***This is your warning…this post contains LOTS and LOTS of pictures. Some are scary, some funny, some are super cute, and some are downright ridiculous. Enter at your own risk.***
How much Halloween candy is too much? Well, I think this year we found out.
Well That Was Fun
October was a fun month for the Pardekoopers. We ventured out to the pumpkin patch and had a lot of fun picking “the best pumpkins ever”, according to the boys. They had so much fun petting animals, playing on all the stuff, and taking the hayride out to the patch. With our boys, everything is a constant competition. I think they get that from their mother’s side. Isaiah seems to have won the biggest pumpkin of the year and Aiden won the roundest pumpkin while Emerson came in with the smallest. Everyone’s a winner!
In the end, they had a ton of fun carving their pumpkins and making the jack-o-lantern of their choice. Emerson didn’t want to have anything to do with the cleaning out part, Aiden and Isaiah seemed to enjoy it a little too much, but overall everyone had a wonderful time.
I will say, it is getting more and more complicated making these pumpkins each year. When I was a kid we did faces with scary teeth or crossed eyes. These boys want whole masterpieces on their pumpkins. But we do it…because we love them. 🙂
Get Your Buckets and Pillow Cases
The other major event, obviously, in October, was trick or treating…and it was like none other. I have been trick-or-treating for a lot of years, but I have never had an experience like this year’s.
One of the privileges of being in an RV is that you get to enjoy the same events over and over because the park sets things up for the weekenders and then repeats each weekend. In this case, Halloween came 4 times this year at the park and the boys were super excited. But, being good parents, we had to put a shut down on all that noise!
As we went into October, we decided that we would hand out candy for two weeks and then trick-or-treat for two weeks. We just couldn’t see going out with our buckets every weekend for four weeks. That was just too much candy. Plus, we are trying to teach our boys how to give as well as receive…but Halloween may not be the most ideal time to teach that lesson. 🙂
It actually turned out well, though, because both Aiden and Isaiah had separate birthday parties separate weekends, which allowed the other to stay home with Dad and Emerson and hand out candy to the scary ghouls that came by and the cute little princesses. It is pretty cute watching my rambunctious, headstrong, and super excited boys stop in their tracks and get all awkward when the princesses walk up to them asking for candy.
This year Aiden wanted to be a zombie, but we are not ready for a bunch of scary costumes. So, his alternative was being a ninja with a really cool sword that lit up and make clanking and slicing sounds. He was very proud of his costume.
Isaiah was the flash. He has had a solid superhero theme during Halloween over the years, and this year was no different. Whereas Aiden talks all year about all the different things he wants to be and then finally decides when we force him to make a decision, Isaiah is decisive. He wants to be Flash…and that’s that. Naturally, he spent trick-or-treating events running everywhere as fast as he could…and then crashing at the end for Dad to carry him home.
Emerson was a couple of different things. He wanted to be Baby Shark, but also really wanted to be a dinosaur. So, he was both. He loved roaring at everyone as a dinosaur, but he also loved everyone singing the Baby Shark tune to him as he walked the streets and navigated the crowds.
Once we went around the campground a couple of weeks, had real trick or treating in a neighborhood where we have made friends, and also went through the boys’ trunk or treat event at school, it was time to divvy up the candy. This was an adventure for just the older boys, but it was quite an activity. How it works:
- pick 5 pieces from your bucket that you absolutely want
- a bucket us dumped on the table and you pick 5 more
- another bucket is added and you pick 5 more (do this until all the buckets are on the table
- final round is all the full size candy bars and bags of candy are thrown in the mix and each person picks one
Not all rounds were recorded, but we at least had five rounds…and a LOT of candy! As you can see, the sugar was seeping into their brains by the last round even though they weren’t eating any candy. What’s that tell you?
Prayers Always Welcome
All-in-all Halloween, October was a fun month full of laughs, adventures, exploring, and, yes, loads of candy. We are settling into our lives here in Virginia Beach. It has gotten a bit cooler, so there aren’t any more beach days. But, there is cool days with sweatshirts in the morning and t-shirts in the afternoon. The boys love the new spot we are in with lots of room to ride their bikes and throw the football.
As you can imagine, we are ready to move into a home. Rental or purchase would be great. Christmas is right around the corner, and we would love to be somewhere before then. Put up the Christmas tree, build a fire, hang stockings, and cuddle up for Christmas movies.
God has us in his arms, as he always has. He has always provided and always taken care of us. Maybe not in the ways we wanted him to, but in the ways we needed him to. This is no different. If you have a moment, pray for the Pardekoopers. Pray for a home, pray for stability, pray for favor. But also pray that we can make an impact here in our new home.
Most of you who read this are friends from around the country that we have the privilege of knowing because of the various places we have lived in over the years. We call you friends because God allowed us to connect with you, bring a smile to your face, and share life together. Pray we are able to do the same here in our new home.
Oh, before I forget…does anyone want some candy? 🙂
