Halloween 2012

This is the year of Cinderella and the pumpkin. 

 Actually, this entire year has centered around Cinderella.  Cinderella is the theme Taryn chose for her 3rd birthday.  She went to see Cinderella, the musical, with my mom & dad a few weeks ago.  And, of course, it was her chosen Halloween costume for the year. 

 Cole did not get a choice in his costume.  It was pretty much the only thing that came small enough to fit him!  The unhappy pumpkin! 

 This costume gives me scared hands! 

For those of you country fans, in a horrible twist of timing, I heard the song "Stealing Cinderella" like 5 times in the weeks around Halloween.  Each time I would just sit there and cry.  I blame a mix of post-pregnancy emotions and dealing with Taryn's changing role from baby of the family to big sister.  Really, that song is like 5 years old.  Why the hell was it on so much that week???  Conspiracy.

 

I came to see her daddy
For a sit down man to man
It wasn't any secret
I'd be asking for her hand

I guess that's why he left me waiting
In the living room by myself
With at least a dozen pictures of her
Sitting on a shelf

She was playing Cinderella
She was riding her first bike
Bouncing on the bed
And looking for a pillow fight

Running through the sprinkler
With a big popsicle grin
Dancing with her dad
Looking up at him

In her eyes I'm Prince Charming
But to him I'm just some fella
Riding in and stealing Cinderella


Last year we went to this pumpkin patch during October. Never would I have guessed that this year we would be living right nearby! However, I did predict that it would be a bigger hit with Taryn this year, and for the most part, I was correct.

The petting zoo was still terrifying. Seriously Taryn? You would think by her face that Lee was about to feed her to a T-Rex instead of being on the other side of a fence from a lamb.

She was a big fan of this "train" pulled by a John Deere mower. She kept checking to see where we were as she got pulled around the yard, but she was happily steering the whole time.

The thing that amazed me the most was that Taryn finally rode a pony!! This is big news people. For the last few months, everytime we were at a local event, they had the pony ride. Taryn would talk about riding the pony, but as soon as we got within 50 feet of them, she'd cling to us in fear. So, when she said she was going to ride them here, I was skeptical to say the least. So skeptical, in fact, that I asked the lady if she could ride first THEN we would buy the tickets. Fortunately the lady allowed that. We were expecting a total freakout (I mean, see the petting zoo pic above), but she bravely sat on the pony and rode around!

Taryn had been talking about pumpkins since they started showing up at the grocery stores. I kept asking if she was going to get a little pumpkin, a medium pumpkin or a big pumpkin... BIG!!

The hay ride out to the pumpkin patch.

Taryn found her pumpkin! (Or she layed an orange egg.) Fortunately for Taryn, there were a ton of BIG pumpkins for her to choose from. Actually, there were very few pumpkins that weren't big!

After getting our pumpkins, Taryn was very excited to carve them. Or, "open it" as she called it. I knew they had carved pumpkins a year ago at daycare, but I thought surely she didn't remember that... I asked her what was going to be inside the pumpkin when we opened it and she told me "soup".

Here is Taryn & Lee's pumpkin. I carved one with a pi symbol on it. Get it... Pumpkin pi?

I am so glad that Millenium Farms was a bigger success this year. Maybe next year Taryn will even like the petting zoo. Only time will tell!

Halloween 2010 in Pics

The whole family dressed up for our Halloween/Ryan's 1st Birthday Party!

Other good family costumes.

Grandparents!!

Lee and my pumpkin creations!!

Taryn loves her decorated pumpkin!!

Happy Halloween!!

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Oh how times have changed... Gone are the drunken dressed up Halloween festivities at the bars of Chicago... Tonight was a new kind of crazy. Nothing like 7 dressed up grandkids!

We made our first stop by Grandma Mary's house and her neighbor Stanley. Then we went over to Uncle Neil's for a cookout and costumes. The older kids went trick-or-treating while Lee and I stayed back with Taryn and our newest nephew Ryan who is just 1 week old! (So tiny!)

6 of the 7 just missing Ryan ~ There's Ryan, but now we're missing Austin!

