Halloween

The night before Halloween, Jacob, Tyler and I carved pumpkins. Jacob had picked a design, but I soon realized it was not worth agonizing over the design, and I let the kids take over. I cut off the top, and that's where I lost control. Jacob scooped out some seeds, and I got the rest. Tyler put the seeds back in. In typical Tyler fashion, he also ate a few. At least it kept him busy while Jacob and I carved. Jacob started in the most convenient place - the top. We had already started cutting for the lid, right? Why not continue from there? He had a great time cutting his rectangle bigger and bigger. Then moved to the other side and did much the same. I gave up on our design, and made triangle eyes, circle nose, and a smile. It was simple, and beautiful. The three of us had a great time doing it, and we were very proud of our creation.

Halloween was on a Friday this year, so for some reason that makes it seem even more fun. After a quick dinner, we got the kids dressed. Jacob was a worker bee (really, no different than a regular bee, just works harder), and Tyler was Winnie the Pooh. The weather was great - not too warm for their costumes, but nobody needed an extra jacket.

We visited my parents quickly for photo opportunities and to drop off my mom's birthday gift (two cases of shop towels that can't be bought in stores anymore). When we came home, we loaded up the Radio Flyer wagon and headed off to the neighbors. Jacob has this down pat. Trick or treat, get candy, say thank you, move on. Tyler is still learning. Trick or treat, get candy, walk into the house, get grabbed by parents, kick and scream. Eventually, we'd just tell Jacob to grab one for his brother. Tyler was just as happy with leaves as he was candy. We made it about 12 houses when Jacob announced he had to go potty. We offered to go back to a friend's house which was nearby, but he was done for the night and just wanted to go home. (We were perfectly fine with that because it means less candy to get rid of later.) We came home, ate candy, watched some Halloween cartoons, and went to bed.