Happy Halloween 2014

Although we are still getting used to being a family of four, we try to keep up with our friends as much as possible since our family is so far away.  This meant throwing our annual Halloween party.



Since our kids are still really little... I choose the costumes and it's always a family costume.  This year we were Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook and Tinkerbell.  I know it's cheesy, but I don't care. And as soon as the kids can tell me what they want to be for halloween, we will probably try to do a family costume centered around their interests, but for now it's been fun.

Over the past few years I have collected lots of party decorations.  What can I say? I guess it's the teacher in me that makes me such a pack rat?  But it made preparing for this party really easy because all we had to do was clean and set up!

We started the day with going to Noah's school fall festival.  First his class went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood and then we went and played games and had lunch on the playground.

Later on that evening a bunch of friends and I took Noah out trick-or-treating again at a few houses around the neighborhood.  He really really got a kick out of that.

After trick-or-treating our party guests were due to arrive.  I had planned on getting lots of pictures of the entire party, costumes, food, etc... but that just didn't happen.  Noah dropped my camera on the ground and from then on all of the photos were blurry and strange looking and not even recognizable. My friend, Jenny, took a bunch of photos from the night which was very sweet and helpful, but there is still so much missing...I wish I could have taken more.

Anyways, despite a completely random rainstorm (which California really needed), the party was great and I think everyone had a blast!

2013 Halloween Bash

Last year I decided that although I am not the biggest fan of Halloween, I was going to give it my best to make the most of every holiday for Noah and that meant going all out for Halloween.  I want to celebrate every moment with him because that's what life is all about, right?  So we threw a Halloween bash at our house and invited all of our buddies to join in the fun.  It was so much fun that decided to make it a tradition.

This past weekend we hosted our annual Halloween party with a Dia de Los Muertos theme. Traditionally Dia de Los Muertos is celebrated November 1-2nd, but whatever, October 26th is close enough, right?  So Jonathan prepared a TON of barbacoa, carnitas and chicken tacos, a few friends came over to help make baked goods and I decorated the house and yard into a frenzy.  People came, ate and partied up a storm.  It was another great Halloween success!

I really loved seeing everyone's creative costumes.  Jonathan, Noah and I had Willy Wonka themed costumes.  Jonathan was Willy Wonka, Noah was an Oompa Loompa and I was Veruca Salt.  We did our best to party in character.

Did you have any fancy Fall Harvest or Halloween festivities?

weekly wonder: thirty-eight

We were really lucky and got to go to Jonathan's work place to do Noah's trick-or-treating.  It was exciting to get to see lots of kids and parents that we are already familiar with.  Plus, we also got to hang out with Daddy's work mates, which is always nice!

The most difficult part about Halloween was getting Noah ready.  Of course, I chose a costume for him that included hair and make-up... I know, I know... Smart?  Hah.  Since the party was in the early evening.  I woke him up from his nap and got straight to work.  So I first colored his little head with green hair chalk and then use a washable marker soaked in water to smear orange all over his face.  I then applied white eye-liner to his eyebrows.  All that seems like cake right? 5 minutes tops? No way... that's when your kid isn't kicking you away and running in circles around you.  I finally finished 30 minutes later.  Snapped a few photos and fought through traffic to get to the party.  Of course parking was a nightmare, but I persevered and was able to find a parking spot within a few blocks and not have to valet the car.  I gave myself props for that.

When we finally reached the party, we had our photo taken and got out name tags and maps so we could find out where all the trick-or-treating was going on.  I was really surprised that Noah didn't freak out upon seeing a lot of the adult costumes, especially the masked characters.  He seemed rather intrigued by it all.  I think it helped that he saw so many familiar faces.  He toddled around waving at the other kids and picking up things to put inside his pumpkin bucket.  He really enjoyed the bucket and when he finally realized that the things people were passing out were meant to go inside his bucket he was even more stoked.  He only picked up maybe 6 pieces of candy (thank goodness).  The highlight of the actual trick-or-treating was when we walked past the kitchen and he saw a giant stack of bananas and demanded that he have one of those to tote around in his bucket.  So while most kids were off having their candies and goodies, our son was munching on a banana and thinking he had hit the jackpot.  haha I love it!  I believe Noah's favorite part of the evening was when he ran into a little baby dressed as Elmo.  He wanted nothing more than to hug and love the baby Elmo.  It was really adorable.  After that we were all hungry and spent and so we jetted off to have dinner.  It was a great first trick-or-treating adventure for Noah!  Hopefully next year will be just as exciting!

Hope everyone had a happy Halloween!
xo

weekly noah: thirty-nine weeks and nine months!

McGrath Street Pumpkin Patch 2012

I thought I would share photos from Noah's first trip to the pumpkin patch.  We had so much fun watching him crawl through the pumpkins and play in the dirt.  I think it's safe to say that even Daddy really enjoyed himself.  I really wish we could have more days like our trip to the pumpkin patch.  We were able to experience so much joy and wonder as a family... it was just so lovely!

October 31st.

I hate Halloween.  I honestly do (not because I am against it in any way, but because I had one bad Halloween growing up that ruined the rest of them for me), but I still wish Mason were here.  This would have been his 2nd Halloween because he was born on the 11th of October.  I have no idea what I would have dressed him up as... probably a little sushi of some sort because Jonathan and I are both sushi lovers.  It would have been so much fun to take him to office costume parties, to the pumpkin patch or even trick-or-treating.  I guess I will always spend every day of my life envisioning what we would be doing together if he were here even on those holidays I really can't stand.

I wish grieving were a little easier.  I wish it didn't go on forever...