 Happy Halloween! “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” -Peter Pan  The cast of peter panAs I write this post, a baby is asleep on my shoulder and I’m cherishing being able to savor this moment of my baby sleeping in my arms. This year, we decided what to be all the way back in the summer. My oldest daughter had the idea of Peter Pan and each person picked their own characters. I loved how my middle son refused to be the crocodile and insisted he would be “the silly guy, Smee”. The babies had the cutest reaction and they were great sports about being dressed up. They loved the entertainment and excitement of the night. They even joined in the trick or treating fun.  Decorations and party time!The party at a friend’s house and trick or treating decorations were incredible! We couldn’t believe the pirate ship, wherewolf and creepy doll! (Check them all out on the slideshow/video, here! They went all out!!   Pirate house surprise See our shock and surprise (caught on video) as we trick or treat at the pirate house! OMG Arrr… (minute 4 of the slide show) Pot roast and sorting the goodsWe loved having pot roast with family and the kids loved their candy dessert! The babies even showed the big kids what candy they got! Make sure you don’t miss that in the slideshow!  Thank you so much to all the friends and loved ones who went all out to make this such a special night. We will cherish the memory of the night which is summed up in this 6 minute slideshow/video. Our slideshow from the big night! It was fun and we were exhausted by the end of it! Subscribers get all access to the FAQ’s and comments from strangers plus, emails when we post! You can unsubscribe at anytime. Thanks for following along!
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Decorating with the Kids
We love to getting our tub of halloween decorations out and let the kids decide (for the most part) where to put everything! Their favorite decorations are the ones they can play with. Here's a little video we made to show how we decorated this year.
A few years ago, we got these adorable velvet pumpkins which are still holding up great. The artwork next to it was made by Adam's talented aunt. Thank you again for the beautiful art, Auntie Deb!
 
We hope it's not too spooky to have so many skeletons! I saw a family with two young children on a walk after putting this creepy one coming out of the ground. They were talking about our skeleton and said, "We love checking on him on our walks." So I decided we would change up his position every once in a while for the people who like seeing how he's doing. I live in a very Halloween obsessed place... haha!
 
There seems to always be a decoration trend of the year (at least in my neighborhood). Last year it was these cute bats, which some people have again this year.
   
Giant spiders and spiderwebs like this one seem to be a trend this year, too!
 
The biggest trend this year has to be witches and witches hats, especially hanging them! I'm sure somewhat because the movie Hocus Pocus 2 came out this year. We loved the movie and it wasn't too scary for our kiddos. Our favorite part was definitely when they rode on the robot vacuums which we are actually highly dependent on in our home. See our favorite robot vacuum and more of our must haves, here.
 
