Prelude to Halloween

We've made it our goal to hit up as much free Halloween festivities as possible.  Fall festivals, pumpkin patches, neighborhood parties--they're all on our agenda o' fun.  Because, realistically speaking, this is probably the last time in a long time that we'll be in the States during this time of year.  Unless of course Halloween starts to sweep China, which my friend Rachel did encounter when a group of Chinese kids surprised her at her door trick-or-treating.  Unaware that China even knows about Halloween and unprepared with candy, she gave them dinner rolls.

Dinner rolls, however, have not been a part of our kiddos' Halloween thus far.  Instead, we kicked things off by taking our little dinosaur/dragon (we're not really sure exactly what the costume is supposed to be) and frog to a local church's fall festival.  We were accompanied by our neighbor friends Mickey Mouse and Darth Maul.

This festival was pure madness.  A perfect amalgamation of games, bounce houses, petting zoos, hay rides, candy, and sno-cones.  Pretty much a toddler's dream world.

We figured the most appropriate place for a little frog to start his evening was at one of the many bounce houses.  And bounce he did.

And then back for more.

Then we moved on to games.  Sam was more interested in the fish illustrations and running away with the game pieces than the treat that came out on the other side of the fishing pole.  That may or may not have had something to do with the fact that I refused the treats as often as I could without him noticing. Yes, I am that kind of mom.

The petting zoo was an anarchist version of Animal Farm.  No one was marshaling the entrance to the pen so there were dozens of toddlers crammed inside with all the animals.  Bunnies were nearly stepped on, and I saw one little boy try to beat up a goose.  Let's just say it was a good thing no PETA activists were there.

Our kids, thankfully, didn't terrorize Old McDonald's furry, feathery, and wooly friends.  Not that I would put it past them.  I just think Micah was too scared of the screaming piglet. 

But Daddy the bovine whisperer stepped in to rescue him, so Sam the Brave could pet it as well.  

Thoroughly doused in hand sanitizer, we moved on to the highlight of the evening: a scenic hay ride through the parking lot.  

You might be wondering why Sam isn't in any of the above hay ride pictures.  Sam loves all thing wheels and sings Andrew Peterson's "Tractor, Tractor" song incessantly throughout the day.  So when the tractor pulled up, while all the other kids gravitated toward the trailer, Sam went the opposite way.

We're pretty sure touching a real, live tractor captivated him more than the views of the highway.

We brought our tired & happy buddies home that night with promises of more Halloween to come.