One Big Scary Halloween Post

We're getting on in the month here and I've barely mentioned Halloween - - holidays like this may not have taken on a life of their own yet, with the kids still extra small and us a bit too dizzy in the head from said smallness to make a big deal of much of anything, but I still can't bring myself to pass one by without paying my mommy-dues of picture-taking and documenting.
We had a few Halloween-ish activities leading up to the actual day and though the comings and goings of cold and flu plagued us, it was still an October worth having!

The Pumpkin Patch!

Our second annual trip to Mother Nature's Farm here in Gilbert to pick out pumpkins was approached with a little wariness on my part. Last year, there was so much dust and something about it really triggered a bout of respiratory problems for little Ben. Hence, him missing Halloween last year. So, I was a bit worried we would see the same kind of thing again but we gave it a shot. Within a few minutes of being there we knew it wasn't going to be an ideal experience by any means - - dust, crowds, grumpy kids, etc. - - but we stuck it out and spent a while looking for, climbing on, and tripping over pumpkins.
Yeah, we probably won't go back there. Fry's has pumpkins too. So does a little lot down the street from us that sets up to sell pumpkins, Christmas trees, etc. Options. No need for the hassle when, to the kids, pumpkins are pumpkins.
To fast forward a bit, I was the one who got the most sick after the "pumpkin farm" this year. :) We had all been sick anyway, though, so I guess I can't really put exclusive blame on the pumpkin dust.

I feel like I get a picture like this of James from everywhere we go...

I think they both almost tumbled to serious injury at least a dozen times.

Ben played it kind of safe.
I kind of made him.

Try making James play it safe and see how that goes.

Happy pumpkin perusing...

Sad pumpkin perusing...
(She got her foot stuck and her shoe came off.)

But we fixed it.

And found happiness again.
If you will notice, that day we also found fuschia sunglasses hiding in the car.

An almost successful picture of the three kids!

Well, I suppose it is actually a successful picture, just not a posing-smiley-matching-outfits-picture. Like the one this family had JC take of them sitting on the bales of hay. (or straw...I don't know. JC likes to quiz me on what's hay and what's straw and I hardly ever get it right to his everlasting disgrace.) Anyway, this family was all dressed in black and orange. In really nice designer jeans (with the fancy stitching)...little boys with gel in their hair and little girls with handmade bows in theirs. I know my kids won't mind that I didn't have it together enough to do stuff like this...right?
...right...?

After all, I don't think this guy would smile like this if I were trying to gel his hair. Or make him sit still long enough to cut it in the first place in a way in which I could then gel it.
One word - mutiny.
(I will tell you what does make him smile like this - pushing pumpkins off the bales of hay/straw so they make a thumping sound when they hit the ground. I'm not sure that is proper behavior at the pumpkin patch and while I was trying to get him to stop, JC took this picture. :)

JC already was dealing with his ever-so-exciting hernia, waiting on surgery, so he couldn't carry pumpkins. But he could pull the cart. Which he really seemed to want to do. I think he got really tired of not being able to do stuff.

While he was paying for our pumpkins, we found a little baby chicken coop. So cute.
We all wanted one.

That one.

Decorating Pumpkins!
Last year, we painted our pumpkins. It was fun, but a bit messy - - which is fine, but sometimes messiness kind of limits the kids. The paint colors start to run together so they only end up with black to paint with, they get it on their hands which is upsetting (James), I'm in their faces so they don't spill whole containers over and onto the floor which would not be fun for anyone...
Anyway, this year I thought maybe markers would be a good idea. They are a lot easier, no spill worries, the kids could have more control, use more colors, etc.
Turns out, they just rub off the surface of the pumpkins. We may have to go back to painting next year. Because we are certainly not patient enough for carving yet.
But seriously, paint is so messy. I am always feeling badly that I don't do more crafty stuff with the kids. Painting especially, considering it's Bethany's most favorite activity at school. Then, while in the waiting room at the surgical center the other day, I read in a magazine about a family of ten children. The mom was talking about their family dynamics, their activities of choice and all the other things you would want to ask parents of ten children. She mentioned that there are some activities that she just does not bother with. One of them was painting.
A woman after my own heart.
She had the same idea I always have running through my head - it's just such a pain to set up, do, keep contained, and clean up, when you have so many very little ones (I know I don't have ten kids, but three who are practically the same age with no older siblings to help can pose its own issues!), it becomes no fun for anybody. It made me laugh that someone else had the same problems with something like painting.
ANYWAY.
All I'm saying is, I still haven't found the magic formula for decorating a pumpkin.
But, even though the decorations mostly rubbed off, we had fun doing it!

