Tag: Halloween

Tricks, Treats and Lots of Fun!

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Happy Halloween! What a fun filled day we had today. All I can say is that it sure is fun to be a kid. For Abby and Ellie the fun began at school. We lucked out that Halloween fell on a Thursday this year, which allowed for both Abby and Ellie to celebrate the day at school together. 
All classes were encouraged to dress up and the girls gladly did just that. As a compromise, they wore costumes that were different from the ones they planned to wear Trick Or Treating, that way nothing was ripped, torn or damaged before the night time festivities began.
Abby and Ellie all dressed up for their school Halloween parties! Ellie was Rapunzel and Abby was Merida.

Abby’s teacher made these awesome monster faces with petri dishes and jello for the kids. Such an awesome idea!

Slimy guts and brains! (Spaghetti for those without an imagination)

Ready for some Halloween artwork.

Halloween cookie time for Abby and her classmates.

One of Abby’s cookie creations.

Happy preschoolers with Halloween cookies.

Merida and a Ninja Turtle having a chat. 🙂

Ellie had the chance to make Halloween cookies too, she was very focused on the decorating part.

Super cute Rapunzel, if you ask me.

Love thier little class and all of Ellie’s friends. They get along so well and seem to have a great time together.

One of Ellie’s cookie creations. She ate the other one before I could get a picture of it. No shock there.

 After school we came home and attempted a nap, but I think the excitement of their time at school plus the anticipation of the night made sleeping just a tad difficult. As the witching hour grew near, we started costume prep and then waited for daddy to come home from work before out night time festivities began. As soon as he walked through the door, Abby and Ellie were off to the races.

Our porch with our cute and creative Jack O’ Lanterns.

Jasmine and Izzy reporting for Trick Or Treating duty!

Our funny faced little girls. Super cute if you ask me!

Pumpkins!

The weekend before Halloween we drove around town scoping out neighborhoods to go to. Being that we live in a town home community, we knew that the girls might be a tad limited to what they could do. So we found a few places that had some great decorations and headed that way. It was well worth it and the girls had a great time collecting their “loot” and enjoying some of the very creative decorations. Several of the homes took a lot of courage for the girls to explore but they did it and had a blast scaring themselves in the process. Ah, to be a kid!

Walking door to door through our chosen neighborhood.

This house had quite the setup with mannequins, antique cars, lighting effects and great sound effects too. Abby and Ellie weren’t too thrilled about some of it but we sure enjoyed it.

Spooky, creepy and just the right amount of Halloween fun!

Abby did not like this part but once mommy walked through, unharmed, she was ok.

We certainly missed our favorite spots back in California to Trick Or Treat and we especially missed going with friends but we found something new and fun. I am sure the more we become settled into life here in Seattle and make more friends things will change but for being new to the area again, we managed to find some fun and excitement. After a night of begging people for candy we headed to Red Robin for dinner and then it was back home yo put two tired little monkeys to bed. The car ride home was silent, so you know a good time was had by all. Until next year!

Jack O Lantern Central

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Tonight our house turned into pumpkin carving central. Halloween is nearly here and the girls are definitely ready to add their own personal touch! That and there is something super cool about playing around with the “pumpkin guts”. So our little surgeons got to work and and turned those pumpkins into their own masterpieces! As always we had a fun time with plenty of giggles and lots of smiles.
An Ellie before picture with the perfect pumpkin picked out at the farm!

An Abby before picture with the perfect pumpkin picked out at the farm!

Choosing the correct tools is serious business.

Faces are drawn and Ellie has a little sass to share with us!

Its my pumpkins nose!

All of the pieces have been removed from Ellie’s pumpkin and now its time to remove the “guts”!

Daddy is helping Abby get the pumpkin pieces out. Their pumpkins were super ripe and juicy which made cutting the pumpkins a bit tough for small hands.

Pumpkin brains!

Pumpkin brains for Abby too!

Scooping out the guts and having a blast!

EWWWWW, that feels slimy.

Pumpkin seeds for everyone.

My cutie and her finished Jack O’ Lantern. She was so proud of it!

My big girl and her adorable Jack O’ Lantern! She had a blast creating it with daddy and couldn’t wait to put it on the porch for Halloween.

We cant believe Halloween is only a few days away but we didn’t let it sneak up on us too fast this year. We made sure that we had some beautiful pumpkins to decorate our porch with. So much fun with these kiddos!

Happy Halloween!