I know this is a huge surprise to some but kids make the floor really messy... luckily technology (this robot vacuum) is helping us out with that. Here are some of our other must haves to surviving three sets of twins in just five years.
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This page contains affiliate links and I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through one of these links, at no cost to you. activities, costumes & Bookslast year Last year, the bigs and mids picked their own costumes so we had hodge podge of choices, a koala, Princess Elsa, a ghost and a pirate plus our two little pumpkins. Our first Halloween as a family of eight was so fun. I remember being exhausted getting everyones costumes on! I have a little trick that I've done for years... we have a dress rehearsal day where everyone makes sure their costumes fit and we get a great picture to post on Halloween. Then on the special day, we can just enjoy the moment knowing we have a photo ready to go.  From carefree newlyweds…  to a family of eight. First halloween pics for each set The Bigs’ First Halloween (photo: Sarah May)  The Mids’ First Halloween  The Littles’ First Halloween Here it is! Halloween costumes from our pastFrom newlyweds to a family of 8! Three sets of twins in 5 years. See our favorite Halloween photos from the past. Costume Shopping?Here's my favorite go for last minute costumes and accessories.... Subscribe and receive weekly blog and monthly newsletter updates. Spam, never and you can cancel at anytime! Follow along on social mediaComments, questions, wonderings? Please direct your questions and wonderings to the comments below or on one of the social media accounts, above. I am happy to answer questions and would love any suggestions for future blog and vlog topics! Thanks for following along. Like this post? you may like Here are the Halloween costumes the kids wore for the last several years! Obviously, we’re partial to animal costumes for babies!
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The bigs were almost two for Halloween 2017 and it was the last one I really chose the costumes. I did base them off of their interests at the time, but they were still too little to give input. I can still remember how much they lit up when they saw themselves in the mirror for the first time.
Lion and ZEbra
Photo By: Sarah May
This is the bigs’ first Halloween in 2016, oh, their cheeks! We had so much fun being first time Halloween parents. I think Halloween is way more fun with kids!
Pregnant with First Set of Twins
For Halloween 2015, I was way too exhausted from the twin pregnancy to do anything but stay in! It was the year rain poured all night, causing floods so I guess it worked out to watch movies and relax, inside. I was just starting my third trimester and we watched Beetle Juice, which I hadn't seen since I was a kid. The exhaustion of a twin pregnancy isn't even describable.
Jack and Meg White
We have always loved Halloween for the excuse to dress up! Check out this throwback costume when we dressed up as Meg and Jack White of the White Stripes. This was pre-babies in 2014. We were newlyweds!
Halloween Books
The Bigs' First October
Halloween Activities
I hope you enjoyed seeing our photos from our first six Halloweens! On Halloween Day, we’ll share this year’s costumes. They all picked their own out this year and I can’t wait. Don’t forget to subscribe to the email list and follow me on Instagram @halfadozentwins to see what they picked!
If you're up for a good laugh, check out one of the funniest things that ever happened...when the bigs were toddlers: Twins, They Will Team Up On You, so be sure to check it out for a good laugh.
If you're up for a good laugh, check out one of the funniest things that ever happened...when the bigs were toddlers: Twins, They Will Team Up On You, so be sure to check it out for a good laugh.
twins, they will team up on you!
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Have you Picked your Costume?
Amazon has endless choices for kids and adults and can be delivered last minute!
Click the link below to shop Amazon Kids Costumes!
Click the link below to shop Amazon Kids Costumes!
This page contains affiliate links and I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through one of these links, at no cost to you.
Pumpkin activities keep us busy all month long! Here are some of our favorites:
Make Pumpkin Spice Play Doh
Homemade play doh never gets old. Here is my favorite Home Made Play Doh Recipe that brings out the spicy smells of fall!
Homemade play doh never gets old. Here is my favorite Home Made Play Doh Recipe that brings out the spicy smells of fall!
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Orange Rice Sensory Tub
We bury plastic spider rings and vampire teeth in a large tub of orange rice. Measuring spoons and small cups are great for pouring and “measuring”. All you have to do is add some rice, red and yellow food coloring, and vinegar to a large ziplock bag, shake and let dry. Try to use a large tub so that it's less likely to spill on the floor. If it does, be careful because spilled rice is very slippery! Perfect time to get the robotic vacuum out! This one is my favorite. The kids LOVE this activity and to me it's worth the spills. To make the mixture, fill a freezer strength ziplock bag with desired amount of rice. For each cup of rice, add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar and yellow and red food coloring. Shake the bag until all of the rice looks like the color you're going for. The kids enjoy watching this process in addition to digging their little hands in, once it's dry and ready!
Orange Rice Sensory Tub
We bury plastic spider rings and vampire teeth in a large tub of orange rice. Measuring spoons and small cups are great for pouring and “measuring”. All you have to do is add some rice, red and yellow food coloring, and vinegar to a large ziplock bag, shake and let dry. Try to use a large tub so that it's less likely to spill on the floor. If it does, be careful because spilled rice is very slippery! Perfect time to get the robotic vacuum out! This one is my favorite. The kids LOVE this activity and to me it's worth the spills. To make the mixture, fill a freezer strength ziplock bag with desired amount of rice. For each cup of rice, add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar and yellow and red food coloring. Shake the bag until all of the rice looks like the color you're going for. The kids enjoy watching this process in addition to digging their little hands in, once it's dry and ready!
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Pumpkin Painting
We love to paint some of the pumpkins we picked out at the pumpkin patch! I like to get all of the supplies out and ready before the kids even know we're painting. Don't forget the paint, paper plates, paintbrushes, paper towels and wipes! I have them paint the small pumpkins on a paper plate so I can move them to dry, easily. For young kids, I have them strapped in their high chair to help prevent a major mess. Make sure the paint is washable! Here is my favorite kid's washable paint for painting pumpkins.
click the pic above to buy my favorite kid paint
Pumpkin Carving
We like to take all the seeds out, carve faces, count the seeds and talk about all of the senses we’re using. Read more about our Halloween Traditions and more, here! Don't forget to bake the seeds for a delicious, healthy snack! Here’s how to make buttery, salty pumpkin seeds. Delicious!
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Pumpkin Lanterns
I like to give the kids a kid hammer and large number of golf tee’s to hammer into the pumpkin. It keeps them busy as they have fun, developing their hand eye coordination! When it’s done, you can carve a hat and put a battery candle inside for a glowing lantern-look. So cool! Here are links to purchase golf tee's and crab mallets which work great as kid hammers!