Such a careful artist.

Less careful.
But still good.

James admires his work.

Ben admires...the marker.

Everyone at work...

It was a fun time for all.
(I'm wearing a hat because I was too sick and tired/too busy with little ones to shower that day. But apparently not too sick and tired to color pumpkins. And never too sick and tired to snuggle my baby.)

Or, in our case, later that night (but documented the next day), carve pumpkins.
One is a scary bat on a scary pumpkin. One is a flirty winky face.
Guess whose is whose...

I made sure JC and I carved pumpkins this year because he loves doing it. And, last year, on the night we were supposed to do it, I felt tired and wanted to just relax. So I promised we would do it another night. Then, we all got sick, we got busy, tired, lazy, whatever the case was, and we never did it. So, last year, I promised him it would be a priority this year.
And it was.
So we did it.
And it was fun. And a little gross.
But fun. Same time, same place next year, honey?

Preschool Parade!
Bethany's preschool does a cute little parade at the end of their school day before Halloween. Last year, she felt it was too traumatizing to enjoy.
This year was a little better!
(It was a little better for me too, considering JC was around - still waiting for his surgery, but feeling quite good - and came with us. So, I had helping hands as the younger two tried to join the parade uninvited, run into the street, etc.)

We start with a picture of the boys because I think they are adorable in little sweat suits.
Our go-to fall/winter staple.

They found a bug while waiting for the festivities to start. Who needs a parade?

But it did start and, like last year, Bethany was one of the last ones to walk out of the school. I can just picture her waiting in there, graciously letting all her friends go before her.
I know because that is what I would do.
This year, Bethany has a Princess Tiana costume. This princess is new to the princess circuit. She is the star in Disney's upcoming movie, The Princess and the Frog. When the kids had hand, foot and mouth disease a few months ago, JC got them a bunch of new movies. Those movies ALL had previews on them for this movie.
So, that is what she is this year. With tights and a cardigan. It was cold this day.

Problem is, when they turn around to come back, she ends up at the front of the parade. Last year this was very upsetting. This year, we are four. And four is oh so much more grown-up than three apparently. She did awesome.
She found this kid with the mask a little unnerving but amusing.
I am actually not sure what he is dressed as but I feel the same way.

Patiently standing in their line while pictures are taken.
On second thought - is that kid a Jedi of sorts?

Side note - my boys have never seen any shows, movies, or books featuring Spiderman. They do not hang out with any older cousins or friends who they may hear raving about Spiderman. And they do not go to school or daycare at which they may hear about Spiderman or see Spiderman paraphernalia. But somehow, they, at three and two, have become fascinated with all things Spiderman. They have no idea what he does, who he really is, or where he comes from. They know only that he is awesome.

Look what we found at Bethany's preschool:

You can see that this kid is in full Spiderman garb. You can also see that he is being hilarious and striking all kinds of Spiderman poses for his mom, who is taking pictures. I have a feeling this child has older brothers. James and Ben were transfixed. You can see James in the lower right hand corner of that picture, just standing and staring. It was so funny. He had this reverenced look on his face.

Then, when the kid turned his back, Ben got brave enough to do a little Spiderman stalking. He just stood there and stared at the kid's back.

He still tells me every day that he saw Spiderman at Bethany's school. And, no matter how many times Bethany tells him that "It was just Jefferson!" he is bound and determined to catch a glimpse of Spiderman every blessed time we drop her off or pick her up.

As we left the parade, Ben got a quick toss in the air from a daddy who was feeling quite good on this day.
It was a good visit to Big Sister's preschool.