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Happy Halloween Everyone! 
Today was a wonderful day with the girls. We enjoyed some Halloween movies at home (like Spooky Buddies and The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown) took naps and then got up and ready for our night of family, friends and Trick Or Treating. Once the girls were dressed and ready they were forced to pose for pictures. Sorry girls, but as long as you love Halloween and dress up to Trick Or Treat there will be an obligatory photo op before festivities commence. 
This year Abby dressed up as Merida from Brave and Ellie was Dorothy. They looked adorable and I think the girls actually enjoyed the photographs a bit. Once we were done it was into the car and on our way over to Grandma Zoe’s house for the first stop of the night. At Grandma Zoe’s the girls took pictures and showed off their beautiful costumes. She gave them cute Halloween baskets with some very yummy (and parent friendly) Halloween treats. After some singing, dancing and parading around in their costumes we had to leave and head out for the big event, Trick Or Treating!

For the Trick Or Treating Festivities we headed to Auntie Jen’s house. I could kick myself for not getting a picture of Bixby and Felicity. They looked adorable! Bixby headed back home with his daddy after a round of Trick or Treating. Felicity and Jen stayed and did another round with us. Abby and Ellie had a wonderful time. This year Abby was noticing a lot of things which made her a bit uneasy. She still enjoyed herself but with a bit of caution. Ellie, on the other hand, couldn’t get enough. After the first few houses she had the idea. “Knock on the door, when the person answers be cute, say Trick Or Treat and they put a handful of candy into my basket.” Before we knew it she was saying “Trick or Treat, Trick or Treat give me something good to eat!” We have no idea where she learned that from but she had everyone laughing. In the end I think she had more in her basket then Abby. Not that its a competition. 🙂

After a trip around Jen’s neighborhood the girls were losing steam and getting hungry. I think they were mad at mommy too because I wouldn’t let them dive into their candy. Oh well… soon enough! Because the night was still early we had enough time to stop by and see Grandpa, Nana, Aunt Brittany and Uncle James. When we arrived we headed straight for Papa Ralph’s house. Ralph and his family have been doing an elaborate setup on Halloween for as long as Shaun can remember. This year was no exception and the girls loved it! They were given an extra helping of candy too! After visiting Papa Ralph we headed back to Grandpa and Nana’s for a bit. The girls received a few goodies and talked about Trick Or Treating. Shaun and I had a moment to relax and enjoy the remainder of the night. When the girls came down from their sudden sugar high we headed home and put the girls and ourselves to bed.

Despite the events in the early hours of the morning, Halloween was very nice this year. I have a feeling it was because there was an extra angel watching over us and she was happy. Happy that we still enjoyed our day with family and friends just as she loved to do. I know she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Pumpkin Carving with the Girls

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Tonight we carved pumpkins with the girls in preparation for Halloween tomorrow! Shaun helped Ellie draw her face and carve the pumpkins and I helped Abby. Each girl had a lot of fun and even helped us choose their face designs. Abby went with a more traditional face on her pumpkin and Ellie did a traditional face but asked daddy to put ears on him as well.
Ellie starts carving her pumpkin. Don’t worry, we didn’t  let her use the knife on her own for too long.

Now that’s true talent.

Abby balanced her spoon with ease and grace.

Scooping “pumpkin guts” never looked so cute!

All done with her pumpkin. Look, he even has ears!

Abby and her pumpkin. So proud!

While Shaun and I did most of the work it was the time spent together and the fun that we had that made it special. The girls loved being silly, balancing their spoons on their nose and having a blast scooping out all of the “pumpkin guts”. When the pumpkins were finished both Abby and Ellie were very proud. We cant wait to put them out on the porch for all of the Trick or Treaters to see!

Dress Up Day at School

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Today was Halloween Dress Up Day at preschool! While Abby is going as Merida for Halloween there was no way she was going to school in that costume. Her teachers are wonderful and Abby always comes home mess free but with my luck she would rip her Merida dress within the first 20 minutes. So, we decided that she would go as a kitty cat and boy did she look adorable. I think that part she liked about the kitty costume the most was having me draw a nose and whiskers on her face. When we arrived at school she was beaming from ear to ear and couldn’t wait to see all of her school friends and their costumes. Id say Halloween Dress Up Day was a success even if mommy was a killjoy!

Pumpkin Patch 2012

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Today was our big trip to the pumpkin patch! Abby and Ellie were so excited that it really was hard to contain their energy. It took us a while to even get out of the door and on our way because they were so excited and easily distracted. 
The day was beautiful, just warm enough with the perfect cool breeze. The girls rode around in one of the red wagons which, with mommy and daddy pulling, was a ride of its own. Their one special treat while we were there was to ride the ponies. Both girls were thrilled to be doing it, but it was Ellie who loved it so much that she didn’t want to get off. Luckily we were able to do so without causing a scene.
Before heading to pick out pumpkins, we fed lots and lots of animals. Goats, sheep, mules, horses, ducks, pigs, alpacas and more. We even got to feed turkeys! Although morbid me couldn’t help but wonder which turkey was going to end up as Thanksgiving dinner. (Sorry I cant help it, Thanksgiving isn’t that far away!).

