Halloween

While Grandma was still in town we did our annual trip to Neltner’s Farm & Greenhouses for pumpkins. My parents came, too. Turns out juggling a toddler and two newborns, even with three grandparents along for help, is difficult—hence the lack of photos.

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We took two little pirates and a dragon to the Fort Thomas Jack-o-Lantern Walk, one of my favorite Fort Thomas activities. The wind was bitingly cold, though, so we had to keep the boys in their car seats. As such, the stroller in which their car seats fit wasn’t appropriate for the wooded path in which all the jack-o-lanterns were situated and lit. So I took Sophie through while Andy met us near the end. We also skipped the Polaroid picture this year—maybe next year (if they still have film left!).

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Friday night Sophie helped Andy carve a Dora pumpkin (she also ate several Halloween-sized Kit Kats). I held the boys. They watched. We bought three pumpkins at the pumpkin farm, and had all the intention in the world of carving all three, but one thing I’ve learned about having a toddler and newborn twins is this: nothing works out as planned. If I remember it was closing in on 11pm when we finished the Dora pumpkin. Sophie was in bed but the boys were still up and the thought of carving two more pumpkins that evening exhausted me. I suppose it was silly to experience guilt over this, but I did.

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Saturday my parents came over with treats (no tricks!) for the kids. My mom made adorable candy corn bags. The boys each got a toy and Sophie got crayons and glitter stickers for her craft projects.

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I had to wake up Sophie from a nap to make the city’s early trick-or-treat time this year (4pm to 6pm). She’s not the most agreeable person when woken up from a nap, and early on, she wouldn’t agree to wear her dragon hat. So Andy wore it.

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We buckled our little pirates into our new stroller, …

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took a family picture, …

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Andy carried Sophie and …

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off we went.

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My parents graciously stayed behind to pass out candy for us—this way we both were able to take Sophie trick-or-treating. (And about the empty pots … they were filled with beautiful mums at one time, but I never watered them. I don’t know why I thought I’d have time to water porch plants this season.)

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Check out those wings!

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After going to several houses around our new house, we walked up to Grant street to trick-or-treat at our old neighbors’ houses and visit the Beets. Along the way, I made a deal with Sophie. She could have one piece of her Halloween candy if she wore her dragon hat. She thought about this for a good minute. And then said, “deal.” We shook on it (we shake on “deals” all the time now—it’s helped me deal with her two-ness quite well). Here Zoey, an adorable peacock, is trying to figure out what, exactly, Sophie is wearing.

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Check out Marty’s amazing Lego Man costume. He made it (and one for Angel, too).

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family picture

“Pixie, kobold, elf, and sprite,
All are on their rounds tonight;
In the wan moon’s silver ray,
Thrives their helter-skelter play.” —Joel Benton