Halloween!

We did several different Halloween activities this year with Bella as she definitely understood the whole concept much more than last year.

Our first activity was decorating a pumpkin with stickers! Mommy may have helped guide this a little bit as a pumpkin face designed by Bella would probably not look as "correct." :) She had fun nonetheless!
We also carved a pumpkin kitty this year. We carved pumpkins with Bella last year as well, but she was totally freaked out by the ickiness inside the pumpkin and wasn't impressed at all. This time, however, she was very eager to help! Still not a big fan of the slime, but she was very excited to help carve. Although she did get a little mad when we wouldn't let her have the knife. "I wanna do it!" Ahh, how we love two year old independence. :)
Thankfully we appeased her with pulling the pieces out after Daddy cut them.
Posing with our beautiful kitty Jack-O-Lantern! We chose to carve a kitty face this year since both our girls were dressed up as- what else!- kitties! We let Bella decide what she wanted to be this year. She had considered being a princess, but ultimately decided on being a kitty. She then chose between two costumes- a black kitty and a white Marie kitty costume, from the movie the Aristocats. It took much agonizing for her to decide, but she chose the Marie costume in the end. :) So Miss Bella has now been a kitty for 2 out of her 3 Halloweens!
On the Saturday before Halloween, we took Bella to her first trick or treat outing at Night Eyes at the Zoo. She got to pose with some favorite characters- although she doesn't seem to be too thrilled about it!
With Clifford the Big Red Dog!
And Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and Glenda the Good Witch. Again, we were having a little difficulty getting her to look at the camera... :)
We took a "haunted" train ride at the zoo. Here is our miniature Marie kitty with Daddy!
And the big kitty with Mommy!
This was the best we could get Bella to smile for us. :) She's not too into picture taking right now! However, she did have a very fun time trick or treating at Night Eyes and loved getting so much candy.
We went trick or treating to Sully on the day before Halloween, and Bella and Grace got some presents from Grandpa Doug and Grandma Sheri! Part of Bella's present was a princess doll set- and her comment about it was "this is a really good present!" It was sweet. :) Miss Bella loves her princesses right now!
Opening her present from Mommy and Daddy on Halloween- and yes, that is a little stuffed Marie Kitty. Bella really does love that movie!
We couldn't get Bella to sit with Grace to take a picture, so Mommy had to jump in. Black kitty shirts with Chester the kitty! Wow, we might have had kitty overkill this Halloween. :) Poor Daddy; he'll have no choice but to be a cat lover with all of his cat loving girls!
And here are the white Marie kitty's- again with Chester the cat. :) I'm surprised she didn't want to take him along trick or treating!
We stopped at Grandpa Ralph and Grandma LuAnn's house before heading out, where Bella received another present!
Our whole family!
We went to trunk or treat again this year, which worked out very well. However, every time Bella got a piece of candy, she wanted to open it and eat it, which of course doesn't work there since we are in a big long line. I think we managed to hold her off by giving her a sucker. :)
She loved picking out what she wanted from the baskets!
We went to a a few of our neighbor's houses as well, and then headed home! Bella definitely likes candy more than she did last year, but thankfully she still doesn't eat very much of it. In fact, what she usually does is takes one bite of it and then gives it to me, saying "you can have it mommy." Thanks Bella. :)
This little miss slept through her first trick or treating experience in a sling on Mommy!
Grace looked quite adorable in her mini costume. :) When we first ordered the costume, it looked so huge to both Derek and I. But she actually fit in it perfectly! She is getting so big!
Enjoying one of her favorites- a sucker. :) Give Bella some suckers and M&M's and she'll be set!