HALLOWEEN

has come and gone and I've been sad to say the past few years that the more we have it, the less I have loved it...until this year.
If you've known me for any length of time you know that I love Halloween.  LOVE it.  I don't really know the ins and outs as to WHY I do...but I do.  But then you have many small children and Halloween becomes an enormous production with five or six parties and dressing ups and events leading up to the actual day, that by the time the actual day rolls around you feel like you are about to pass out.

 

 {Bennett's school party...thankfully he wore a Spiderman costume to the many other Halloween events so getting "dressed up" didn't require much! SIMPLICITY}

This year was not as hectic as last...as parties did not require much assembly and/or face paint/etc...plus the past two years have taught me that life isn't worth {...or enjoyed while...} stressing over it, and generally I just let the chips fall where they will, in whatever shape they may be when they land...and this actually works for me.  PLUS I just could not get enough of my little babies in their respective costumes.

First, we painted pumpkins this year.

Yes, we "sort of" carved one WAAAYYY too early but Mr. Pirate Pumpkin died a moldy rotten death before we even applied his eye patch and candle. So the week of Halloween we just decided painting would be something to help fill those last daylight hours between naptime and dinner...and it was a hit! A definite start of a family tradition for sure.

{'gitchur paws off my punkin, missy'}

{'shhhhcuse me maam but have ye scheen me teeths?'}

Their costumes were pretty easy this year, with me only having to literally construct one costume.  Emory was Minnie Mouse {whom she loves dearly}, Bennett was a ghost {as requested} and wore the costume my mom made for me and my sisters when we were his age, and Jacob was the beloved pumpkin that his brother was twice and Emory was last year.  I have every intention of him wearing it next year, too...if he still fits in it {he is enormous}.
I wouldn't mind each of them repeating this year's costumes....{fingers crossed...but Bennett has already mentioned five different things he wants to be next year...}

 

{if I could print a "Merry Christmas" across the bottom of this picture and be done with it I would ;) }

{with cousin Wells...excuse me, DR. cousin Wells}

{anyone hungry for some PUMPKIN SUGAR???}
{thankfully I was starving for some that night and he was in full sugar-y sweetness form}

Even after literally rolling, not unlike a pumpkin, off this step and onto his darling little face during the pre-trick-or-treating photo shoot, and many hours past his bedtime, this one is and remains a HAM.

{of the honey baked, SUGAR cured variety of course}

Hope your Halloweens were spooky and safe!
{but definitely spooky}