Happy Halloween!

Dear Ian,

What a week we've had leading up to Halloween.  We've visited pumpkin patches, carved those pumpkins, made costumes, and trick or treated like champs.


Our festivities for this year's Halloween started about a week ago when we visited the pumpkin patch at Faith Presbyterian Church.  We accidentally met up with Uncle Gary, Aunt Megan and Payton (they were there at the same time, but we didn't know that until we showed up), and that made it an even more fun experience.  We picked out a big pumpkin for us to carve and decorate, and you got to pick out your own little pumpkin.  You were super excited about your little pumpkin.  There were other fun things to do at the pumpkin patch, too.  There were scarecrows to look at and wooden cut-outs that you could stick your face through to make a funny picture.  You really enjoyed yourself, and it was a nice day for our family.  You especially loved having your Daddy around, because to you, Daddy is a rock star.  But I digress...

You are a lucky little dude, because a few days later, we got to visit a second pumpkin patch with Issa and her mommy, Miss Patti.  You and Issa, once again, ran around admiring all the pumpkins, and of course we used it as an opportunity to take cute pictures of the two of you.  And like last year when we did this, you wore an orange shirt, so you blended in to the background.  I need to remember that next year; different color for you little dude.  You and Issa both got tiny little baby pumpkins and were both really excited about them.  To top that afternoon off, we had ice cream at Baskin Robbins, and it was a pretty perfect day.

The next fun pre-Halloween thing we did was at your Great Grandpa's retirement home, Sterling House.  The Friday before Halloween, they hosted a little carnival for the families of the residents, and we went to take part in the fun.  You got to see you Great-Grandfather, and he got to watch you play the games and collect treats.  It was a neat night; you, your Daddy, your Grandpa Brooks and your Great Grandfather were all together.  Four generations of Brooks men.  I regret the fact that I let your Grandpa take pictures while I took this picture, because then we could have had all four of you, but that just means that we need to go back and try again.  It's sad that your Great-Grandpa really didn't realize that you're part of his family, but I know that watching you play brought a smile to his face.   You also got to debut your lion Halloween costume, and it worked really well despite the fact that you refused to wear your headband mane.

And then it was the weekend before Halloween.  We used that Saturday to carve our pumpkins, and they turned out really well.  You were a little hesitant at first to reach on in there and scoop out some pumpkin guts, but eventually you worked up the courage, and predictably, Mommy got covered in pumpkin innards.  You got to choose what your pumpkin looked like, too.  I drew a couple of options for eyes, a nose and a mouth for your pumpkin, and you picked the ones you wanted.  Funny, you chose a traditional jack-o-lantern face :)  We put some lights in them, and you were totally excited about seeing them all lit up. 

FINALLY we get to the actual day.  After a morning of Halloween party fun at school and a good nap, you got dressed up in your costume (again, with no headband mane), and we headed over to the Ghio's house for Graham's birthday party/Halloween get-together.  We got to see all of our baby friends: Chase, Tyler, Issa, Graham, Stokes and Harper were all in attendance.  We celebrated Graham's second birthday with a cupcake, but then we needed to get back home so you could do a little trick-or-treating before bed time.  And you did a GREAT job trick-or-treating.  You remembered to say trick-or-treat at every house we stopped at, and you also remembered your manners when they treated you.  And because Mommy is a stickler for rules, you stayed on the sidewalk and didn't run across the yards. You also helped me pass out a few pieces of candy, too.  The more scary costumes bothered you, but for the most part, the different costumes amused you. 

Whew.  That was a TON of Halloween stuff to post about.  But now it's over, and you're sound asleep in your bed.  Mommy and Daddy passed out the rest of our candy to the neighborhood kids, and our front porch light is officially off for this year's Halloween.  Now we move on to getting ready for Thanksgiving, and with the growth spurt you seem to be going through, I need to buy a 30 pound turkey. 

I love you much my little pumpkin!
Mommy