Halloween 2017 has come and gone! I confess I had high hopes for this year, now that Oden is a little bit bigger. As a reminder, here is what my little pumpkin looked like last Halloween…
At 20 months old, he still might not understand what’s going on completely, but Oden sure loves a good time! We’d already checked out the Scarecrow Festival at McPolin Farmstead and hit the pumpkin patch and haunted forest at Park City Nursery. I ordered a simple lion costume for Oden (which was basically a decorated hoodie with a mane and tail, plus matching pants- so easy) as well as a tiger hat for me and a bear hat for John. Lion and tiger and bear…OH MY! The big plan was to head to the event on Main Street when Oden woke up from his nap. They block all traffic and the local businesses do trick-or-treating and it’s well-known as a family-friendly (and insanely crowded) Halloween event. Small town fun! Oden wouldn’t trick-or-treat, but we knew he’d enjoy a ride in the backpack to check out the mayhem before heading home to pass out candy (and still make his usual bedtime!). My only other goal for the day was to get a cute family photo!
What’s the saying about best laid plans…? Oden decided to take an epic Halloween nap, essentially sleeping so long that it didn’t make sense to head to Main Street since the event would be winding down. John didn’t make it home from work before the good photo-taking daylight was gone, and by then, Oden didn’t want to wear his costume anymore, anyway. And passing out candy to trick-or-treaters? Well, we live on a dark street, had ONE family come to our door, and now I’m stuck with a huge bowl of sweets.
The day was kind of a reminder that life with a toddler IS what it IS. You have to be flexible or you’ll be miserable, because things hardly ever go as planned! We did head back to the pumpkin patch, and Oden gleefully crawled around in some hay in the bed of an old truck. We didn’t carve pumpkins, but we painted one and had little decorations around the house. We didn’t get a family photo, but Oden and I had a costumed-dance party and I snapped a few blurry pictures that make me smile. And the memory of Oden playing as usual but dressed like a lion will bring me joy forever. Take a look.
Sure, I was disappointed that the day didn’t pan out like I’d hoped, but it ended with a beautiful sunset, a happy toddler, and a few bite-sized candy bars for Mom and Dad. Those happy bits and pieces are what matters and I hope that’s what I’ll remember about this year.
Besides, there’s always next year, right?
One year ago: Autumn Chicken Salad with Apples and Bleu Cheese
the usual bliss 
A year can do so much to a little one: he is all grown up!❤️ And my, how fast he walks. I’m glad you had a day to cherish amidst things not going as planned.
P.S: The tail is my favourite part too!😉