Halloween Fun 2012

Dear World, Halloween is over and I survived it.  You see, when you have a toddler and a preschooler, it goes on for a whole week.  Well, a whole month really, if you count our two visits to pumpkin patches.  (I don't mean to sound like the Scrooge of Halloween.  I am just still exhausted whenever I think about it.)  It was a really fun year to celebrate because Charlotte, at four years old, was especially aware of the holiday and excited about everything about it.  And boy did we celebrate the heck out of Halloween around here!

Halloween semi-officially started for us on Saturday, October 27.  We took the kids to the annual Fall Creek Festival.  This year was the first time that it was celebrated on the new Fields at Fall Creek in our community and it was great to have so much more space than we have in the past.

The airplanes are a perennial favorite of our kids.  They went straight at them as soon as we got there.

The Life Flight helicopter landed in the soccer fields and they let the kids climb around in it.  I told the kids I hoped this would be the last time I would ever be in the Life Flight helicopter with them!

Buckle up, Grey!  He was disappointed when he figured out he wasn't really going to get a helicopter ride.

"Petting" the animals.  Every year, all our kids want to do is stand outside of the petting zoo and look at the animals.  (They get that from their mama.)

PONY RIDES? Yippeeeeee!

The princess aboard her noble steed

Enjoying the bouncy house

Checking out the fire truck

Aunt Ashley and Uncle Michael got all dressed up just so that they could impress the kids at our ward Trunk or Treat.  It worked.  The little girls were especially excited to meet "Snow White."

"Ahoy thar, matey!"

Trick or treat!

Passing out the goodies later on

Mimi was with us to enjoy the Fall Creek Festival and the Trunk or Treat again this year.

The next night, for Family Home Evening, we "carved" pumpkins Mr. Potato Head-style.

Charlotte's preschool Halloween party on Monday morning.  I was so grateful to not be the room mom this year, especially when I saw how all-out the room moms went for this party.  It was darling!

Charlotte and two of the million princesses at the preschool that day.

Decorating a carmel apple

Stopping to give Grey-Grey some love.

Little Man entertained himself at the preschool party by reading books and stealing snacks in the corner.

Dewberry Farm

This year, the kids and I visited Dewberry Farm in Brookshire, Texas.  Dewberry is more of a commercial "fall festival" kind of place rather than a real farm, but the kids really enjoyed all of the fun "farm" features--animals, hay ride (minus the hay), train ride, and lots of fun playground equipment.  It was actually a chilly day for Texas October--high of about 70--so the weather was really nice for being outside.  (Trust me, most days in October still aren't that pleasant in Texas.)  

Charlotte tried out the rope swing and landed in a pile of hay below.

Grey just enjoyed the hay from below, mostly because all the big kids there wouldn't give him a chance at a swing.

Giddy up, cowgirl!

I love Grey's serious cowboy face in this picture.  "Being a cowboy ain't easy ..."

Watching the sunset in the West.  Or something.

Not the best idea for a pregnant lady, but still fun.  And better than watching your unaccompanied toddler throw himself from the moving train since there were no seatbelts.

Enjoying the baby chicks

And last but not least, enjoying the "pumpkin patch."  I was a little disappointed to find that Dewberry's patch was actually just a trimmed field where they had laid out a bunch of pumpkins they shipped in.  But it still kind of gives the effect, I guess.

"Hooray!  Pumpkins!"

Somebody was really feeling the pumpkin love this year.  Unfortunately, this mama couldn't carry two kids and a gigantic pumpkin all the way back to the car, so we didn't bring one home from the farm.

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But the kids got to pick out some more a week later at a local patch when Daddy came with us.

A Special Princess Dinner

One of the highlights of our Disney trip was going to one of the Disney character dinners.  Charlotte dressed up in her brand new Cinderella dress to go meet her favorite Disney princess of all, Cinderella, and her prince and step sisters.

Waiting for our reservation time in the beautiful five-story lobby of the Grand Floridian Hotel.  (Seriously, if we ever strike it rich like the Clampetts, we will be staying in this hotel.)

Giving Mommy a little love.

Eagerly awaiting the arrival of Cinderella.  (Okay, so Grey didn't really care.  He was eagerly awaiting the arrival of his dinner ...

... And entertaining himself and Grammy in the meantime.)

Our first visitor: Prince Charming.  When he asked Charlotte where she lived, she said, "In Cinderella's castle."  The prince, looking surprised, said, "What? But I live in Cinderella's castle."

Next, Cinderella's stepsisters dropped by.  Charlotte got into the spirit of things and looked sassy too.

Last but not least, the princess herself dropped by.  Charlotte was over the moon with joy and couldn't stop looking at her and talking to her and hugging her.  It was precious.

Cinderella signed Charlotte's autograph book.

The two princesses curtsied together.  (Whose hand is in the way of the flash?  Argh!)

Cinderella went over to say hi to Grey.  Well, that was a waste of time.  All Grey wanted to do was this ...

And then this ...

He was determined to get every penny we paid out of that buffet!

Before we knew it, the clock was striking midnight and we had to be on our way before we turned into pumpkins.  We left dinner just as the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom were going off and we got to watch them from the patio overlooking the lake.  Beautiful!