Halloween by Instagram

I love instagram.  It helps my Iphone pics look good (thereby making it okay that I hardly remember to take the expensive Nikon with us anywhere).  If you want, you can follow me on Instagram:  I'm EJPhillips.  

Ah, the pumpkins.  

In a parent's mind, this is such a fun family activity.  In reality, it holds a preschooler's attention for about 30 seconds. And I'd have better luck asking my kids to touch fire than to touch the goopy innards of the pumpkin.  Probably because their father gags several times as he scrapes it out. So instead of it being something that everyone enjoys, it becomes an exercise in teaching your child how to micromanage.  And, in our case, an exercise in Mommy being okay with cutting out a Jack-O-Lantern face EXACTLY how the 4 year old drew it, not matter that it's all scrunched up in the middle of the pumpkin.  I also ended up painting the last two pumpkins because I was just tired of carving.  And one of them looks like an easter egg.

Or as I like to call it, Failed Pinterest Project.

Calling All Super Readers!

Henry picked out his costume last November 1st.  Most 4-year-olds are capricious by nature.  Not Henry; he is methodical.  So when he says that he wants to be Super Why in a year, I believed him.  He never wavered. So I knew I was going to end up like this:

Yeah, I'm Wonder Red and Sloan is Alpha Pig.  The bummer about being Super Why for Halloween is that it is an obscure PBS cartoon, so unless you currently have a preschooler, you don't know it.  So we spent the entire Trunk and Treat explaining that he wasn't the green lantern and that she was more than just a princess.  That Henry had the power to read, Gracie the power to spell, Daddy had alphabet power, and that, fittingly, I had Word Power.  And when you have to explain your costume, it kinda detracts from its awesomeness.  As does having to periodically drain the condensation from your pig nose.  It also does not add to the cool factor if you are doubled up and trying not to pee your pants because your spouse has issues with his snout sweat.

Super Why on parade at school.  Cutest. Thing.  Ever.  My boy was even excited this year to go into the middle and do the "Hooky Spooky."

And because the roof opened up and it rained buckets, I got no photos of us actually trick or treating.  But it was great.  Each kid was armed with their flashlight and bucket, while Sloan and I tried to cover them with the umbrellas.  Part of the time we used the double stroller, but we ended up ditching it at a neighbor's house.  Despite the rain, we still trick or treated for about an hour.  I wanted to stay out longer, but Sloan made us come in when Henry was literally crying and begging to go home because he was wet and f-f-freeeeeezing.  I may or may not have called them all babies.  I may or may not have said, "We're the Phillips family!  We go big or go home!"  To which Sloan said, "Yes, we'd like to go home now."  

Then came home and watched a Spooky Thomas and ate some candy.  I tried to explain that we were supposed to watch Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin, but this notion also made my son cry.  I may or may not have said, "Well, just so you know, this Thomas thing isn't gonna fly next year, because you are supposed to watch the Great Pumpkin while you eat your candy after trick or treating.  It's just what you do.  It's tradition."

The stash.  And the Phillips family rule is the house gets 10%.  And also, don't be too shocked when you find that Santa often "shops" for candy in the leftovers of kids trick or treat buckets.