Tag Archives: halloween

The Only Treat in Her Halloween Basket

Last year might have been her first Halloween, but this year was more exciting for sure. We were able to use the same pumpkin costume as last year (no Elsa here!), but that’s where the similarities end.

Avery’s First in 2014

Halloween Pumpkin 2014

Avery’s Second in 2015

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Good to see she’s growing! But maybe a little too fast, she’s already expressing herself a bit much.

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Fine, Avery, you can pick your own costume next year, geez!

During the day on Halloween, we carved our first pumpkin as a family.

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We tried to get Avery to stick her hand inside to help pull out the pumpkin guts, but all she wanted to do was stick her head in and sniff.

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Not wanting to waste the insides, I spread the seeds on a baking sheet to roast them. Avery was happy to sit and observe.

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I told her we were going to cook and eat the pumpkin’s guts. Although she didn’t look the slightest bit interested, she couldn’t stop eating them once out of the oven.

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Due to my lack of tools, skills, and overall desire to get elaborate, we kept it simple with a traditional jack-o-lantern look. Kelley drew the lines and I completely jacked up the outline with my unsteady knife hand.

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The end result was nothing mind-blowing, but hey, we did it together as a family and that’s what matters most.

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We just enjoyed seeing how involved and interested Avery was with the whole process, and you could tell how excited she was about our carved gourd.

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Maybe “excited” is not the right word, but she Iinterested, I swear! She really became interested as we prepared to go trick-or-treating, especially with all of the costumed big kids (parents too) out and about going door to door. Outside at the front of our house, she just stood in her pumpkin suit and stared as Elsa’s walked with Mummies, and The Hulk had apparently settled down and shrunk in size.

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There was no carrying around like last year, this time she was ready to walk on her own.

We have an almost half mile loop around our house that she walked most of on her own with only a few tiny trips. Those darn feet!

Avery still doesn’t know what candy is, she just calls out the color of the wrappers if she sees some, and we never expected for her to get anything on her trick-or-treating adventure, it was all for the experience. That said, one of our neighbor friends, Jason along with his wife Jennifer, had asked what she could have so they could have something to give her to put in her bucket, and I said she loves bananas. This simple, yet generous offer was extremely thoughtful and appreciated by Going Mom and myself.

He and his wife have two little girls, Natalie and Zoey, and I’ve mentioned how we’ve been over to jump on their trampoline and play a few times before. Their house was the only one we actually stopped at that night, and Avery happily (with a confused-about-her-surroundings look) accepted her banana treat to fill her Halloween basket.

Banana Trick-or-Treating at Dunn's

Kelley and I were trying to chat for a minute, and in that minute, Avery was already trying to eat her treat without even peeling the thing. We stopped her after she already had her teeth sunk in the peel, and I took it away to “unwrap” the wrapper so she could have a bite. Bad move, that set off our impatient pumpkin.

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Crap, meltdown! Luckily, the crisis was averted by her brown-spotted treat once it was in her belly.

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Good thing I didn’t mistake that other, more round pumpkin next to her as my costumed daughter or she would’ve been outraged when I tried to feed it her banana.

Happy once more, we set off to complete the loop with Avery doing mostly good on foot. We ran into some friends all around her age and as we stopped to talk to their parents, they conversed amongst themselves as well.

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On the right is Natalie, and the middle is another friend/neighbor, Emma. Not sure what they discussed, but none of them looked exactly happy with us.

Soon after, we completed the loop and thus, Avery’s first experience of trick-or-treating. I’m sure next year will be even more eventful and probably not as easy to get away with just a banana for her basket, but only time will tell.

Did you take your little ones out to trick-or-treat?

Any fun/exciting/hopefully not bad stories to share?

A Full Body Pumpkin Workout for the Family

Happy Halloween! If you partake, that is, otherwise, happy weekend! I’m just dropping in to share a fun and quick full body workout the whole family can do. Just choose the pumpkin appropriate for your level and get to it!

With the fall and winter season among us, we all have pumpkin on the mind. Carving for Halloween, eating for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and every day in between (at least for me). The odds are you have one of these globular gourds in your home.

Why not put it to use before carving/eating for a full body workout you can do anywhere there’s a pumpkin laying around? Whether you do one round or ten, it’s sure to get your blood flowing!

Perform each of the following:

  • 10 x Bent Pumpkin Row
  • 10 x Front to Back Lunge on Right Leg Holding Pumpkin to Chest
  • 10 x Front to Back Lunge on Left Leg Holding Pumpkin to Chest
  • 10 x Squat to Overhead Pumpkin Press

That’s one round. Rest 30 – 60 seconds and show that pumpkin no mercy! Here’s the video in case a visual reference is helpful, or if you just want to laugh at me exercising with a pumpkin.

The pumpkin you saw in the video will be gutted today and will be Avery’s first time getting her hands dirty with guts as we perform our first family carving. I’m keeping it tradition with triangle eyes and a jagged tooth this year, but I promised something better next year.

Hope you and your family all give this full body pumpkin workout a try. If you do, please let me know how you liked (or didn’t like) it. Of course, if you don’t have a good squash laying around weights, a medicine ball, or body weight will work too.

Have a great weekend!

 

Four Words Per Picture 3: October in Review

I know the most exciting day in October is tomorrow and I’m missing out on reviewing our full month, but I’m sure our Halloween adventures will be enough for their own post. Besides , this is the last Friday of the month, so I’m sure all anyone wants to do is look at pictures, not read paragraphs from the mind of some stay-at-home dad. Although, I hear he’s a pretty cool guy…

These are mostly in chronological order, but I’m not making any promises, if you even cared. 🙂

Mom was not home.

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No time for cooking.

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Testing her balance skills.

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Our backyard project helper.

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Where did she go?

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Moving up in strength.

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Seesaw with the family.

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A visit to G-Ma’s.

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Bored in the kitchen.

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She feeds herself breakfast!

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And returns the plate!

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Camping with my love.

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My wrist never hurt.

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Back ride on Mommy.

Avery on Mommy's Back

Special delivery from NuttZo!

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Almost independent at dinner.

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Two year molar terror!

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Helping Daddy make pancakes.

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I love G-Ma’s hair!

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Working abs with Mommy.

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Breakfast at MY table!

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Our crazy pumpkin family.

Crazy Pumpkin Family

Still squatting every day.

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Our pumpkin has grown!

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That concludes our pictures for October, minus the last day, Halloween, which will obviously have its own post.

One update I figured you don’t want a picture for is that I had another lapse of staph. Thankfully, I recognized the pain in my ass and my very intelligent wife made me go to the doc. I’m currently on freakin’ antibiotics (not a fan but know they are needed for this) and hopefully they’ll wipe (pun intended) the staph clear.

Hope you have a great weekend and be safe trick-or-treating. We’re taking Avery out, but not collecting candy.

Are you going trick-or-treating?

Any other plans for the weekend?