Halloween!

For a month before Halloween, Isaac knew what he wanted to be: a wy-on. I didn't want to spend $30-50 on a costume he would only wear once, so I searched the web for lion hats and tried to come up with something homemade and recognizable. I kept my eye on the Highland Mommy classified ads, without much hope. Then came the ad I'd been wishing for: Lion costume, size 2T, $10. Perfect. I picked it up that night, and when I walked in the door, Isaac came running to me with arms outstretched and his face radiant. He took this large, floppy lion (costume) from me, and we spent the rest of the evening changing Wy-on's diaper and offering him water from Isaac's Klean Kanteen.
The lion had arrived freshly washed, but by the time Halloween came around, he had been dragged around our dirty house - by his previously neat and tidy mane - for two weeks. However, Isaac's eyes saw no flaws. Here he is becoming the lion for the first time.





There's a fun tradition in our neighborhood called Trick-or-Treat Street. We have three historic commercial strips lined with independent shops and restaurants, and the stores in each district give out candy on Halloween day or the Saturday before during designated hours. The two older events are packed with kids, parents, and strollers. The one nearest us (walking distance) is just in its second year, so it's less crowded for now.
Below, I took the boys (Jonah in the sling, Isaac in the stroller) to our event on 32nd Ave.

Look at all the snow we had left! (See previous post.)

Lions need to drink a lot of water.

Looking down our street on Halloween day...snow and fall leaves.

At the ice cream store, where Isaac doesn't care about the ice cream that much but loves to push the red button and watch the trolley go down the track.


Mr. Lion.


Kind of hard to see under this thing...

On the way home...Isaac insisted on pushing the stroller with his feet. Made for a slow, slow walk.



We spent most of Halloween night at a party with our wonderful playgroup and their families. Below are friends Oliver and Thrace. Oliver's talented mama made this costume - his choice, but very appropriate for the son of two Mainers!


Isaac walked in and went straight to the toddler food table - just the right height for grazing. I think he added some hummus and salsa to his costume, poor Wy-on.
We were among the last to leave, and by the end of the night, Lion was spending a lot of time on the floor. I imagine there was some food down there.



Playing with Farmer James.

Eventually, all my boys retreated to the family room, where Elmo was putting on a show. They were mesmerized. Elmo is like a drug. Jonah is starting early.

End of the night...The costume was perfect for outdoors though too hot for inside - but look at those curls.