true boy tales: Happy Halloween!

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Happy Halloween!

Well, if you live in Iowa, the big night of trick or treating is already said and done. We celebrate Beggar's night here. I will never understand it. It's not as if Halloween is some awesome holiday where there are all kinds of other things to look forward to. I mean, the trick or treating is it. So we do that the night before and then we're all, "now what?", on Halloween day. Although we have discovered one suburb in Des Moines that does it on actual Halloween night so now that Bennett's old enough to want to get enough candy to last him until next year (and so Mom & Dad can sneak plenty out without him noticing a big dent in his stash), he gets to go twice.

I love a good throwback (what's the point of taking all those pictures if you don't pull them out every once in a while?) so here's Halloween through the years.

2008:

2009:

Bennett was seriously the sweetest two year old on the planet. I almost cry whenever I watch videos of him at that age.

2011 (we were on vacation in '10):

This was obviously BC (Before Channing). Ain't no way this mama of three boys would attempt all that face painting now.

2012:

Dawson's wearing the Max suit Judie made for Bennett for his 3rd birthday party.

I have a personal rule that so far I've only broken once. I don't buy Halloween costumes. I have plenty of friends with boys that I can borrow from. It seemed crazy to me to spend any money on something they'll wear once. Now, I'm totally into freakin' adorable costumes. I'm just not into making them. So we take what we can get. (Although I'm sure there are some easy ones out there I could manage. I just need to start thinking about it before October 28th.) The only one I've purchased is the blue monster Bennett wore last year. I got it on clearance at PB Kids after Halloween. And technically since there aren't arms or legs, it'll fit forever. If any of you local mamas have adorable costumes and want to do some swapping, I'm happy to!

Last night on Beggar's night we went to my in-law's neighborhood. Jon was out of town (because he's not from Iowa either and forgot they do it the night before around here). The weather was AMAZING. The boys were actually getting hot in those costumes! Bennett's costume was totally boring but we already owned it and at least I got to have fun with his hair.

You know what I like? That no matter how much you pay (or don't pay) for a costume, babies always look so stinkin' cute. Channing didn't even try to take his hat off. He had so much fun riding around all night. I say it all the time but I'm so thankful I have one boy who's content to sit still for a while. The monkey is my nephew, Aben.

Aben definitely wears the pants in their relationship. He was tired of sitting so he climbed out and tried to pull Channing (Oh, and hi, cute little photobombing bat baby.):

Did I get an adorable picture of all three of my boys sitting sweetly, next to the pumpkins? Of course not.

I'm just proud I actually got a decent one of each of them!

I love watching my oldest two together. They fight like crazy at home but when we're out and they're around people they don't know, they always stick together and watch out for each other.

This little dude sucked on that Snickers, wrapper and all, until he'd managed to get all the candy out of it. Then he sucked on the wrapper for a while and threw a massive fit when I pulled it out of his mouth. Can't blame him. I'd probably scream too if somebody tried to steal my chocolate.

I love Aben's finger. He's like, "One more for me please!"

Both babies stuffing their faces with chocolate. They're smart. They know who to sit with.

1 comment:

TABNovember 19, 2013 at 5:24 AM
CUTEY Halloween kiddos and babes. Halloween is probably my favorite holiday. It's just so fun.
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for the book lovers {my recent favorites}:

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan: An incredibly haunting medical memoir. There's a lot of medical info to read through but I didn't find those parts boring and difficult to wade through. I thought she shared just enough. But if you like a book that's easy to read, this isn't it. I couldn't get this one out of my mind for a very long time. An unforgettable true story.
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes and What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty: I'm just going to lump these two together because they're in the same category. I'm calling them deep chick lit. A perfect summer book to get lost in. Read them. Both. I promise you from the bottom of my heart that you will LOVE them. (I liked them both way better than Where'd You Go, Bernadette.)
These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner: Most of my favorite books have a main character with a whole lotta grit. I wasn't quite sure about this one when I first started it but, oh, did it sweep me in and not let me go til the last page. I also love a book that makes me "emote out loud" as I like to think of it. This one had me smiling all the way through and crying my eyes out at the end. It follows a young girl through her life in the Arizona Territories in the late 1800's. A must read for anyone who likes Historical Fiction.
Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill. I LOVED this book. Its a very well researched historical fiction novel about a young girl kidnapped from her village in Africa and sold into slavery. It follows her through her whole life and the unbelievable heartache and trauma she lives through. I've been telling people I liked it as much as Unbroken but the main character is so much more endearing and has so much spunk.
Another Place at the Table by Kathy Harrison. I have a thing for modern day memoirs of utterly heartbreaking stories (Like Breaking Night and Blackbird). This is a Foster mother's first-hand account of the children she took in over the years and the unbelievable trauma they went through before they came to her.
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. I loved this lighthearted yet emotional story of a strong woman making the best of a hard life in the Southwest, beginning in the 1930's. I love her writing style--just cuts to the point of every story without too much "fluff" and yet tells it in a way that you can picture everything in vivid detail. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, is one of my all-time favorites, and this true-life novel about her grandmother didn't disappoint.
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Modern day fiction about a girl raised in Foster homes and her struggles throughout life. She learns about the Victorian Era language of flowers and that becomes a huge part of her life. I finished it in two days. An easy read but very emotional and moving.
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. The true story of a man's experience after Hurricane Katrina when he decided not to evacuate in order to look after several properties he owned. Quite an unbelievable story and so hard to believe this happened in the US only a few years ago.