Death for Halloween

Halloween is a big deal for us.

But its not just about Halloween night, it's everything leading up to it.  The pumpkin patch a few weeks before, picking out the perfect costume, decorating the house, carving pumpkins, trick or treating with friends, taking professional photos of the kiddo in his costume, watching our favorite Halloween movies.  It's the time together and the traditions we are building.

So yeah- Halloween is kind of a big deal for us.

But you guys- this year, we've turned a corner.  In years past the kiddo has been a myriad of adorable costumed characters.  Sadly, this year when I asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween, his reply- "Death."

Umm.  What?

Yeah.  No.

And so we compromised.  That is what parenting is all about right?  Listening to your child and doing your best to reach an agreeable solution.  I am happy to report that the kiddo will NOT be dressing up as "Death" for Halloween.  I allowed him to choose his costume this year (with veto power by me and the husband) and so he's going as a creepy jester.

Bummer.

No more cute Disney characters or homemade Lego costumes.  It's all about the gross and scary now.  Close the book because that adorable chapter is done.  And so I find myself doing my very best to support and encourage the gross and scary- even when I want him to wear something sweet and colorful.

But I draw the line at "Death".

So here you go- a picture of the kiddo dressed in his Scary Jester costume.  Here's the link to order if you're interested and no- I didn't pay full price for this bad boy.  Hello Groupon!

We Pumpkin Patched

Fall in the Pacific Northwest is seriously beautiful.  Stunning really.  And with so many awesome activities, it makes for great family fun.

One of our favorite things to do is visit the pumpkin patch.  There's lots of them around here but we have a favorite, Bob's Corn and Pumpkin Farm.  Its our favorite because it's smaller than the other pumpkin patches, has lots of great things to do including corn mazes, apple picking, farm animals to pet, corn and apple cannons and even a playground.  There's fresh corn on the cob straight from the field and homemade apple and pumpkin donuts.  Seriously- THE BEST!

Fresh roasted corn straight from the field!

But what I love the most about it is that it's run by a local family.  Bob and Sarah and their adorable five daughters.  But wait!  It gets even better....Bob's farm has been in his family for over 100 years.  So when we walk around their country store that was once a calf barn or ride the tractor to the pumpkin patch or purchase some of their local honey- we are supporting this great local family.  Sure, I pay WAY more here for a pumpkin then I ever would in a grocery store.  But it's not just about the pumpkins people.  It's about this family and supporting their way of life and my community.  Now that's an awesome thing to teach your kids.

We've been coming to Bob's for several years now.  The kiddo's very first trip to a pumpkin patch was when he was just 18 months old.  The husband and I set his little feet down in the dirt and away he went.  And today, almost 8 years later, he's still running around the patch like a pro.

With Grammie & Grampie

When we make our 10 minute trek to the pumpkin patch, we always try to include the important people in our life.  Most years- extended family will join us at the patch.  It varies year to year, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents etc but we do our best to make it a true family outing.  This is just one of the many traditions that the husband and I have started for the kiddo and I'm so very glad we did.

Building holiday traditions is easier then you think.  What starts out as a fun activity soon turns into a yearly "must do" and for us, our trip to the pumpkin patch signifies the start to our holiday season.  Fall is officially here, let the celebrations begin!

Why I DON'T Buy GMO Free for Halloween

It's no secret that I'm a bit obsessed with the foods my family eats.  Just a bit....

However it may come as a surprise that when it comes to Halloween, I relax my rules.  I buy all the "good stuff" and by that I mean- Snickers, Kit Kat's, Reese's, Twix and more.  Yes, I know that these brands have way too many chemicals and I know they contain GMO's.  Relax, I know.

But here's another thing that I know- my son will go Trick or Treating and come home with a huge bucket overflowing with all this junk.  And when I look back and remember those precious years spent enjoying Halloween, I do NOT want him to remember that Mommy took away all his good candy.

GMO Free Alternatives

So instead I have chosen to simply pick and choose my battles.  I allow this GMO filled candy into my home and I pass it out to all the sugar pumped Trick or Treaters- just as many other parents do.  But let me be very clear- this is the ONLY time I buy these candies.  I have also imposed strict rules on candy consumption.

I firmly believe in the 80/20 rule.  If I can keep 80% of the foods in my home organic and GMO free then I consider myself a success.  I don't stress about the remaining 20%.  I have given myself permission to relax and let my son enjoy Halloween- GMO's and all!

Now- if you just can't do it, which I totally understand, you can click this link here to read about 12 GMO free treats to pass out on Halloween night.  Whatever you decide, I wish you a safe and fun Halloween!

Halloween in Pictures

I love Halloween.

There- I said it.  Halloween, Fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas....ah, it's my favorite time of the year.

When I met my husband over 13 years ago, he didn't much care for Halloween.  We went to a few party's and did the obligatory "couple's costumes" but that got old real quick.  After the birth of our son, the way we celebrate holidays changed.  No longer was it about kegs, loud music and sexy nurse costumes.

So today, I want to share with you something that we have done just about every Halloween and I'm so very glad we did!

Seems simple really and I'm irritated that the thought didn't occur to me until my son was 2 1/2 years old.  But here it is- each year we take a professional photo of my son in his Halloween costume.  Seriously, when you spend $50-100 on a costume that is only worn once, seems fitting to make it a bit more memorable.  I only wish I had thought of it sooner!

William's very first Halloween photo was when he was 2 1/2 in his Nemo costume.  That year he became obsessed with Nemo.  He watched the movie just about every day, was running around quoting lines from the movie and so when it was time to pick out his costume- it was a no brainer- Nemo!

William "Batman" age 5 and Lucky Dog "Robin

In the years that have followed, William has taken pictures as Pluto clutching his Mickey Mouse stuffed animal, Lightening McQueen, Batman with his trusty sidekick Robin, Sorcerer Mickey to commemorate the year we went to Disneyland for Mickey's Halloween Party and a Lego.  This year we've turned a corner in the costume department and he's dressing up as something scarier- a Zombie.

Every year I frame William's picture and bring it out of storage as part of my seasonal holiday decor.  William loves seeing his costumes from year's past and I have to say, that it's pretty awesome to see them as the years go by.  All too soon, he'll be grown and dressing up won't be cool anymore...What a great way to remember a fun time in our life!