After our visit with the farm animals and a little shopping at the country store, it was time to pick the perfect pumpkin. Both Abby and Ellie chose their pumpkins pretty quickly but I think we still spent about 45 minutes out in the field watching the girls play among the massive amounts of pumpkins. Abby even stopped to build a birds nest in the hay. Ellie was singing songs and from what I could hear, I think she was pretending to be a princess and each pumpkin was a castle. While I couldn’t tell exactly what was happening it was still cute to watch.
As the sun started to get low in the sky and the day cooled a bit we decided it was time to go home. Abby and Ellie had a wonderful time at the pumpkin patch and before we could even get them buckled in to their seats they were asking if we could come back tomorrow. That’s definitely a good sign that fun was had by all. While I miss the infant years with each of them I am really loving watching them grow and understand more. The excitement that comes with going to the pumpkin patch and how Abby really is starting to understand the fun and joy of this time of year and pass that excitement along to her sister, is such a joy to see. I miss having babies but I am loving what lies ahead. Yup, it was another wonderful memory that I will cherish.

This is Halloween!

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“This is Halloween, This is Halloween!”

Well its that time of year again when the pumpkins come out and the costumes are put on. This is the first year we decided to go trick or treating and of course it was a hit! After we took pictures in costumes, we headed on over to my friend Jen’s house to visit with them, see the twins all dressed up and to walk their neighborhood which was pretty busy. But busy neighborhoods mean good candy and lots of it. That was the truth too! Lots of candy for the girls (well enough to last them a while) and we only had to walk half of the block. Abby got the hang of things pretty quick and Ellie just stuck her basket out and because she is so cute people put lots of candy in her bucket. The only thing we had to do was remind Abby to say Trick or Treat after someone opened the door.

Picture attempt #1…

Picture attempt #2…

Picture attempt #3… Not once could I get both of them looking at the camera and smiling at the same time.

“Why am I in this bunny costume? Now I know how Ralphie must have felt.”

After visiting with Jen, Rod, Bixby and Felicity we grabbed some dinner and took a drive to look at all of the Halloween lights and decorations. This always makes Abby happy. After a few stops we went home and the girls passed out for the night. Having fun can be tough sometimes.

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving

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Tonight was pumpkin carving time! Despite everyone starting to come down with a bit of the sniffles, we had a great time. I remember carving pumpkins with my family as a kid and it was something I always looked forward to at Halloween time. My hope is that in the future Abby and Ellie will look forward to these things as well. I also hope we can start a few Halloween family traditions of our own now that Abby is really learning what these holidays are. Now I cant wait until Ellie is old enough too. But lets not rush it.

Abby has her pumpkin and she is ready to start creating. She has been learning on a Disney Preschool show called “Special Agent Oso” about all the steps needed to create a Jack O’ Lantern.

The face has been drawn and now its time to cut the top off and scoop out all of the “pumpkin guts”.
The pumpkin tops are off and not its time to scoop out the “guts”. Ellie had a lot of fun doing this, even if it was a teaspoon at a time.
Having lots of fun!

Abby’s pumpkin is all done. Thank you daddy for helping create a wonderful Jack O’ Lantern face!

Ellie is done too! Mommy helped to make the face for Ellie’s Jack O’ Lantern, with two little buck teeth and all. Just like Ellie!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

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Yesterday we headed over to the Pumpkin Patch. Unfortunately I was not thinking and did not charge the battery for my good camera. So I was forced to use our smaller Kodak. While I love this camera, it doesn’t take the best pictures in low light and the flash always washes faces out. Oh, well. That is life. The girls still had a blast and that’s what truly matters.

The girls had a lot of fun playing in the pumpkins. Daddy even took Abby into the petting zoo to see the goats, sheep, pigs and chickens. One of the little goats was young and jumping everywhere, which made Abby and Ellie giggle quite a bit. After poking around and taking a ride in the wagon, both of the girls found the perfect pumpkins to take home. Cant wait to see them all carved!




