this is Halloween.

I'm not going to lie.

I woke up this morning kind of Halloweened-out.

I feel like it has been going on for 31 straight days.

I think Carly felt the same way because when I told her today was Halloween she replied:

"NOOOOOO!"

But she changed her mind when I told her she got to go Trick-or-Treating again.

Or as she might say "Trick and Ming-ming".

Next year my plan is to have a shorter, more focused celebration the week of.

We've been watching all sorts of Halloween entertainment. We still watch too much tv in the mornings, when I'm getting my barings straight, and I managed to DVR Halloween versions of Dora, Diego, Bubble Guppies, and Max and Ruby. We also rented movies from the library and enjoyed Garfield's Halloween a few times. See what I mean by Halloweened out? But Carly is really soaking it all in. All week she has been telling me about ghosts and monsters and bats. On Saturday the girl was talking my ear off about "scary bats that live in a dark cave and they are coming to my house!" It is pretty cute. She doesn't seem particularly scared, even though sometimes she will say "Oh! Thats scary!" Halloween in a strange holiday.

We did meet all the Halloween requirements this year though.

We carved a pumpkin.

Well, Chris carved a pumpkin.

The smell made me gag, and Carly was totally suspicious.

But Chris did a really good job making a "traditional face" as I directed him to.

[not so sure about those pumpkin guts.]

[finished product.]

Carly seems to like it now that it is completed. Whenever we go out she says "Its the Halloween pumpkin! Hi, Halloween pumpkin!"

On Wednesday Carly and I headed to the playgroup Halloween party. With that much sugar and that many kids, I didn't manage to take any pictures. The games were a little old for her, but Carly and another girl her age had fun knocking bowling pins over . . . sometimes using the blow-up pumpkin, sometimes just their hands. Carly had half a sugar cookie, then discovered the clementines. She ate 5 before I cut her off. That's my girl. But I was dying over that half-eaten sugar cookie.

I debated for a while on what Carly should go as. It is probably her last Halloween where she will have no preference, but it is also the first where she actually understands whats going on. I finally went with a ghost. I saw an idea on Pinterest and all together it would cost about 7 bucks. I put my limited craftiness to work, and voila: a seriously cute ghost. All week she has been perfecting her "BOO!" and it has become especially robust. She is a very convincing little ghost.

[a ghost and a pumpkin.]

Friday night was the ward Trunk or Treat. I ate about 10 bowls of chili, then we headed out in the freezing cold to make the rounds. She was a pro Trick-or-Treater. And you could tell she thought it was just about the best idea ever. She had a huge smile on her face and kept showing me her bucket and saying "Look! I got candy!" I love her sweet innocence.

[ghost Carly and chick Kennedy.]

[seriously spooky.]

And finally, we arrived.

October 31st.

This is Halloween.

Tonight we headed over to the house of some ward friends, had a quick dinner, and headed out on Carly's first real door-to-door trick-or-treating experience with a group of ward kids. In the future, I'll be the mom who sits at home and eats candy and hands it out to trick-or-treaters. But I didn't want to miss it when she is so young and cute.

[ghost and mummy . . . errr, mommy.]

[beautiful Halloween night.]

[doing her thing with one of the ward young women.]

I'm finding kids these days don't really say "Trick or Treat" nor do they say "Thank you." They just run around holding their bags out. We made sure Carly said both at every door. I just think it is polite, and I want her to know its about the tradition and experience, not about how much candy you can get (off my soapbox now). But she was seriously cute, and we let her go to doors without too many steps or other kids by herself. I just can't believe what a kid she is.

It has been a fun Halloween season, but I'm ready for some holidaylessness before we start in on Thanksgiving. And Carly's poor ghost tutu . . . after three celebrations, it barely survived the night.

Oh, and in case you were wondering . . . 

the twins were skeletons this year.

Happy Halloween!