Halloween 2011

This is Kessa's first real Halloween.  She dressed up for the other two, but really just stayed in the house, maybe wearing her costume for an hour, then sleeping through trick-or-treating.  What can I say?  BJ and I aren't big Halloween-ers, so without the kid wanting it, we just didn't do it.  (Both of her costumes before this year were given to her.)  This year we were living with BJ's parents, which meant we got a lot more pressure from Teresa, plus Kessa was old enough to enjoy it this year, so we did it.  Since Papa Homer's goal this summer was to turn Kessa into a cowgirl, I thought it would be a perfect costume.  Teresa thought she needed cowgirl boots months ago anyway, so Mama Homer bought her some pink ones (at Teresa's insistence).  The denim leggings (jeggings, I think they're called?) and the shirt she's wearing in the first pictures came together (even though you can't see them for the coat) and the cowgirl hat is borrowed from a neighbor in the ward.  (Kessa refused to try on any cowgirl hats in any stores, so there was simply no way I was paying $20ish for a hat I didn't think she'd wear.  But then a neighbor lent us hers, and since we were all wearing hats the first night, she happily wore hers too.  So yay!)

Neighborhood Halloween Party

Here's Kessa and I to prove that I did, in fact, dress up.  Costume thanks to the Homer's stash and Teresa's insistence that we dress up.  :)

Closer-up of Kessa.  Sorry for the graininess.  These were all taken on BJ's iPod Touch.

Ok, maybe Kessa still didn't want to wear the hat at first.  So Daddy wore it on top of his hat.  Y'know, to make it cool.  It worked.  She wore it after that.

At the party Kessa went straight for the blow up toys.  Here's a video of her trying to get through the obstacle course (at least part of it).  There was also a giant blow-up Twister game that she liked bouncing on.  So, in other words, the second we got there, her boots and hat came off.  So she didn't really look like she had a costume on.  :)

Trick-or-treating Practice

Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures or videos of this.  Use your imagination.  Since Kessa had never done any trick-or-treating, we decided to practice with her that morning.  BJ hid in the pantry and I helped Kessa knock and say "Trick or treat!"  Then BJ gave her an animal cracker.  Her eyes lit up and I helped her say "Thank you".  So we closed the door and did it again, this time with much less prodding.  She loved it.  It definitely helped later.

Halloween at Daddy's work

BJ's work has an unofficial mascot of a panda bear.  So someone there dressed up as one and wandered the area, giving kids high-5s and such.  Kessa loved him.  The second she saw him she yelled, "Panda Bear!"  Then despite her usual shyness, she ran up to him, gave him a high-5, knuckles, and a hug.  It was adorable.  As we walked around trick-or-treating in the various departments (which she did very well at, if still quietly and usually with prodding) she'd look around for the panda.  If she couldn't see him, she'd ask, "Where panda, huh?"  So finally I decided we needed a picture of her with the panda.  So immediately she got shy.  The first picture is of me trying to encourage her to go over and stand next to the panda.  Once she finally did, she was happy, though.

I love that when we tell her to smile for a picture, her smile looks real, not like some cheese-job.  Hopefully that stays as she grows up.  [crosses fingers]

Oh, and as a side note, Dum-dums are officially her candy of choice.  If there were ever any dum-dums in the bowl of candy she was choosing from, she immediately went for them.  Even if there was also chocolate!  Mommy was very disappointed.  Kessa ended up eating 4 dum-dums in the course of 2 hours that day.  It was only due to BJ's creativity at the dinner table (this bite's for the panda!) that she even ate any dinner.  She also got a full-sized box of Junior Mints, but Mommy confiscated them almost the second we got back into the car.  As a taxi fee.  :D

Halloween Night

Oh look!  Her jacket is open!  You can see her shirt.  (She actually had 3 options to choose from.)

"Where's the candy?"

"Outside?  I'm outta here!"

Teresa (an Indian) and her friend, Alexis (a cowgirl) took Kessa trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.  (Oh why, oh why didn't I get a picture of them together?!  Teresa chose her costume based on Kessa's!  [sigh])  Two other of Teresa's friends showed up at the end, then Papa took them all over (all the girls and BJ) to visit Nana at the rehab center and show off their costumes.  (Again, not pictured, sadly).

Kessa got to bed much later than normal, and on much more of a sugar-high than ever before, but she loved it.  And two days later, she seems to have completely forgotten that she has a stash of candy in the pantry.  I am ok with that.  :D