Pumpkins! Er, make that one pumpkin, one very small pumpkin

Clare and I went to the pumpkin farm and corn maze the day Matt was coaching his team at the cross country UP Finals.  It was a bit chilly out and Clare didn't look like she was enjoying herself.  She never complained, but she seemed to be wondering what we were doing out in the middle of a dead cornfield... and why she suddenly found herself plopped on a hay bale.

I picked out the biggest $1 pumpkin I could find as Clare was in no mood to pick out her own pumpkin. 

(Holly, this next picture is for you.  Clare is at THAT stage now: the hands constantly in the hair and a bath needed every night.)

And...Clare finally understands what that orange thing is that Papa Bear is holding.  Now whenever we read The Berenstein Bears' Trick or Treat she has to point to her own little pumpkin.  It's pretty cute. She didn't have much interest in this book before. 

Halloween was a bust for us this year.  We were supposed to go to a trunk-or-treat party on Saturday night but Clare had fifth disease and was feeling really crummy all weekend so we didn't.  We could have gone to my parents' house Halloween night but Clare was still recovering lost sleep from the weekend where she was up every 4 hours needing more Tylenol, so we didn't.  I have to say, it's much easier to "skip Halloween" at this stage when Clare has no idea what she's missing.  (I'll admit I was looking forward to rummaging through her candy bag though...)  It did work out pretty well because Clare screamed every time I tried to put her lion costume on her.  She didn't like that the little vest had a fur-fringed hood that went over her head.  So I don't have any pictures of her in a costume.  :-( 

We didn't get any trick-or-treaters at our house this year.  Our long driveway and tree blocking the porch light are turn-offs, we think.  There were plenty of trick-or-treaters walking down our street when Clare and I got back from hunting but none ever stopped by our house.