31 Days of Halloween: Days 1 - 6

Day 1: Along the way to our San Diego getaway we stopped at our first pumpkin patch/petting zoo of the season. First of all, can I just say what a difference a year makes? 

Ez in 2013

No more skinny, drooly baby letting us prop him up against pumpkin after pumpkin in various outfits for photo ops. Now we have to trail a wild-haired, chubby cheeked toddler all over the place, getting 17 blurry pictures for every one clear shot. I have to say, Halloween is much more exciting now that Ez is aware (somewhat) and mobile. He was definitely a huge fan of the pumpkins, as you can see below. We got him a mini one, and it is still one of his favorite "toys". 

My lil pumpkin hoarder.

Debating the merits of white vs. orange.

Choosing pumpkins is serious business.

Satisfied with his decision.

Ez was a little wary of the goats at first.

But they grew on him.

A lil petting zoo action:

Day 2: Pumpkin baking has been taking the social media and blogging world by storm, so we had to get in on the action. I made some really easy (read: lazy) pumpkin maple cookies. 

I improvised a pumpkin version of the Pillsbury cookie mix using 1/2 a can of pumpkin puree, 3 tablespoons melted butter, an egg, and a box of the cookie mix. Voila! We all devoured them.

Day 3: Halloween books!! Ez loves the lift-the-flaps on I Love You Little Pumpkin and that is one of his year round favorites. Also, now that he has his own pumpkins, he loves pointing out the pumpkins in his Halloween books. There's even a tiny pumpkin on the spine of I Love You Little Pumpkin that he always searches for and looks really proud of himself once he finds it. 

Day 4: This one's just for the parents who love being scared. Joe and I went to Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary for a date night this past weekend. The only other time we've been was when I was pregnant, 2 years ago. It is so creepy and so much fun. They have 6 mazes and 3 of them are actually aboard the ship. The Queen Mary was a really glamorous ship, and has had a ton of celebrity passengers. But during World War ll she transported wounded soldiers and because of all the people who died on board, she is now considered one of the most haunted places in the world. When we navigate the mazes, I usually make Joe go first and I cower behind him, but because Joe is big and a little intimidating, and I look like a scaredy cat, the monsters usually go right around him to scare me. The mazes are most fun when you're near a group of girls that screams every few feet. That makes it more comical than scary. Fun little sidenote - that creepy clown in the first picture below wound up being my friend's brother in law. He definitely stood out as one of the scariest monsters there (because nobody likes a creepy clown). 

Day 5: I attempted toddler crafts with Ez. My first attempt was going to be making knuckle paint pumpkins. Apparently Ez had a bad experience with paint in a past life though, cause he wouldn't even get near the paint without crying. Moving on to felt pumpkins with stick on diy faces (a kit I bought at Michael's for 50% off). I gave him one sticker to try on his own, but it got stuck to his finger which frustrated him, so he read I Love You Little Pumpkin while I decorated pumpkins. He is a fan of the finished product though, so I'll consider it a success as far as toddler crafts go.

Day 6: I decided to cut little holes in the pumpkins and string them up like a banner on Ez's Halloween-themed book shelf. It is now the most festive (aka - the only decorated) spot in the house.

What festive activities are you and your family doing to get in the Halloween/fall spirit?

Today I'm linking up with Courtney, Amanda, Jamie, & Jenny for their Countdown to Halloween series. I love checking out everyone's holiday fun!