Happy Halloween 2009

Yesterday was Halloween 2009.  Our kids had a blast picking out their costumes a few weeks ago and if it weren't for the fact that I hid them, they would have long ago already been dragging them around playing dress-up as it's one of their favorite things to do!  I wasn't sure what the girls were wanting to be because they kept jumping around from one thing to the next.  When it came down to actually getting to the store it was a different experience than usual.  For starters we had 2 little girls trying to make their minds up!  It was the first year they both made individual decisions.  Serena started off like a shopping pro! She meandered from one costume to the next. She picked a few that we said no to, but she finally found one we all agreed on. Next it was Aleah's turn.  While Serena had been wandering from rack to rack, Aleah had her mind on one costume
and only one! She had seen different variations of Dora costumes, but they were all a size or two larger than she needed!  I had no clue how we were going to get out of this because every time I said "It's too big" she burst into tears! Finally we found a costume that had a spanish kid dressed up on it, and she said "DORA!!!"  Well regardless if it was Dora or not we were leaving with that costume!  So here are my two little girls in their Halloween 2009 costumes!

Aleah named her costume "Dora Lady-bug"!  And Serena was really excited that we found the perfect picnic basket to carry Toto around in!

Our first stop was at Granna's.  We always go their first.  Not sure why, just out of habit I guess.  We hung out a little bit, went out to Big Mama's and Big Daddy's.  We always make that our second stop.  Big Mama loved seeing all the costumes on the kids, and trust me when I say it was very quiet without her greeting them at the door and fussing over them.  But they were excited to show themselves off to Big Daddy!  Here are a couple pictures of our stop at Granna's and then Big Mama's and Big Daddy's!

After we visited there a few minutes, we were loaded up and off to the fall fest at our church.  The girls had a lot of fun there.  They had a giant bouncy cage, games, trunk or treat, and food.  It was nice getting to just watch all the kids in their costumes having fun.  There were even adults that dressed up.  Maybe next year I'll have the guts to do something like that... but for now it's hard enough dressing two little girls in their costumes!

Serena got first place in the Woodland Hills COGOP fall fest costume contest for the kids!

She was really excited about it, too!

Our next stop was a subdivision that we stop at every year.  This year though, we didn't make it to our normal amount of houses.  After just one trip up and down a lane, the girls were done with the whole trick or treating.  They wanted to go back to Big Mama's and Big Daddy's for our annual hot-dogs, kraut, chili, baked p-nuts, and coffee... and also seeing their cousins.  So we loaded them up and I snapped one last picture of them as we were leaving the sub-division.  I think it speaks for itself!

I didn't even think to snap any pictures of family tradition out at Big Mama's and Big Daddy's.  Partially due to exhaustion and partially because wrestling and arguing with Serena for over an hour to get her medicine in her!  I do feel sorry for the rest of the family who had to hear her screaming and tantrum.  Maybe next time she does it, I will record the tantrum and sell it to the local haunted houses.  It's a horrible sound that when played amongst creepy ghouls and gobblins would chill anyone to the bone!

This Halloween was a lot of fun and I'm already looking forward to next year and what our girls will choose to be. But until then, I'll have to cherish the memories of my little Dorothy and her Toto and my cute little Ladybug Dora!