Halloween is, and always has been, my favorite time of year. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve activities centered around the holiday. Mom would take us to Huber's Farm to pick pumpkins, take a hayride, and buy fresh apple cider. A day or two before Halloween, she would help us put together our costumes. It was always a treat to raid her closet, pulling out long skirts, colorful scarves, big
jewelry. And as Halloween evening approached, our excitement was almost too much to bear. Quite honestly, Patrick and I were just as excited about trick-or-treating as we were Santa Claus. Looking back, I'm not quite sure why. Neither one of us were big candy eaters. In fact, most of my candy ended up being thrown away. I suppose our excitement had something to do with the whole "magic" of Halloween. For one night only, anything was possible. We could be gypsies, or princesses, witches or vampires. As two kids firmly rooted in the imaginative, Halloween was OUR holiday.
Over the years, my love of Halloween hasn't diminished. Now that I'm a mom, I enjoy it even more. This year was Lucy's second Halloween, and I'm a little ashamed to admit that I've had her costume since early August. I spent the week before the big day in a frenzy, making Halloween cupcakes, "Boo" cookies (I don't recommend these), carving and painting pumpkins. By the time we headed down to Clinton on what turned into a dreadfully rainy Halloween night, I was exhausted from my Halloween preparations. Despite the rain and my fatique, we still had a wonderful Halloween with Luce. Here are some photos!
Lucy and Lauryn "painting" their pumpkins. We had to cut the project short due to Lucy's affinity for non-toxic paint. Apparently it was tasty.
Little Lucy Bee and princess
Alleah during the Halloween party at Jamie's Dad's house. Lucy wouldn't stop looking at
Alleah and grinning.
Little Lucy Bee. She went as a bumble bee on Halloween because the weather was so bad. Her fairy costume was beautiful, but a bit of a
nuisance when navigating in rain. We found these wings at Wilson's--any Halloween-lover's dream store.
Fairy Lucy and her Daddy before trick-or-treating at Lucy's daycare. All of the little ones in her class were dressed up and went trick-or-treating at their school followed by a Halloween party. They also decorated pumpkins.
Introducing the book fairy! Lucy loved this little Halloween flap book. Unfortunately, she tore several of the flaps off in her excitement.
After months of speculation (and occasional worry) Miss Lucy is finally walking. She took her first steps on her own last week, and on the eve of Halloween, she let go and hasn't looked back since. Though she's still unsteady--and a bit bow-legged--she's progressing every day. Pretty soon, I'm sure we won't be able to stop her. Even before she began walking, she discovered the fun of climbing.