Taryn's outfit was ridiculous. She was a pudgy little kitty with extra padding built into the stomach of her outfit... As if she needs extra padding around her middle! What girl wants that? Lee was like "If we take her trick-or-treating, does she actually get candy? Do we just eat the candy she gets? Or do we just parade her around?" I'm guessing you are not surprised to hear... We just ate her candy.

I guess this was technically Taryn's 2nd Halloween... Last year she was dressed up as a jack-o-lantern!

Halloween used to be Lee and my dating anniversary. Just 12 years ago was when we first started dating at a Halloween party in high school. So romantic... Or something!

Posing with some pumpkins...


What exactly is this thing?


I wonder if it is something to eat...

Perhaps I will take a taste...

It was delicious!

What is new...

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* Yes, I know my blogging has been totally sucking lately. Sorry. Can I promise that I will do better... No... Probably not. One thing I can promise is that I will post more than Kathryn. It is amazing how much harder it is to keep up with Facebook, email, blogging, Google Reader, etc when you aren't working on a laptop 8 (or more) hours a day.

* This weekend is the Feast of the Hunters Moon here in West Lafayette. We actually live like 5 houses from it and it is a MADHOUSE! Seriously, like traffic jam in front of our house. Our neighbor parks cars in his yard and he was full before 11am this morning. I wish we could do the same, but we have a fence. Darn you fence! Even though we are so close, Lee and I still probably won't go. One, we've gotten a ton of rain which is not conducive to taking a stroller. Two, we don't feel like spending $24 to get in and pay more money for food. We're just letting all of our family and friends park at our place and hang out with us before/after they go. (Zach and Elise even brought us a buffalo burger when they came back!)

* I am on fall break right now. AWESOME! It is really only Monday and Tuesday off of class, but the way my class schedule goes, I have 6 days off. Love it! Unfortunately, I have a lot of homework and semester projects that I need to work on. Not to mention stuff around the house!

* It is really getting chilly out! Fortunately, my mom bought Taryn a winter coat and hat. I had bought a nice winter suit thing for her (on sale) before she was born... However, we didn't bank on her being a giant-baby, so she is already too big for it. I knew I had to get something else for her, but this winter stuff really sneaks up on ya...

* I subbed at my old high school again on Friday. It is odd to sub there. It is so much the same, but so different. Many of the same people, but they're all 10 years older. Bizarre-o world. The students were really good though. It helps that I had 2 periods of honors chemistry. They were a lot better than the 2 periods of 8th grade science. One class told me I was their favorite sub. Aww! (It may or may not have been because I let them spend the last 5 minutes of class playing hangman on the board.)

* This summer and fall has been a total baby boom for people that I know. Two babies that I'm really looking forward to meeting are due in the next 3-4 weeks... My newest nephew who will most likely be named Ryan is due on Halloween, but could be here anyday! Also, Grant & Ashley are expecting their first, Max, on November 2nd. Can't wait to meet these boys!

* Halloween is right around the corner. When did I go from dressing up to dressing up a baby? Wow. I just got Taryn her outfit last week. She will be dressing up as a kitty (like her pals Darby & Jasper). The costume is hilarious. It has a hood with cat ears and whiskers. There is a collar and even some extra stuffing in the tummy (which Taryn doesn't exactly need). She looks hilarious in it!

* Off to bed!

22 Trick-or-Treaters!

Lee and I are officially old! How do I know this?

• Today was Halloween and we didn't have any plans.
• I didn't drink for the first Halloween in, um, 11 years?
• We carved pumpkins.
• We gave candy to 22 kids of various ages.
• And then we got ding-dong ditched.

Haha! Lee goes, "That's the first time I've ever been ding-dong ditched. We're old!" Here are the pumpkins we carved. A cat and a Superman pumpkin. (Notice the kryptonite colored glow!)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Also, 11 years ago today was when Lee & I started dating (for the first time)!

If my mom knew how to scan pictures, I would get some of my old pics up here like Reuter did (wow, have I mentioned how hard I laughed at those!)... But she doesn't! So, I will just have to link to my Halloween post from last year where I have pictures of 5 of my last 7 Halloweens! (Thank goodness we have no pics of the pumpkin seed debacle!)