Keeping Up with the Davis': A Davis Halloween

Monday night is when all the trick-or-treating festivities began here in Boone County; however, fall is Mommy’s favorite season (and Daddy’s!), so we did lots of activities leading up to the finale. Of course, we took our annual trip to the pumpkin patch, enjoying a great fall afternoon with our little family the weekend of October 8th. On Sunday, October 24^th, we also joined our friends; John, Ashley, Nolan and Emerson for a fun day at Hallzooween. This is a cute Halloween celebration at the Cincinnati Zoo. The kids get to wear costumes, watch elephants smash pumpkins and do a little trick-or-treating. I was so prepared with hats, gloves, snacks, beverages and of course, my camera. As per usual procedure, I pull the camera out and begin snapping shots as soon as we pull into the parking lot. I was so bummed to realize that I left the memory card in the computer L Oh well, no pictures of the event, but I can assure you that fun was had by all (well, the kiddos at least – it was a SUPER crowded day!)

Step 3 of Halloween festivities is, of course, pumpkin carving! This fun experience took place last Saturday, just a few days before Halloween. Peanut was really looking forward it! Last year she wasn’t interested in getting her hands dirty, so I was shocked when she dug right into the mess this year. Monkey enjoyed a little pumpkin exploring too! Kate requested one happy face and one scary face. After much scraping, carving, poking and pushing, we ended up with two of the cutest pumpkins on the street (if I don’t say so myself). Unfortunately, we did forgo toasting pumpkin seeds this year since I am the only one that will actually eat them.

Monday was the big day! Mommy picked out a Little Red Riding Hood costume for Kate and an astronaut for Hayes. Kate, as you already know, idolizes princesses, thus I was concerned she wouldn’t want to wear this adorable costume. No worries, I told her she was going to be “Little Red Riding Hood Princess” and she was all smiles! Luckily, the dress was a great “spinner” and she informed everyone when they asked if she was Little Red Riding Hood, that she was not, she was “Little Red Riding Hood Princess”, of course! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a monkey costume that I loved, which would have obviously been most suitable for our little monkey. The back-up plan was the big bad wolf, to coordinate with big sister. Much to my dismay, I couldn’t find anything I loved enough to pay $50 for. So, I opted for comfy astronaut and the little guy didn’t seem to mind. After all, he is a heartbreaker no matter what costume he has on! So, after everyone was dressed and ready to begin, we headed out the door. Kate quickly met up with all of her neighborhood friends and they literally ran from house to house with smiles on their faces all the way. The experience of watching your kid trick or treat is almost as exciting as seeing their little face on Christmas morning. Although Hayes wasn’t sure what was going on, he enjoyed the stroller ride and kid-watching. He was taking it all in in preparation for next year!

By 7:00, Kate was getting tired (remember – my kiddos start bedtime routine at 7:15 EVERY night!), so we headed home. Kate really enjoys handing out treats to other kids, so we sat on the front porch, sorted through her treasures and handed out what remaining pretzel bags (I know, I am THAT house!) we had left on the porch for all the ghosts and goblins. After handing out pretzel bags for about 15 minutes, I notice Kate is giving the kids candy from her basket (even the good chocolate!). I asked her why she was giving the kids her candy; she responded “Not all kids get candy, Mommy, so I am sharing mine instead of giving them pretzels”. My heart melted. We have been talking about how not all kids are as blessed as she is and this is confirmation that she is starting to understand! I’m not sure what I did to deserve this sweet little girl (and little boy), but I thank God for both of them every night!