Getting In That Spooky Spirit

Cate has been working on getting in that spooky spirit in preparation for Halloween today. First, it was by wearing her Halloween outfit from Grandma and Poppy (Eric's parents).Nanny and Poppy (my parents) also sent her a bunch of Tootsie Rolls, Reeses Pieces, a Halloween Elmo book, some new puzzles, a coloring book, and a jack o'lantern flashlight that she'll use tonight for trick or treating.

Friday after school I snagged the last small foam pumpkin at Michael's (on clearance already which was even better) for Cate to paint.
I figured that with foam, we could spray a clear sealant on it and use this as a decoration year after year. Heck, painting a fake pumpkin may even become a tradition here now. We'll have quite the collection once Brennan can participate too. Here's Cate with the dry and sealed pumpkin. Don't worry, we carved a real pumpkin too. Finished pictures to come when I post about trick or treating (we hit the streets in just under 2 hours).
Yesterday was also Cate's first art class at The Spotted Goose. When I saw the advertisement for the art classes, I couldn't resist. What a fun way to spend some time together with Cate before Brennan's arrival. The class said ages 2-6 and for the most part, yesterday's craft could be done with only minimal parent assistance. I still think Cate struggled a little bit, but she seemed to like it and asked to go back. So I'll take that as a good sign. They made spiders out of styrofoam and pipe-cleaners, as well as a mini-pumpkin.
Here she is with the finished craft at home later on yesterday. I'm hoping to do a mommy and me art class at a local art studio this spring. It'll be good for us both to get out of the house and do something together while Daddy gets some male-bonding time with Brennan. While the classes are more expensive than the ones at The Spotted Goose, Cate already attended one last spring and it seemed to be a little more of an actual "art class" than just a craft time. Still, I'm not complaining. Cate loves any kind of art or craft project. While waiting for their crafts to dry, Cate also got to hear a story about Halloween.
(In black and white because the color was off and I just couldn't fix it). The Spotted Goose staff also had all of the kids model some new "monster hats" they just got in. Look for a much better picture to appear on The Spotted Goose's website or in their email newsletter (they asked us all if it was okay to put our kiddos in there).

I'd say we're definitely in the Halloween mood. All we have left to do is trick or treat!

Happy Halloween!

~Melody :-)