Happy Halloween

Halloween was all we anticipated this year. It was full of costumes, trick or treating, candy, candy, and more candy. I think Elle has had her candy quota for the year. But of course she strongly disagrees with me. She thinks her candy quota has just begun. Boy do I have news for her. It’s over, as of bedtime.

To start off our Halloween adventure, Elle and I went and visited Johnny at work, where Elle was completely doted upon and spoiled. She loved it of course. She got candy, toys, and even a caramel apple. After we collected Elle’s spoils, we headed to downtown Walnut Creek to collect more. Elle and I walked around to all of the stores trick or treating. Elle found this to be very fun. There were lots of kids, and lots of candy. Elle was very excited as she watched her bag get fuller and fuller and fuller. After we hit every store, we headed home to meet Daddy and go out to dinner. Yum! It was nice to have something other than sugar in our tummies. And then, finally, it was time to say goodbye to Halloween and go to bed. All in all it was a very fun Halloween, with lots of fun, and lots of memories.

Leaves Are Falling All Around

The fall leaves are everywhere, and I couldn’t resist snapping a few pictures of Elle in all the fall goodness. She was quite a sport, and even sat in the wet leaves. But what did she care? She was already wet from all that puddle jumping.

Puddle Jumper

Some people have the first snowfall of the season; but we have the first rainfall of the season, and we all know what rain means: puddles!

A Package

One of Elle’s favorite things is packages from my mom, aka Yaya. Frequently my mom sends Elle a package, and every time Elle has the same reaction: that of excitement. It may not always be much, but to Elle, the idea of something coming in the mail for just her is just too good to be true. Every time she sees the box, her eyes light up and she exclaims, “A package.”

Halloween Music Time

Every week on Wednesday, our ward has a little get-together that we call, Music Time. It is a fun activity for the children to sing, dance, play, and have fun with their Moms. This week was our Halloween Music Time, and Elle loved it. Some of the kids got dressed up, and the entirety of the half-hour was devoted to Halloween. We marched and played instruments to Halloween music; we learned and sang new pumpkin songs; we danced to spooky lyrics; we read a Halloween story; and at the end we got Jakolantern suckers. It was a very special music time with all of the Halloween festivities.

Pumpkin Fun

For Family Home Evening tonight, we decided to carve pumpkins. It ended up being really fun. Sometimes the fun ideas don’t really end up being fun, but this one actually did. We had two pumpkins; one really big pumpkin, and one really small one. While Johnny worked on the large pumpkin, Elle and I proceeded to work on the smaller one. Elle really enjoyed cutting the top—with a butter knife mind you—and was surprisingly a lot of help. However, when it came time to getting the seeds out, she wasn’t as much help. She looked at me and said, “That’s yucky.” I told her it kind of was, but it was also fun. She told me she would not stick her hand inside the scary pumpkin, but she did help me get the seeds out by using a spoon. Silly girl. After we dug/spooned out the seeds, Elle and I put the potato head pumpkin pieces into her pumpkin and voila; a princess pumpkin. Elle was thrilled. She just loved her princess pumpkin. Then, we salted and toasted the pumpkin seeds to make a delicious snack. Yum. It really was a fun Halloween Family Home Evening.

Trunk or Treat

We have just had a full day of Halloween around our house. After going to the Boo at the Zoo, we came home and gave Elle a much needed nap (for her and the parents). When she awoke from her thankfully long nap, we all got ready, once again, and went to our tri-ward Trunk or Treat. It was a lot of fun. Elle could not believe how much candy she got. She pretty much seemed in awe of the whole thing. She looked at me like, “All I have to do is say, Trick or Treat, and people give me candy?” It was a little overwhelming to her. Her little pumpkin was so full of candy. I don’t think she has ever seen so much candy in her life. And I know she has never before had that much candy of her own (we didn’t go to the Trunk or Treat last year). All in all it was a very fun Halloween weekend. And to think we get to do it all again next Friday. Isn’t Halloween great?

Boo at the Zoo

Today the Oakland Zoo had what they dubbed, “Boo at the Zoo.” It was a fun Halloween themed day, where kids wore their costumes, got free rides, went on scavenger hunts, received free candy, and of course viewed the animal exhibits. Elle had a wonderful time, and was in complete awe over all the costumes. One kid had a Tigger costume, and Elle was so excited to see him. We had to follow the poor mother and her kid around, just so Elle could give Tigger a hug. It really was quite cute.

“Boo at the Zoo,” was a fun treat that definitely got us all in the Halloween spirit.

 

 

 

 

 

Tiny Dancer

Disney on Ice!

For Christmas, Johnny’s mom got Elle and I tickets to Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Magic! It was so much fun. Elle was enthralled the entire time, as was I. We all absolutely loved it. The costumes, the music, and the ice skating were a thrill. It was completely captivating. Elle was extremely excited to see some of her favorite Disney characters brought to life. Nemo, Dori, Bruce, Minnie, Mickey, Belle, and Cinderella were just some of her favorites. But in the end, it was Ariel who stole the show for Elle. When Ariel came out, no one else mattered. Elle only had eyes for her. Even before we went today, Elle kept talking and talking about how she wanted to meet Ariel. And I, being a silly Mother, kept saying that she could, not at all knowing if it was the truth. However, much to our amazement, at the end of the show, we went to the edge of the ice, and Elle got to talk to Ariel and touch her hand. Elle was so excited. It was a dream come true for her—and for mom. I really wanted her to get a chance to meet Ariel. All in all, it was a wonderful day filled with the magic of Disney.