again, for her Halloween party in dance class. Aren't all those princesses, witches and fairies so cute?


Then on Wednesday they dressed up for trick-or-treating at the Library for Storytime.

Thursday was the Halloween party in preschool, which we moved inside the church becasue it was "so cold" outside (it was "only" in the mid 50's!); that's also why Kiersten has a long sleeved shirt on - she didn't want to get cold!
One of the many fun activities at our Halloween party in Preschool was a donut eating contest, but they couldn't use their hands. Many of the little girls had seemed to have a problem grasping the concept, but not Kiersten - she just dived right in!


Then on Halloween, since we had another pumpkin that needed carving, Nate and Kiersten decided to carve a second pumpkin. This time they just did a cute face on it. Kiersten loves to help and poke the holes so that Nate has something to follow when he cuts out the design.
Tanner just loves to poke and touch everything!

And finally it was Halloween night and they got to go trick-or-treating. We went over to our friend's house and went with them. Their daughter, Savannah, borrowed Kiersten's bumble bee costume.