Happy Hallo-Bean!
Well, Halloween this year was an epic fail on my part. But Bean? He NAILED Halloween this year…
He even roared.
My favorite part of this particular picture? The toes sticking out at the bottom. Classic.
Bean trick-or-treated like he’d been doing it for years. Like a pro. He’d saunter up to a house, smile sweetly, hold out his pumpkin bucket, and wait patiently while people fawned all over him and loaded his bucket with loot. Then he’d say, “Tank tou. Bye bye!”
I mean, he rocked.
You know who didn’t rock? Me.
In my defense, we were supposed to be out of town still on our camping adventure but we ended up coming home early because apparently it is difficult for pregnant women to sleep comfortably on a blow up mattress in a tent. Who knew?
So, we got back into town early and I had NOTHING ready for Halloween. Thankfully, I’d gotten Bean a costume for a Halloween party at his school so that was covered. But I had no candy, no decorations, no pumpkins. Nothing. Which meant that on Sunday morning I was frantically running up and down the aisles at Walmart grabbing anything orange. I ended up with tangerines, but then realized that I would become “that neighbor” who gives out fruit. I then also wondered if it was still legal to give out fruit to strange children. Wasn’t there some rule or law about individually wrapped things? No?
Anyway, I was in a pickle. Luckily, they still had a couple bags of candy (naturally, only the most expensive candy was left…). And I remembered seeing a pile of rejected pumpkins by a dumpster at a local church in my neighborhood. They had been selling them for weeks as a fundraiser and what didn’t sell they piled up in the trash in their parking lot. So, I made Chris take me over there and I picked through the reject pumpkins with other misfit parents.
This was all I came up with…
Aren’t they weird looking? What’s with those colors? I just crossed my fingers that in the dark they’d look…mysterious…or something. But really, I think they just looked like messed up pumpkins sitting on my porch.
To compensate for the pathetic pumpkins, I decided to collect anything Halloween-ish in my house and put it all on a table on the front porch. I thought maybe it’d look cute. But it just looked kind of weak.
Especially when you consider that some of my neighbors practically had haunted houses in their front yards. Eh, well. Minus ten parenting points for me for Failure to Execute on a Holiday. I’ll take my penalty and call it a day. I’m learning that in parenting, you win some and you lose some. As much as I’d love to be that mother who has it all under control, that will never be me. So, I’ll just take my little lion and head back to our imperfect, happy little house together. Life’s more fun when you’re dumpster diving for pumpkins anyways.
(Isn’t that cross-stitched on a pillow somewhere? No? Well, it should be.)
33 Comments
Jen at Cabin Fever
Oh my. Cuteness overload with Bean’s costume! You should’ve video taped the roar 🙂
And those pumkins are definitely spooky. weird, but spooky!
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is
Oh gosh. So cute I have no words.
Liss
Bean’s costume *almost* made me wish that Halloween was big in Australia. I truly giggled out loud when I saw the pictures from behind. So, so cute.
(And so is your bump. 🙂 I hope you’re feeling better.)
Danielle @ www.danimezza.com
Adorable Lion! The wagging tail was too cute for words.
Katherine
How cute is Bean?! I hope Halloween gets big in the UK by the time I have my children because some of the costumes out there for babies and toddlers are so adorable! Shame you had to cut the camping trip short.
Alaina
He makes one very adorable lion! And the pumpkins do look kind of spooky!
Tabitha (From Single to Married)
awww… so cute – love it!
Ashley
That is the CUTEST costume! 🙂 Oh my goodness, he is precious.
And no worries, this makes for a great story to tell him when he’s older! 🙂
Lindsay (YoungMarriedMom)
So cute! What a cuddly little lion you have! And I’m sure Bean had a wonderful Halloween, whether or not the house was decorated to the nines!
Lisa
Bean is adorable! I’m not used to seeing the kids and parents in summer clothes though during Halloweem. Up here in Ontario, the poor little ones and their parents were shivering last night and usually end up having to wear their winter coats under their costumes.
Francesca
I’m an italian girl…sorry for my english!My name is Francesca and i have 27years old.I don’t know how i’m arrived on your blog but i read it frequently(also if i don’t understand every thing!)I’m married with Graziano on 16may2009…after 11years of love!I saw your video “Happy 1st Birthday, Bean! ”
..it’s beautiful!And the post of Chris’s proposal!!We were in New York City for our first anniversary!I read that you’re pregnant …congratulation =) Francesca
Jenny J.
