I know it’s only mid-September and Fall has just begun but I can’t help but be excited for Halloween next month. It’s one of my favorite holidays and since having Toodie I have enjoyed it even more than before. The creative costumes, festive candy, pumpkin carving, spooky decorations, and trick or treating make this ghoulish day fun for all ages. Even as an adult I love all of the excitement. After all, I don’t think I stopped trick or treating until I was about 15 years old! I always loved dressing up and going door to door with friends. I even did my fair share of  “knock and runs” in addition to stealthy snatching of filled candy bowls left behind by those who weren’t home. I think we all did that at least once time as a kid.  After a long night the best part was coming home, dumping our bags out, and trading our pieces of candy with one another!

Following in my footsteps, Toodie has grasped her own love and excitement for Halloween. I don’t know what it is or how it started but this girl can’t get enough of spooky ghosts, ghoulish gremlins, and scary skeletons. With no fears she makes mommy proud! When Halloween approaches one of our favorite things to do together is pick out costumes. With the exception of her very first costume, Toodie has helped choose what she wants to be each year. She normally changes her mind 10 to 20 times in a span of week, but we always end up with something super cute in the end! Looking back at memories from the past four years I enjoy seeing how much she has grown and how sweet she looks in her outfits. This year she is settled on Princess Aurora but we will see how long that choice lasts. Girls… always keeping their options open!

Toodie’s very first Halloween was spent in Colorado and boy was it COLD! We spent half the month there and the other half in Florida where we visited the pumpkin patch and enjoyed the warmer weather. She was only about 8 months old at the time and I went bonkers when I was saw how stinkin’ cute the infant costume selection was. It took me months to decide what she would be wearing but I finally settled on the Baby Blossom. Just look at that face! The cutest flower I have seen. If only I could pick her and put her in a vase!

The next year we decided on a little ladybug. Oh how I miss that short curly hair! I wish I could bring those bouncy ringlets back. This was the year that Toodie really started to appreciate the Halloween decorations around the house, and keeping the cauldron warm when there wasn’t any candy inside! Good thing she didn’t leave any surprises in there, or did she? I guess we will never know! I hope the kids double checked those Hershey Kisses that year…

Halloween #3 was accompanied by a ton of baking and eating! This year we helped grandma with a bake sale at work and made a ton of spooky treats including black cat cookies, monster cupcakes, and pumpkin whoopie pies. Toodie was the head baker and also the designated taste tester. She had just entered her “Disney Princess” phase and to accompany her obsession with the movie Tangled, decided to be Rapunzel. That long blonde wig pulled the whole costume together! Who would have thought a toddler could grow such luscious locks of hair so fast? I think this was my favorite year so far. Toodie also started to understood the whole concept of going to the pumpkin patch and picked out her very own to bring home. Since then, we pay a visit to our local Farmer’s Market each year to participate in their Fall activities.

Last year it was all about pirates, treasures, and shipwrecks. I found a simple pirate costume and used the accessories from a Jake & The Neverland Pirates dress up kit. This was the year I realized that I am no longer a spring chicken and I cannot keep up with the endless amounts of energy my child has! After hours of collecting candy Toodie still had a full battery and wanted to keep going. She ended up with two full bags of loot and was determined to organize each and every piece no matter how long it took. As you may have noticed in the opening picture to this post, I have one clever girl on my hands. When looking through her candy she picked up a piece of taffy and asked, “Is this a choking hazard mommy?” My munchkin is growing up so fast and sometimes I can’t believe the things she comes up with! 

That sums up another edition of #ThrowBackToodie. After looking back at four wonderful years of Halloween traditions and memories, I am only reminded of why I started this series. As years go by you tend to forget the little things and it’s always nice to re-live those memorable moments you have with your children. I can’t wait to see what fun this year will bring! So far we have accumulated quite a few traditions that we continue to practice each year. Maybe next month will bring about something new to add to our list. Do you have any special Halloween traditions with your family?