The Harvell Family: Halloween Fun

There's something about having kids that completely changes the holidays. Everything takes on a whole new level of fun, whether you are watching your child experience something for the very first time or you get to see the look on their face as they enjoy some special family traditions. Watching your kids celebrate the holidays makes you feel like a kid again and I think it's one of my favorite things about being a mom.

Even though Addie is a toddler and Bella is still pretty brand new, I still wanted to plan some fun Halloween things for us to do the week leading up to Halloween. They may be little, but that doesn't mean that they can't have some orange and black, costume, themed fun and that is just what we did.

Pumpkin Painting

We decided to do something a little more toddler friendly with our pumpkins this year. Instead of helping us carve our pumpkins, we gave Addie some paint and a brush and let her go to town. She was a little confused at first because last time we painted it was with a yogurt and food dye mixture that was totally edible and tasted very yummy, but she quickly learned that this wasn't quite the same. In typical Addie fashion, she stuck her tongue out to help her concentrate and worked her magic. She did so well that we even let her paint Bella's as well. The pumpkins turned out great, they lasted a little bit longer than normal, and we even got to display Addie's work of art both inside and outside of the house. Toddler pumpkin painting is something I would definitely recommend, as long as you are okay with getting a little messy!

Check out that concentration - and that tongue!

The finished product!

Zoo Boo at the Pittsburgh Zoo

Addie is obsessed with going to the zoo these days. She loves walking around and making animal noises, so we thought what could be more fun that Zoo Boo! We dressed up our bumble bee and sunflower, packed the car, and off we went. Aunt Kristen came with us as we took our zoo to the zoo! Zoo Boo was Addie's first experience Trick or Treating and it was probably a good thing she had some practice. She loved getting her treat, but then liked sitting down right next to the person and signed "more" because she wanted me to open it. We had to work on taking our candy and walking to our stroller before we enjoyed our treat. Practice makes perfect though right!

Our "zoo" at the zoo!

Addie the bumble bee

Our adorable little sunflower

Peek a boo

Addie and Daddy hiding behind the sign

Kisses for her little sis!

Fall Festival at Chick Fil A

We went to Chick Fil A with our friends for some dinner and Halloween fun. The kids got dressed up in their costumes, they got some treats, and they even got to decorate a pumpkin. We even won a digital photo frame before we left - so between our prize and the fact that I didn't have to cook dinner, I would say all around it was a win!

BOO Bash at the Little Gym

Anyone who knows Addie knows that she is our little monkey. She loves to jump around, climb on everything, and is constantly moving - which is why she has always loved going to the the Little Gym. We haven't been to class since the summer, so when I saw that they were having a BOO Bash on Friday night I knew we had to go. Addie had a huge grin on her face from ear to ear the entire time that we were there. She played with bubbles, balls, and her absolute favorite thing was the rings. Bella was a little unsure about all of the craziness and all of the noise, but I know she too will learn to love the Little Gym. I can't wait to take her to her first class when she gets a little older.

Our Batgirl was adorable in her outfit from her Aunt Judy and Bella sporting some black and orange gear.

"Weeeee" Addie must have gone on the rings at least 100 times!

Check out that smile, like I said, she had an absolute BLAST!

Family photo :)

Cookies and some Spooktacular Fun!

Addie loves to help me cook, so when we got home from the Little Gym we continued the fun with making some sugar cookies. Addie helped me use the cut outs - she picked out the pumpkin and the bat. Then, while the cookies were baking we watched a Spooktacular Disney Halloween special all cuddled up with some pillows and blankets!