Halloween! or the Scroogiest Halloweeny There Ever Was

I was just getting ready to write a whole grump post about Halloween.  Well, actually I had one nicely started from yesterday that I was just going to embellish a bit.  All about how the dressing up kind of weirds me out, the lost effort to make homemade costumes that eventually end up creating a fight to get on, the cost of candy and sugar that surely we love, but really have no need for.  Bah, humbug.

But then Halloween happened.  All the tears from the morning turned into excited smiles and skipping steps.  All the unfound worry about the "scary" holiday melted away as the evening became all about neighbors and cute costumes and candy for dinner.  While it's still not at the top of holiday my list, Halloween has the potential of growing on me, so long as my little ones help keep the spirits high.

We carved pumpkins this year with the need only for ONE purchased.  Free pumpkins from our fall fest and the two tiny orbs from our garden provided all the fun we needed.  I hope we get even more in our patch next year.  It was so fun to watch them grow, pick and carve them.

Louise was not so into pulp.  "It's yucky in there!" was her response whenever we prompted her to squeeze a handful.  So she became our happy seed mixer and boy, do those seeds taste better than ever this year, perhaps from all the vigorous mixing.  Thanks Louise!

Ainsley drew her face on her pumpkin and carver daddy cut it out.  She was so intrigued with his Twins pumpkin.  Those two are quite the pair.

Since our sassy squirrels seems to think that our pumpkins are free food we kept them on the kitchen table for their inaugural light.  Candles are one of the girls' favorite things (top on both of their Christmas lists) and seeing the tiny tea light ignite their faces was so magical for them.

Louise wanted me to carve a doggy for her.  I did my best!

Ainsley and her pumpkin.

All lit up.

Pumpkin carving is probably my favorite Halloween tradition. I love the smell of pumpkins warmed by candles and the magic of their spooky lit faces.  I hope the squirrels hold off on their buffet for a few more days so we can keep enjoying our creations!

Halloween morning found us quite in a tizzy.  Ainsley's teacher had talked to them about how it's ok to feel a little scared of Halloween and not want to dress up.  While well intended, this pep talk unfortunately served to plant the idea in Ainsley's head that she should be afraid of Halloween and her costume.  She was beside herself about dressing up and while I normally wouldn't push such a silly issue I know my girl well.  Rest assured as soon as we'd get to school she'd see all her friends decked out and want to join in the fun.  Plus this girl LOVES dress up.  I'm hard pressed to find a day in recent memory that she hasn't dressed up in one way or another.  So I called her bluff and life turned out.  She was happy as a clam in her Heidi costume and once she fed a little off the excitement of her peers she was ready and rearing to go for trick or treat.

We had such fun going up and down our block, seeing neighbors all dressed up and friendly.  Oak Park does an early trick or treat, 3-7pm, so unfortunately there are a lot of empty houses with people still at work.  The girls got their fill though, and we came home to leftover roast and pumpkin pie (well, for me, everyone else was too stuffed on candy!)

Ah my sweet girls, for all the drama of the actual holiday we sure did have fun planning and creating those cute duds.  Here's hoping that next year Ainsley still wants that old penguin costume like she's insisted and Louise will be content with a Heidi hand me down, because a year seems far too soon to go through all this again!

Happy Halloween!