Boo at the Zoo… Or Something Like That

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Shaun and had planned to take the girl to Boo at the Zoo at the Santa Barbara Zoo, but did not do something crucial… Buy the tickets. We called the Santa Barbara Zoo and they told us that we could buy tickets at the gate, but they sell fast and there were a limited amount. So instead of rushing to get there, Shaun suggested we do something else. And what is the next best place to Boo at the Zoo… DISNEYLAND!

This time, however, we decided to surprise the girls. And by surprising the girls I mean we decided to surprise Abby. So when they woke up from their nap, we got them dressed and ready to go, but we told them we just needed to head to Target instead. Thank goodness Abby does not have a sense of time yet because she bought it, even when we passed by about 4 on the way. As we approached the off ramp, we finally fessed up as to where we were really going. Abby, as always, was excited but you couldn’t tell. She always stays as cool as a cucumber.

The evening at Disneyland was pretty casual. We rode the train around the entire park, which Abby had a great time doing. We also had the chance to catch the Fireworks and Fantasmic which thrilled Abby to no end. Ellie loved Fantasmic the most because she could see Mickey, whom she is a major fan of. We walked around and enjoyed all of the Halloween sights and then as the night got late we headed home. I have to say, we are very blessed to be able to enjoy such a wonderful place when we want to and to share it with our little girls. I don’t think I will ever take it for granted.

Ellie worked on some of her pilates and yoga from her stroller as we waited in line to get in.

As you can see, Abby is very excited to be on the train!

Ellie was having lots of fun too!

Even though Tinkerbell had “gone to bed” for the night, we still took a picture in front of her teapot house.

Not the best picture in the world, but no matter how old I am I still love the castle at night.

Mice, Pumpkins and Monsters… Oh My!

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Well Halloween has come to an end and boy was it a crazy but fun day. We did all that we had set out to do. Harrison’s Halloween Party…Check. Visit with Grandma Zoe…Check. Visit with Grandpa, Nana, Uncle James and Aunt Brittany…Check. We did it all within a span of 8 hours and we have survived!

Harrison’s Halloween Party was a big success and I know for a fact Abby had a great time. Harrison and Abby have become good friends and as we walked up to their building I we could hear Harrison asking for Abby. That absolutely melted my heart. Our time was spent eating yummy snacks, talking about the kids and of course the Kings, and watching Monsters Inc. In all actuality, Monsters Inc was meant for the kids but they disappeared to play in Harrison’s room, leaving the adults to enjoy the movie, and we did. Abby and Harrison played and ran and played some more. When it came time to leave we literally had to pick Abby up and tear her away from what they were doing. I hated having to do something like that as playtime with other children is so crucial, but we had family to visit with. So after many tears and a bit of a tantrum we were on our way.



Our next stop was Grandma Zoe’s house. We stayed for an hour or two showing off Abby’s Minnie Mouse costume and of course Ellie, looking adorable as a pumpkin. Grandma had a few snacks and surprises for Abby to eat and to take home. Mommy also attempted to take a picture with her two cuties, but as well all know… its tough taking pictures with children under the age of three. We did manage one good one, but at the same time… neither girl was looking at the camera.



Soon we were heading out the door and on our way to Grandpa and Nana’s house. We got there just in time to show Grandpa, Nana, Uncle James and Aunt Brittany our cute Minnie Mouse and Adorable Pumpkin before they were sick and tired of being in costume. Abby and Ellie got some Halloween treats as well and Abby enjoyed a bit of candy too. Boy was she a lucky girl. On a normal day she never gets candy and when she has had it, its never been consumed too close to bedtime. Tonight was the exception, but by this point she had barely napped so we knew bedtime would be easy even with sugar coursing through her veins.


Halloween was great and fun was had by all! Until next year!

Tricks, Treats and Friends on Halloween

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Our Halloween was a pretty relaxed and comfortable day. The morning and afternoon was spent running some important errands and for Abby, the afternoon was spent napping before fun time.


Once she was up from her nap, Abby was ready to get dressed for Halloween. It was the first time we have dressed her in a costume and thought it would be fitting to have her dress as a pumpkin. She looked adorable!

We knew Abby was still too young for Trick Or Treating, but luckily her friend Harrison and our friends Byron and Erika were having a Halloween Party and we were invited! We had a wonderful time and Abby seemed to be having a fun time hanging out with Harrison and well, the balloons. Erika did an amazing job! She made the cake herself and the treats and food were amazing… all Halloween themed. Ghost Toast, Graveyard 6 layer dip, and much much more.

After the party we stopped by Grandma Zoe’s house and enjoyed some chili and the rest of the Halloween evening. It was a wonderful night and Abby had a blast. I know we cant wait until next year when Abby is a little bit older and might understand it a bit more!