click the pic above to buy online
click the pic above to buy online
I’ve also added five more Halloween books to the
Spooktacular Booklist:
Spooktacular Booklist:
Click the pic above to see the Top 10 Spooktacular Books for Halloween!
We just love to get messy and artsy in the fall when the weather cools! What are some of your favorite pumpkin activities to do this time of year? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
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2019 Halloween Costume Photo
Spirit Animal Costumes: Skunk, Raccoon, Deer and Bear
Next week I’ll post more past Halloween Costumes!
Next week I’ll post more past Halloween Costumes!
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HALLOWEEN BOOKS
HALLOWEEN TRADITIONS
PUmpkin activities
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This is How We Halloween: Our Pumpkin Filled Traditions, Clothes, Decorations And Books!
Halloween has always been one of my favorite kid holidays! From the pumpkin patch to the costumes, see how we halloween with two sets of twins! We’re still dressing up and parading but halloween will, just like everything, look a little different this year.
Halloween Traditions
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The bigs pumpkin carving on their second Halloween.
- Decorate the house near October 1st- decorating is a morning activity and the kids love to join in and help! The kids decorate their own rooms and I do the mantel. It’s fun to let them be involved in how we decorate. See velvet pumpkin decoration at the end of this post.
- Buy (or Make) Costumes Early- We’ve had sooo much fun with dressing up for Halloween! Dressing young kids up as animals, especially their own spirit animal, is the cutest! I like to buy the costumes a little big, so they will definitely fit on Halloween and they can get use out of them through the year! I just add them to our costume bin, after the big day. I also like to try them on as soon as they arrive so we can make sure they fit ok and wash them beforehand. About a week before the big day, we dress up and have a photo session! This makes Halloween night so much more fun because I can just post the photo that I have already taken -- one less thing to think about! On Halloween, we get action shots and enjoy the kiddos and the fun of the day! Next week, I’m going to post photos of all four kids from past Halloween celebrations, so please check back! I like to do twin costumes but this year, they’re choosing their own so they will all be individual.
- Pumpkin Patch- We love to go pick out our own pumpkins at the patch. Sometimes we do the hayride (this year, we're going to skip the hayride because of Covid) but we always see the animals. It is the one time of year we have donuts and cider for breakfast!
- Pumpkin Carving- I love this! It grosses Adam out... I usually carve the pumpkins while he’s at work. We like to take all the seeds out, carve faces, count the seeds and talk about all of the senses we’re using. Some of my kiddos enjoy this more than others. It’s funny to see who takes after who with the gooey mess!
- Pumpkin Seeds- We love to bake the seeds in the oven with just a little salt and butter. Just mix them in a bowl with a couple teaspoons of butter and pinch of salt, pop them on a cookie sheet for 45 mins at 300 for a delicious and healthy snack.
- Candy- This is not my favorite part of the holiday but it is the kids’ so I try to remember to keep it light and fun! I’m usually pretty strict about refined sugar and junk food. In the past, we've let them have one piece at the end of the trick or treating event, and then one piece after dinner for a couple of weeks. The kids collect their treats in a bucket and we stash them in the pantry in individual zip lock bags. We’ll see what happens this year!
Halloween Parade
This year, I plan to try to make our night as similar to what we do traditionally while keeping our bubble (our family, plus the four grandparents), safe. We will dress up, walk through the neighborhood, like a parade. If people leave bowls of candy at the end of the driveway, we will take one piece each but if not, we’ll just walk. I’m planning to leave a bowl at the end of our driveway and bring some candy in our stroller, just in case.
Halloween Decororations
Velvet Pumpkin and Aunt Deb’s (Adam’s Aunt) Halloween artwork.
Halloween and fall have the CUTEST decorations. I can’t get enough of the colors and warm, spicy feelings that come with the new season. These little velvet pumpkins are adorable and definitely a halloween trend this year.
These adorable velvet pumpkins are my favorite new decoration!
Click the picture for more info or to purchase!
Click the picture for more info or to purchase!
HALLOWEEN BOOKS
One of my favorite ways to get into the holiday spirit is by bringing out our Halloween and Fall books. I store the books away in the winter through the summer which makes it extra special when we take them back out. We like to try new books, too! Do you have any favorite Halloween book recommendations for us? Please let me know in the comments, below.
Here are some of my favorite Halloween books (click the pics below to order online!):
Here are some of my favorite Halloween books (click the pics below to order online!):
One of my favorite Halloween books is The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin. It is a story about a very special pumpkin who saves the day by being unique and not judging a book by its cover.
This book, Little Blue Truck's Halloween is from the Little Blue Truck series. I love the illustrations and the lift the flaps are sturdy enough for toddlers!
Pumpkin Soup has a lot of heart! When one of the friends from the old white cabin feels sad and leaves, the others realize they should have been nicer. They are best buds who learn to take turns and work together in this adorable book with beautiful illustrations.
I love Ten Timid Ghosts because it is a countdown book that brings numbers and number identification to storytime! The kids love the spooky story and pictures!
We love Pete the Cat, Trick or Pete from the series, Pete the Cat. There is also a Pete the Cat show on Amazon Prime that has fun, blues music. Our frogs croak when they hear the theme song. If you aren't already a Prime Member, I highly recommend Amazon Prime for many reasons including free Amazon shipping, Subscribe and Save, and Amazon Prime Shows and Movies which have great options for kids.
Amazon Prime has Educational Shows and Movies
Click the pic above to try Amazon Prime.
Photo By: Sarah May
Halloween Costumes and Activities
I can't get enough of dressing young kids up, they're SO cute! This is a throwback from the bigs‘ first Halloween! Next week, I’ll post photos of all four of our past Halloween costumes as well as my favorite Halloween activities. Get ready for some cuteness overload! Sign up below and never miss a post.
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Spam, never and you can cancel at anytime!
This page contains affiliate links and I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through one of these links, at no cost to you.
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Comments, questions, wonderings? Please direct your questions and wonderings to the comments below or on one of the social media accounts, above. I am happy to answer questions and would love any suggestions for future blog and vlog topics! Thanks for following along.
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Kathleen is a mom of three sets of spontaneous twins.
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