Halloween Night!
So, I really officially should go down in the record books as the lamest mom when it comes to holidays. Holidays can really be so special and I really haven't ever celebrated one to its full potential since the kids were born. I know I say that as if they are triplets and all born at the same time or something but darn it, they FEEL like triplets so I do sometimes end up thinking of them like that! Only, I was pregnant for two and a half years instead of just once. And...ugh..that's enough about that. (I saw a girl in my ward today who is in nearly the exact baby-having situation I was a couple years ago, give or take a couple months...two year old, one year old, ready to have her third...and suddenly I understood why people looked at me like I was crazy. Because I was.)
Um...
Anyway...
I am just easily side-tracked tonight. Maybe because this is a too-long post and my mind is elsewhere. My mind is everywhere lately...in a good way, though. For once, right? :) Anyway, I wish I could write about everything running through my head so as to not distract from what could be a simple Halloween post...perhaps I need to set aside a specific time to do so. And perhaps I need to just allow myself to think some things instead of type out every bit of my thought process...
Um...
Again...
Anyway...
Halloween. Yeah, not the best at really living it up on holidays. I guess it's a good thing we still have plenty ahead of us.
But my point is, the kids didn't even know it was any kind of special day most of the day. This is not only because I'm a slacker but also because I like to get them excited about things by teaching them about it, why we are celebrating, what we're going to do and what it means, where it all came from...and Halloween...um...what exactly am I supposed to tell them? The origins and history are questionable and possibly frightening for little ones and the way we celebrate is iffy in my book. So...as I'm still coming to terms with this particular holiday, there wasn't much preparation or build-up of excitement. We ate dinner, we dressed in costumes (this part WAS quite exciting for them...though maybe not as much as it could have been because I let them dress up in them before just to play...my bad...), and went to visit some grandparents.

At my parents' house, Ben (Woody) conversed with his Aunt Katie. And her goldfish.
She was dressing up as Bob of "What About Bob?" (She got the Hawkes creative genes. I'm still waiting for mine to kick in.) and was going to be wearing this little guy around her neck.
The fish, not Ben.

Other than visiting with family that night, the kids also did their fair share of this:
Begging for candy.
They had no idea this holiday had anything to do with candy. But, of course, I figured they would get a few pieces and I planned for allowing it, so they were pleasantly surprised to come upon assortments of candy from various grandmas.
I think James is the only one whose costume I haven't introduced so take a look - he is, appropriately, Ben/Woody's sidekick, Buzz Lightyear.

Just a shot with funny lighting that I thought I'd share.
Mostly because I didn't know if everyone knew that Woody still had a pacifier.

It was fun to take the kids out a bit...and it was fun to allow them some treats...and it was fun to put them to bed that night and watch Lost...and it was fun when Ben got sick the next day...

But at least he was in good spirits about it.
(He now wears this hat much of the time.)

In that same spirit, here are some random pictures that just make me smile from that week:

Silly Ben playing outside.
Yes, with his pacifier. Man, looking through these pictures really makes me realize it is time to get rid of this thing...it's everywhere!
Wouldn't it be nice to see that smile unencumbered?
(He's still so cute though...it makes him look like more of a baby...maybe that's why I continue to allow it. Someday my future daughter-in-law is going to read this and come kick me in the shins for babying him as it may very well contribute to some qualities that may be frustrating in a husband...hmm...but even then, she will love him as much as I do and we will both look past the frustrations and possible dental issues...)

Sidewalk chalk. Bethany wrote her name. She is getting amazing with reading and writing. It trips me out how good she is.

Ben in a helmet. (See, future daughter-in-law...at least I kept his noggin safe, right?)

We went to Sam's Club one day and came away with a few big boxes with which to carry our stuff. One of them was this box (no, we did not buy any 3 Musketeers bars) and Ben got creative, turned it over, and stuck his cereal bowl inside. Ate breakfast out of a box.

Here is some more of Bethany's handiwork. I liked the name on the sidewalk better.
This is our entertainment unit. And, if you can't tell, these are stick figure people. All lined up.
The bad news is, our furniture is colored on.
The good news is, this meant I got dinner cooked one night in the midst of all the sicknesses.
The amount of crayon on the walls of my home is directly linked to how much cooking I have been doing. Just so you know. So, if you come over one day and see well-decorated walls, give me a nice pat on the back.

Anyway, that is all.
Now we're ready for the rest of the holiday season!