Halloween Fun

Halloween for us started the day before. Sorority Row does trick or treating from their doorsteps for the kids the day before during a certain timeframe. So, we loaded up and went to check it out!At first, it didn't go so well. The first house we happened to come to was on mega-overload. It probably woud've been fun....but...Brooke was just learning the ropes and not understanding why they were all on top of her to do this and that and come into my house and decorate this and play this game and on and on and on.

She had a break-down. So we had to stop, take her to the car, let her calm down and reassure her this was NOT was trick or treating was about, but that those girls were just doing some 'extra' stuff. We re-applied her whiskers and we were off again.

The rest of the time went more smoothly. She was still shy at first, but came around eventually and got the drift (again) of how things went. A year is a long time to remember for a four year old. Most cases she had to go up alone, b/c Brenna was still being waaay too shy to let go of Mommy or Daddy, and get some candy for both her and her sister.

However, as our trip went on, Brenna got braver and agreed that anyone dressed like Minnie Mouse must be worthy of her curiousity. So she went to take a peek at what Minnie Mouse had to offer...So, we made the rounds through the couple of streets at Sorority Row..

Then, we went to another local festival at a nursing home near our house. This was so great! It was good for everyone involved. They had a few games in the lobby area, pony rides, train rides for the kids to have fun. Plus some food, drinks, and snacks. But then also, you could tell the residents were really enjoying seeing all the little kids dressed up and visiting their place for Halloween. Win-win situation!

Brooke got to see a lot of friends and family there!

Brooke wouldn't dare get on a pony, but Brenna wanted to! I promise this picture looks like I'm holding her with deathgrip, but it wasn't like that. I just had my arm around her back to support her and keep her from falling off.

Then, today, the actual day of Halloween... we got the kids dressed up again and headed out to make the rounds of all the local churches that were holding festivals, carnivals, trunk or treats, etc..

The first stop we made ended up being the best! They had a special section roped off just for toddlers, which was great for my little ones! But also, even the 'big kid' games, were geared to younger kids, so most of them Brooke was definitely able to participate in, but Brenna as well.

Brenna's personal favorite were the duck ponds anywhere we went. "Duck!" "Duck!" "Duck!" We must've heard that a zillion times tonight.But the elephant game was a close second... You put the ball into the elephant's truck and let it go and then out comes some candy out of his trunk. :-)Anything she could do where she could put something IN to a bucket, hole or container was good with her...
Brooke really enjoyed all the games this year. She was actually WANTING to do a lot of stuff. Usually we have to coerce her into doing stuff, but she was really really into this year. She kept wanting to do all of it! :-)

This fishing game was probably her favorite...

Anyway, this particular church had free popcorn, lemonade and frito pies. Yum! It was a fun fun time! And it wasn't really all that crowded...comparitively speaking. And in a great neighborhood! So we all had a really good time there!

A mouse on the loose!.....Brenna trying to figure out what to do with this stuff these people keep putting in her pumpkin...she did keep saying "candy" (her new favorite word), but trust me, she has no clue what it is or how good it is. The biggest treat, or 'candy' she got tonight was a marshmellow 'brain'. She did like it though...

Just the paper is good enough for her!

Brad's co-worker attends this church and told us about this festival they do every year (we've been a couple years in a row now and are always impressed!), so we're thankful for her filling us in on such a fun place! This is Brooke, with Ms Sharon's daughter, Emily...

Then, we went on to another couple of other churches. The next one we stopped at were giving hay rides, which was fun...

And then we went to yet another one, which was waaaaay too crowded, so we snuck in, got a free 'goody bag' for each of the kids, then left quickly. We then came back to our neighborhood and did some old-fashioned door-to-door trick or treating. I did try to take pictures of that, but.... ARG!...my camera (not the good SLR camera, but my handy dandy point and shoot) got broken. It was attached to my wrist and everything! But Brenna reached back for me as we got to a house door, knocked the camera out of my hand (and off of my wrist) and onto the ground... :-( It probably still would've been ok, except for the fact that at that exact moment, it was turned on and the lens was out. Bummer!

So, we are home now. With gobs and gobs of candy...way too much for one little girl to eat. In fact, way too much for our entire family to go through! I'm interested to know what other families DO with all this candy?! But it was a fun Halloween. Both the kids I know had a great time!

PS - As a side, I wanted to mention that we all are feeling better now. Brenna is totally back to normal (well, an occassional residual cough that is expected to remain for a couple weeks) and Brad is feeling better too. Not totally normal yet, but fever-free for 2-3 days and just overall feeling better. So,..... take THAT swine flu! :-)