"Just Another Tradition"

When I was a kid I was always taken to the church's pumpkin patch. I ALWAYS spent it with my dads family, as my mom is not a fan of Halloween. We ALWAYS ventured to the PP about a week before halloween to pick out our pumpkins for carving (drawing or painting when we were littler) and on Halloween we went to the 'Fall Festival' at church in the early evening and then Trick or Treating once dusk hit. Halloween is a 'holiday' I remember with very fond memories.

My family is BIG on tradition and so am I. So, naturally, when I found out I was pregnant I spent many days just day dreaming about the traditions my family had in place and how I would carry out; I wondered if I would alter them in any way and I thought about possible new traditions I would want to introduce.

E was born in April of 2008, we just missed Easter that year (by 1 week!) and she was 3 months & slept through most of the 4th of July. So when October hit I was giddy with excitement; her 1st Halloween! She was 6 months old. By then she was Sitting on her own and crawling around like a maniac. She wasn't sleeping all the time anymore and she could kind of understand what was going on.

I was on my own for roughly 10 days as my parents were out of town for a conference for my stepdads work, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from carrying on a tradition with my daughter. I was after all a single mom, I did want to include nana & papa but that was not an option. So off to the Pumpkin Patch we went...

E amongst the Pumpkins... Oct 2008... 6 Months Old

E at home posing with the chosen two... Oct 2008... 6 Mons Old

(if you are wondering the little one got colored and the large one was carved)

...

A tradition is not a tradition if it is not up held year after year, so last year we ventured out, a little closer to Halloween than I would have liked because in FL it stayed close to 100* the entire mon of October (it was bad! Pumpkins were rotting!) we didn't want ours to melt... 

Even in the horrible HEAT we ventured out, to a different patch than in 2008, I was not as pleased. But We got some cute shots and a few pumpkins! Gotta support the YOUTH GROUPS at the churchs people!!!

OCT 2009... 18 Mons Old

E sitting pretty w.our large family carved pumpkin & her freshly colored on (with marker... look closely) baby pumpkin. The only paint I had at the time was water colors & puffy paint, neither of which would do, she was fine coloring it.

OCT 2009... 18 Mons Old

...

To keep tradition what it is and get in the fall sprit, we ventured back to the patch of 2008, as I was very pleased with that one. As it turns out E's best friend Mallory & her mommy go to that one as well! So we joined Mal, Ashley (her mom) & Hayley, Saturday for a morning of chasing toddlers around pumpkins and trying to snap cute pictures. 

My adorable daughter, posing like a pro! You would never know it but that is her THIRD outfit... yes we did wardrobe changes! This is one of my favs so fall-y & festive-y.

OCT 2010... 2 years old

My diva, back in her original outfit, posing with the chosen 3 (thanks to Hayls, E got the tiny one too). This is a must picture! We have taken one like this since 2008. I love it. (Later on saturday E painted her pumpkin & Sunday the large one was carved, the baby one is on display in our home).

OCT 2010... 2 years old

...

On Halloween E will adorn her costume, made by yours truly and we will go down to the church for the 'fall festival' and then once it gets dark I will take her trick or treating (either in our neighborhood or in my grans with her cousins like I used to do), Just like year. Although this will be her first 'fall festival', last year due to construction, FF was canceled. We are more than happy to welcome it back.

I can't wait till Thanksgiving (31days)!

and...

Christmas! (61days)!

Those traditions are just as fun!

**What are some of your family traditions? Did you carry them on with your children or do you plan too?

...

Keep up in between posts, I Tweet , A lot.

xo

-Kandid Kelli