Let me start off by saying that I'm not a big supporter of Halloween. I don't even decorate for Halloween, but rather for the fall season. Honestly, I'm torn on even letting Samuel trick-or-treat. However, I do think certain parts of the holiday are fun and I absolutely want to create fun memories with our little guy! I love the idea of having Sam dress up as his favorite character and carving (innocent themed) pumpkins -- I just lean more towards the church-sponsored trunk-or-treat or Harvest festival events where you don't have the creepy/scary aspects of the holiday.
With that said, it was probably over a month ago when I went to Target with a friend and ran across the freshly laid out Halloween section, only to end up going home with a costume for Samuel. It wasn't my plan to buy one that day, but gosh, they were too cute to pass up! I showed Samuel various costumes available in his size and let him pick one out. At first, he was all about Captain America, but once I showed him Optimus Prime, it was all over. He HAD to be Optimus! And who can turn down a cute little boy who is full of excitement?! So it was set. He was going to be Optimus. And being as cheap as I am, I was going to make sure that kid wore that costume OUT! So, I looked up various events going on around town and on post and had plans of hitting up several of them. Plus, with James being in the field, it gave us something extra to add to our calendar...
Our first event included a trunk-or-treat event with the Army base. Sam and I joined some friends and went around the parking lot checking out the decorated vehicles and learned how to say trick-or-treat! He ended up being much more interested in walking on and off the sidewalk and running around a pole over and over again, but it was still fun. After all, he was a proud Optimus Prime!
Excuse the horrible cell phone pic...
The next day, we joined the same friends and had fun at the on base youth center Halloween party. Samuel was able to play various games like fishing for pumpkins (or rather, ditch the fishing pole and just reach in the water and grab one as he preferred!), decorate his own cupcake, get a temporary tattoo, etc. With Sam being at an age where he's running everywhere and exploring, it was fun to let him go/see/do with a ton of other kids. Sweet Sam. He's growing up way too fast!
Here he is looking unsure about the activities going on in the gym...
Later on, he REALLY enjoyed his cupcake...
Fast-forwarding to the next weekend, Daddy came home for a tiny break from the field and we went to Boo at the Zoo. It was our first time at the El Paso Zoo, so not only did he get to check out all the animals for the first time, but he got to do it in style, ha.
Here's Optimus Prime and a bear with crazy long claws...
The best part about the day was that he was able to enjoy time with daddy...
Oh, that sweet boy. I'm glad James was able to join us for one of the many festivities, since he had to head back to the field shortly there after. Field time is never fun, so yay to little breaks in between!
Luckily for Samuel, he had an awesome distraction to James heading back out, as my parents decided to come for a visit. Let's just say Samuel and my dad are pretty much BFFs. I'll go into more detail later about that, but having them here has definitely allowed for a great distraction to daddy being away.
It didn't end up happening until the night before Halloween, but I finally carved Samuel's pumpkin (and one for our 3 angels). It will be fun to possibly have Samuel help with the carving next year, but for now, he just gets to enjoy the finished product...
To finish out the Halloween season, we decided to join friends on post and go down the row of Officer houses (LTC and above) where it's well-lit and soldiers are on duty blocking the road for safety, etc. It was absolutely priceless watching him get the hang of it. At first, he was shy and wanted Grandpa to hold him and take him to the houses, but halfway through, he was carrying his basket and running up to homes that weren't even participating, ha! The night even had a little bit of excitement when he played his game of walking on and off the curb (best game in the world if you ask Sam!) and face-planted into the concrete. The poor guy's lip got beat up pretty bad, but after taking a few minutes to clean it up, he was right back at it...
Samuel with Grandma Julie and Grandpa Grant...
(Grandpa Grant carried the Optimus Prime mask since Samuel has wanted nothing to do with it all season.)
He's such a happy boy!
At one of the homes, Samuel received a piece of candy only to turn around, put it back in the basket, and give the man a high-five. Never a dull moment with this kid. Love it!
Love him...
At some of the homes, he didn't feel that it was necessary to bring the basket with him...
Or he would carry it around like he was too cool for school...
Lastly, the sweet boy and his momma...
While I'm not a huge fan of this particular holiday, we had a blast joining in on the various activities sponsored by the base! So many memories were created in the last month that will forever bring smiles to my face. I love that sweet boy!
And now on to my favorite time of the year...Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Funny - Finn had fun with the on and off the curb game too! I sweat Sam looks like a three year old - he's got such long legs! So, so cute. Love those blue eyes - glad you had fun with your little transformer :)
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