Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Trick or Treating 2012

                                           Trick or Treating 2012



For Halloween this year Ivy and I decided to dress up as Princess's. She dressed up all in pink with her tiara,  staff and little pink trick or treat bag. I, in my blue Cinderella gown.

Ivy was really excited to be able to go trick or treating this year. This was her first year really being able to understand be excited about it. I really treasure these young years where her excitement really shines. It's such a joy to be able to see her growing up so fast.. yet so heartbreaking at the same time. If she could only stay little forever.

Trick or Treating
Two Princess's!
Before we got into the car I had Ivy stand on the front porch so I could take.. probably far too many photo's of her before we left! After all of her questions were answered we were ready to get out on the road. We climbed up into the car and drove into town for a night filled with sugar! I even popped in our disney Princess cd in the car to inspire our best Princess mood! (attached song above!)                            
Trick or Treating
My tiny princess
Trick or Treating
Say Cheese!
Trick or Treating
Just a couple more
Trick or Treating
smiles!
Before we headed out we had to talk about wrapped candy, staying close to Mommy, and that there would be a lot of people and traffic out there on the roads.

Trick or Treating
Lots of safety rules
Trick or Treating
Packed up and ready to go! 
Trick or Treating
Singing out best disney songs!
Trick or Treating
Candy, Candy, Candy -- here we come!


 We arrived safely at the neighborhood, parked the car and got out. Ivy was a little nervous to walk up to her first house.. but she did it! She knew to ring the bell or knock on the door and then say.. "Trick or treat!"
Trick or Treating
Here goes nothin'!
Trick or Treating


Trick or Treating
Ivy did it! Her first trick or treat!
                                             The night was going along pretty well.. we went to so many houses and walked around the neighborhood. Ivy even remembered her manners with each and every house she went to.


Trick or Treating
Trick or Treat!
Trick or Treating
Trick or Treat!
Trick or Treating
Almost done! 
We went to about a dozen or so houses in the area. All had lovely things to say about our costumes and had wonderful candy! When we got to the end of the road we came upon this large house.. there was a man tossing a pumpkin in the yard and around the bend was a cemetery . we thought this was a bit scary for the night. We'd have enough ghosts and goblins to last us a while.. so we headed home with a giant bag of candy and one tired little princess.

Trick or Treating
House on the hill
Trick or Treating
We better not go in there..
When we arrived home I carried my little princess inside and set her down in the living room. She dumped her bag of candy out on the carpet and began to sort it all out. I had her pick out all of the candies without wrappers and give them to me. Ivy was very, very upset by this. She told me that she had worked so hard to get all of her candy - which was true. She did. She was so very brave in going out and saying trick or treat! I just couldn't risk her having open candy - so I picked them up and set them down on my dress while I watched her try to pick one out to eat.. she came down to not wanting any because she was mad at the candy for being open.

Trick or Treating
Ivy with her candy!
Trick or Treating
The opened candy.. boo :(


Ivy had decided to save her candy for later so I put it in the cupboard in the kitchen and carried her up to bed and got her in her jammies. We curled up in her little bed and I read her a new story. "Goodnight, my love"

She fell asleep before the story was even over.. my tired little princess.

Trick or Treating

Goodnight my little Princess ~ may you have the sweetest of dreams. Goodnight my princess

Love,
  Meg / Mommy

Carving Pumpkins and Ghoulish Ghosts

    Carving Pumpkins and Ghoulish Ghosts


Halloween is only days away now and I thought it was a fitting time to carve or pumpkins. This was Ivy's first pumpkin carving. I set out the typical carving kit, plastic carving knife, scoop and poker. Ivy was carving her pumpkin that she picked from the pumpkin patch with our class the other day. I ran down to the patch before we set up to pick one for myself. We laid out some newspaper on the table and set out all of our supplies. I explained to Ivy how we were going to carve the pumpkin and that I would help her carve a circle out around the top of the pumpkin and she could scoop out all of the 'gloop and seeds' from the inside. She did ask me if we were going to hurt the pumpkins when we carved them. She's so sweet, always looking out for others and animals.
Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Starting to carve pumpkins
Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Surprised to see what's inside the pumpkin!
Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Look at all of those seeds!
Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
All of the seeds
After scooping all of the seeds and gloop from the pumpkins. We now had to sort out all of the seeds from the pumpkin slime. I was going to bake the seeds for us to eat as a small snack afterward. Ivy's never tried a pumpkin seed before -I hope that she likes them! My parents growing up always baked them for me to eat. Ivy didn't like touching the pumpkin slime very much!

Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Ivy grimacing at having to touch the pumpkin slime!

While I was arranging the seeds on the tray to be baked I had Ivy start looking through the book of patterns for carving. 
Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
There are so many patterns!







Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Baking pumpkin seeds

Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Starting to carve our pumpkins!
Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Ivy starting to poke through the paper and into the pumpkin


Ivy had a hard time getting the small plastic carver into the pumpkin. I told her to try and use to two hands and if she couldn't do it, I would help her. 
Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Ivy using two hands and making her angry face trying to get her carver into the pumpkin!

With a little help from me Ivy finished her pumpkin! I needed to help carve a little deeper into some of the spots on the pumpkin so she could push in the pieces so they fell inside. She was so proud of her pumpkin, as was I! She worked so very hard on her pumpkin and was so proud of it. By the time we were done the sun had started to set so we brought her pumpkin out front to the steps to light the candle inside.

Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts

Ivy sat waiting patiently on the front porch for the big reveal!

Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Ready? Set?  Light that pumpkin! 
Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Hooray! Ivy's pumpkin is lit! 
Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
So proud of her pumpkin!
After getting everything put away it was time for bed. Ivy got her favorite Halloween pumpkin jammies on and we climbed on her bed to read a brand new book.'Goodnight, Goon" a version of one of my favorite books.. "Goodnight, Moon"

Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Goodnight, Goon
Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Goodnight, Goon
Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Goodnight, Goon
After I tucked Ivy into bed and kissed her forehead goodnight, turned on the night lights and her mobile.. I headed downstairs. I sensed something was wrong. Something had followed me down the stairs.

Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Something followed me..

I got to the bottom of the stairs and all I could do was scream. It spilled past my lips before I could even think about what I was seeing. I stood there dumbfounded and afraid. I heard Ivy upstairs yelling my name over and over. "Mommy? Mommy? MOMMY!!" She was of course in her crib and couldn't get out to come and find me. I pulled myself away from what I saw... floating books, and ghost swarming around me and in the living room. I ran up over the stairs to find my little girl in her crib nearly crying and calling out for me.

Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Spirits and floating books


Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Rushing to find Ivy in her crib while the ghosts wouldn't leave me alone
Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Picking up my Ivy from her crib
Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Headed downstairs with Ivy.. and a ghost found us in her room! 
Ivy by this time was clinging to my shirt and burying her face in my shoulder. We walked down over the stairs and she saw what I did in the living room... floating books and by now the ghosts were swarming.

Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
They are swarming us!

Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts
Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts

Ivy and I ran from the house as fast as we could. Standing at the top of our stone staircase we could see the swarm of ghosts moving around the house. Ivy was crying and asking me what we should do and if they were going to hurt us. We decided that we were going to go walk down the road to my sister Kara's house and sleep there for the night. We started to walk down the stone steps and we came across...a girl standing at the top of the pumpkin patch. We both screamed and stopped dead in our tracks. I had no idea who she was.. Ivy asked me who she was.. I didn't know. I had no idea what to even say. We stood there and looked at her.. I back up the steps and walked around the tree and walked towards Kara's house. As we passed by the entrance to the pumpkin patch she was closer. She MOVED. She was closer to us. At a closer look.. she was hovering .. she wasn't even touching the ground. This wasn't a girl... I don't know what to do ...I swallowed over the large lump in my throat and RAN over the bridge to my sister's house.

Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts

Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts

My sister and niece, Giselle had gone away for the night. I thankfully knew where the spare key was. ( I can't tell!) and used to enter the house, promptly locking the door behind me. I brought Ivy into Giselle's bedroom and tucked her in the bed. I told her to stay put while I ran to lock all of the doors and windows. We were both afraid .. but it was time to try to sleep some. I sat next to her and rubbed her back until she started to fall asleep. I think I will sit up next to her on 'guard' for a while..
Hopefully sleep finds me soon..

Carving Pumpkins & Ghoulish Ghosts

Hopefully we can be rid of these ghosts soon!

Love, Meg