But books aside, no Halloween weekend is complete without a ...
1) Pumpkin Carving Party!!
This year we were lucky enough to introduce our friends Patrik, Dorota and their 18 month old son Nils to the wonderful art of pumpkin carving. Halloween is slowly gaining popularity here in Sweden, so we were able to find a few pumpkins at our local grocery store. Next year we're hoping the holiday really kicks off and a pumpkin batch will spring up outside of town. I can hope, can't I?
First step, remove all the squishy goop...
...now let the carving begin!
Jack...
...and Nils taking a break from the carving fun
The final masterpieces...
Mama with her boys...
2) Dressing Up!
In keeping with last year's tradition, Alexis and I started to piece together a costume for Jacques the night before our Halloween festivities started. After both boys were in bed, we climbed into the attic to see what we had to work with. It's amazing what a too-small outfit, a brown tablecloth, a pizza box and a bit of paint can do. Jack loves horses at the moment...and a shaggy horse is what he became!
The preparation...
What do you think?...
And he's off...
...galloping at the speed of light!
Jack ended up loving most of his costume (the mane was a bit much for him...) and so we got to have a little horse galloping around the whole weekend. Clip clop clip clop...
3) A Scary Halloween Bash
This year we celebrated Halloween with other American families living in Stockholm. The American Women's Club was hosting a great big Halloween bash at one of the local indoor playgrounds, and we thought it would be a great opportunity to try to meet other families with young kids as well as try to snag some American Halloween candy. Jack had a great time running and playing with the other kids and he even got to participate in a mini trick-or-treating at the end.
Before the party...
First stop...the ball pit...
...and next the slippery slide with Papa. Whee!!