Soooooooo cute! You may think you are failing as a parent, but I think you are doing a great job!
And his halloween pictures/costume reminds me of the Surprised Kitty (Original) video on YouTube. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Bmhjf0rKe8) Gah! He’s so adorable, I just can’t get over it!
Life of a Doctor's Wife
Bean is the cutest little lion ever! So adorable!
And I think you rocked the holiday anyway. But I may be biased, because our “Halloween Decor” involved one pumpkin that we carved yesterday morning. What? That’s not “doing it right”?
Tressa
Bean man the Lion is adorable!!!!
I think you rocked the holiday Katie, you taught Beanie to say “tank you”!! That’s more important then any decorations. Manners goes a long ways!
Tiffany
Good LORD, that’s a cute Bean. He looks wonderful, so I don’t think you failed this year at all. He had a great time, right? It’s really all about making sure your kiddo has good memories! And the pregnancy thing gives you a get-out-of-jail-free card for now anyway!
Shelley
“Failure to Execute on a Holiday”
HYSTERICAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Megan
Hi there! I don’t think I’ve ever commented before but I just wanted to let you know that I love your blog!! I can relate SO much to you on so many levels, and this post just takes the cake. Little Bean is so adorable and he looks like he had blast. I am a last minute person too and this holiday snuck up on me! No carving pumpkins, no decorations, and a last minute costume. But you know what? Our little guys are none the wiser and we can just plan better for next year! Now let’s go hit those 50% post-halloween sales!
Miss M!
Bean is the cutest lion I ever saw! I don’t know about the big pumpkin, but around here those gray “Cinderella” pumpkins go for a premium price! You got a serious score on that one!
Gin
I’m looking through this post and instead of paying attention to anything you’re saying or even cooing over your adorable little lion, I’m paying attention to the fact you’re in a tank top. I grew up in Wyoming, so Halloween without cold and blowing snow is a baffling concept. This year, I’m in Idaho, and it was cold and raining.
Nova Kristin
ROFL dumpster diving for pumpkins. That had me snorting in my diet Coke! Too funny.
Bean is really cute!
Jaclyn
O.M.G. Bean is SO SO cute as a little lion! What a great costume! And for the record, I think the pumpkins have character, hehe. It’s like the island of misfit toys: Halloween edition. Halloween is the “weird” holiday anyway 🙂
Jessica S
oh my gosh- he is the cutest!
Mindee@ourfrontdoor
Hey! That was my excuse for lack of decorations. Get your own!
laurenbtrain
bean is the cutest lion i have ever seen!
Jessica M
aaaw! LOVE the picture of you, the baby bump and Bean!!
Isabel
I was staying at my parents house in Brussels this weekend and didn’t buy any candy because Halloween has only sort-of taken off in Europe. Big mistake. I had to tell a poor mother that I “didn’t know” it was Halloween. I felt pretty bad about lying to small children, especially being half-American and all. I gave the next trick-or-treaters five euros out of guilt! Luckily nobody else stopped by after that – at that point I had run out of small-ish change and didn’t feel up to any more lies! (Representing my country abroad = FAIL)
Ashley @ According to Ashley
Forget the decorations – Your kid is adorable! Loving the lion costume!
Maggie
I like the pumpkins actually. They look very chic. Very original. =)
Kristen
Oh, how cute is Bean as a lion! My littlest cousin (about a year older than the Bean man) wore the same costume, though the entire family went as the wizard of oz, so she got to be the cowardly lion. I happen to like the pumpkins, I mean it is Halloween after all right?
Kat @ Living Like the Kings
Bean is just the cutest little lion ever. And as for your Halloween – that isn’t so bad. You tried. And you even had pumpkins and candy. That’s not so bad. Besides, misfit pumpkins are scary and therefore fit in with the Halloween theme.
Casper
Wow, simply adorable!!
Megan @ Red Dirt and Crazy
I’m so glad I’m not the only one that isn’t perfect! I’m not good at decorating the house for holidays and such. I’m hoping that talent comes when the children are a little older and can help out a little. lol…
That is the cutest darn Lion I have ever seeen!!!! We could have had us one adorable little zoo! Q-Tip was a Zebra!
🙂
Megan
Sahsha's Mummy
laughing laughing laughing!!! Where DO YOU COME UP WITH THIS STuff? “Failure to Execute a Holiday?” “I’ll take my penalty .. LOVE IT!! Brilliant work Katie!