Casa Irlanda: November 2012

BECAUSE THEY HAVE HOLLOW WEANIES!

Wanna hear that again, same time next year? I thought so. Should I also go on and on about how important halloween is to me? As I do every year. As it is every year. But really, you guys, I love this silly holiday. I stay up late making costumes. I decorate my house. And, it turns out, at least for her first Halloween, our Bean is a big fan too.

I decorated late one night. So it was like Christmas morning for bean when she came out to the living room. She laughed and pointed and immediately figured out what were Jack-o-lanterns, what were pumpkins, and what were bats. She had to say goodnight to the Jack-O-Lantern every night. And today, when I finally put him away for next year...well, she gave him a kiss and a hug. Her mother's daughter, for reals.

Another sign that we have a little Hallowbaby on our hands? She never once tried to take her costume off. The whole three hours she was in it. Happy as a duck in water. Did we mention she was a duck?

Story goes as this, Lyla's first word was Duck. I had started off the season trying to decide between lumberjack and chimney sweep for our first Halloween costume. We then decided she should pick her costume, as much as a ten month old can. So it was between Duck, her first word and her favorite book character, or Monkey her favorite stuffed animal. We wandered into a consignment store a month before halloween and this duck costume flung itself at us. And thus it was decided. "Duck!" "Duck!" "Duck!"

I was feeling a little bit weird about not making her first costume, so to dissuade the guilt I decided to throw a bow on it to match Dimity Duck, a character in this great book. She loved the book, she would point out the duck on every page and giggle when her pal Frumity Frog surprised her from under a lily pad. This little bow, and a stuffed frog turned our little ordinary duck costume into a literary character. Maybe next year she'll go as Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird, or maybe Ponyboy from the Outsiders.

With her duck farmers in tow, and meemaw the Leprachaun Mayor (oh where are THOSE pictures??), we headed off to fairhaven to brave the elements and get this Duck her first Trick or Treating experience. She was happy, and cozy, and after some time in the bookstore she was ready for home. All in all it was an amazing family Halloween.