The Halloween Post!

Don't worry, you guys, you can always count on me to be the LAST ONE to blog about holidays. :-)  And now, on with the Halloween festivities!!

A couple weeks before Halloween, we made the obligatory autumn voyage to the pumpkin patch.  Being cheap/lazy, we fed the goats the pieces of dried corn that other kids had dropped on the ground, rather than simply buying our own little bags of dried corn:

 I guess we learned our lesson, though, because Weston unfortunately got sent to the pumpkin patch jail:

 But don't worry!  They released him on bail the next day, and we were able to proceed with our pumpkin purchases:

 One night shortly before Halloween, Tim prepped the pumpkins for carving.  As inclined as we were to keep the carving activity genuine for Weston, we eventually decided that we probably shouldn't let a two-year-old wield a six-inch blade.  So, out came the markers!!

 Surprisingly, he was extremely focused on the task.  I think he did a pretty swell job:

 He even smiled for the camera:

 Tim was hard at work on his design:

 ... while Weston got to enjoy a yummy, sprinkly doughnut from Krispy Kreme!

 Remember the Pumpkandersons?  Well, here are mama and papa all lit up:

 As Halloween approached, we were delighted to receive the annual Halloween package from Gangy, chock full of treats and surprises.  Yay!!!  This is one tradition for which words cannot convey our gratitude and appreciation!

 Weston marveled at the giant gummy skewer:

 And... oh yes.  There was bubble wrap to boot:

 The day before Halloween, we breakfasted at Mimi's Cafe (one of our favorite restaurants, we've decided).  Here's how to get chocolate chip pancakes at Mimi's, according to Weston:

(1) Study the tiny picture of the chocolate chip pancakes on the children's menu for a really long time:

 (2) Devour said chocolate chip pancakes:

 (3) Conclude by licking every last smidge of chocolately goodness from the fork:

 Meanwhile, Tim and I ordered pumpkin pancakes.  And not just any pumpkin pancakes -- pumpkin pancakes with SPICED CARAMEL APPLES on top:

 Mimi's is right next to the mall, so we wandered over there to let Weston explore the play area while Tim and I recovered from our sugar comas:

 No steering wheel?  No problem!!  Just imagine one!  (And apply your own sound effects liberally.):

 On Halloween, we kicked off the evening with the famous Anderson recipe for Dinner-in-a-Pumpkin:

 It was my first time having it, and it was really tasty.  (And kudos to Tim for making it, because it's a little time-intensive!!)  It's a beef-and-rice combo with cooked pumpkin on the side (mmmm):

 After dinner, we suited up Darth Vader:

 And naturally, he had to check himself out in the mirror (just like the real Darth Vader does every day, I'm sure):

 Our first house was that of our friend Diane from church:

 Weston approached doors with much more determination than last year, when he was still pretty unsure of everything.  This year, we started plugging the concept of free candy pretty early on:

 And... JACKPOT!!!

 We trick-or-treated for about an hour, even though Weston wanted to quit after two houses and just eat the candy that he'd gotten.  (We eventually convinced him that more houses = MORE candy.)  Here was the sweet, sugary bounty at the end of the evening:

 He was, by far, most excited about the lollipops:

 ... but he also found time (and stomach space) for a mini Hershey's bar before bathtime:

Hooray for Weston's third (and most successful) Halloween!!!