Batman and Robin

I volunteered to make cupcakes for the Embassy Halloween party yesterday.  I summoned my inner Martha Stuart and this is what I came up with; Oreo spiders and bloody vampire cupcakes.  The bloody ones turned out a bit gross to look at... but that was the point!

Keenan insisted on being batman this year so Van got to be Robin.  :)  

 Batman being serious

 Once Van figured out that there was candy he didn't want to leave each person.  He insisted on picking out his own piece then wouldn't leave.  We had a few tantrums...

There was a local news crew doing a piece on "Halloween" as it's not a Slovene holiday.  Keenan was interviewed  but unfortunately we didn't know until after.  Bummer but, we heard he did great telling them all about him being Batman!

 I went as a Packer fan,  not the cleverest costume, I know...

After trick or treating at the Embassy we ended with a party at the Marine house where there was more candy, cupcakes galore and all the sugar a kid could want.  Van promptly fell asleep in the car on the way home and didn't even wake up when I changed his diaper and threw him in bed... ok I gently set him down and covered his sweet sticky face with kisses!

Parents get Halloween too!

Eric and I got to get into the Halloween spirit too!  We were invited to an adult party and had to scramble to get costumes ordered and luckily they came in on time.  We went as the Saturday Night Live cheerleaders.

A few hours before we left for the party Van spiked a fever so I gave him a little bit of medicine and gave the babysitter strict instructions to keep taking his temperature and to call us immediately if it got any higher.  I felt bad, Van just wanted to cuddle.  Luckily though, he didn't care who he cuddled with.  We were able to stay at the party for a little while before we got the call to come on home.

 Who's ready for the perfect cheer?

 The Fredan's threw a great party, complete with roasted Columbian Ants...WHAT?  Yes Piedad had roasted Ants for uhm... appetizers??  When she offered me some I said "sure, why not"  At first glance I thought they were covered in chocolate as the bowl looked like it contained large round brown balls... wrong!  The ants were just frickin' huge!  The picture above is me and Marush contemplating whether we should really  put the ants in our mouths.  Burnt, stale popcorn was the consensus of the flavor of the ants.

"Who's that Spartan in my Teepee? It's me, It's me!"

 Check out the shadow behind my head.

Can't be a beekeeper without a little honey liqueur

Imhotep as well... Imhotep

 Matt and Michelle as a 50's couple.

The next morning I asked Keenan if he had fun with Spela (the babysitter) he immediately got on his frowny face and said "NO! Spela wouldn't play with me"  Poor Keenan he usually loves Spela and was mad at her since she had to hold a sick Van all night instead of playing with him.  :(  

Halloween (a week early)

All the Embassy kids plus a few friends got to do their trick or treating a bit early this year.  Where do we trick or treat in a foreign country that doesn't celebrate Halloween you might be asking... we trick or treat at the embassy.  The kids still go door to door but its more like office to office.  Keenan was pretty excited about it this year and now when ever he wants candy he says "trick or treat" to me.  I think I need to do the "trick" bit...  When I was ordering Halloween costumes Keenan was very insistent that he be "Dr Keenan" he loves his little Doctor kit and plays with it often, he likes to give shots the best.  Maybe he inherited the medical gene  from me and my mom. And Van went as "Bat Van"

Bat Van and Dr. Keenan

It's so hard to get "normal" faces from Keenan for pictures

check out Van in the background

Keenan all ready to start the "trick or treating"

Yes, I was boring and didn't dress up...

 Happy Bat Van

Bat Van's wings

All the kids ready to go!

Dad too!

After trick or treating we all headed over to the Marine house for a party.  The marine house is a great venue as they have a pool table, a big TV, lots of space and a large yard that is completely fenced in with a guard at the front gate.  Yes, we let Keenan run around until he's all wore out...well until I'm worn out.  Apparently by the time we got to the Marine house I was over taking pictures as I didn't get any here.  I think Van sacked out almost immediately on me so I was confined to the couch holding him anyways.

The adult costume party is tomorrow so stay tuned for pictures of Eric and I all dressed up... so stay tuned.

Marine Halloween Pary

Eric and I went to the "adult" Halloween party at the marine house the day after the kid's party. I used an old vampire cape and teeth I had from a few Halloween's ago while Eric and his friend Joe went as the "More Cowbell" skit from Saturday night live (you really have to see the skit to get it).

A group of us went to dinner first... we got a lot of stares as Halloween is not celebrated here. The marine's had a pretty good turn out, lots of people there in some pretty good costumes. I left the party early... being pregnant (and not being able to drink) really wears me out!

And of course a cute picture of Keenan.

Happy Halloween!

Friday was the embassy Halloween party for all the kids. Since quite a few families thought getting their flu shots right before the party would be a good idea I had my nanny drop Keenan off so I could get him ready in between giving shots. Keenan even watched me give one of his friends a shot and was pretty concerned why I was hurting him.

It didn't take Keenan too long to figure out the saying of "trick or treat" and opening up his candy bag.

Arrr! Keenan was a pirate. By the time I brought out the camera he was too interested in the candy to get a good picture. He looked pretty darn cute though running around with his sword saying "Arrrrr". He even found a few other kids who had swords to "fight" with.

It was hard to keep Keenan moving down the hallway because he just wanted to stop and eat his loot! The trick or treat route went through the offices in one section of the Embassy and ended up in a big conference room with games and a fun little car on a slide. The car slide was a big hit with the little kids and was the cause of a few tantrums while the kids were trying to wait their turn.
Finally, get to stop and feast on a some candy!
Last year Eric had to work late so it was fun that he got to partake in the festivities this year.
How boring are we, Eric and I didn't even dress up.

Pumpkin carving

Pumpkins are hard to find here in Ukraine so I asked my nanny a few months ago to keep her eye out and to please find me some pumpkins. Vera came through and we got our pumpkins! Yeah! Keenan thought pulling out the guts was great fun, after that he was bored and waited until we were all done and ready to light the candle to come back. These pumpkins had a sweet melon smell to them and some of seeds inside were sprouting.

Wah-la! Finished product. Good job Eric!
It took Keenan a little convincing to not sing the "Happy Birthday" song and blow out the candle.

Happy Halloween!

The Embassy had a Halloween party yesterday complete with trick or treating for the kids. As I walked to bus on my way there I noticed a lot of people pointing, some laughing, others looking slightly puzzled at my little dragon.

After Keenan got his first baggy of candy, some swedish fish to be exact, he plopped down on the floor and wanted to enjoy his treat. After a little coaxing I got him to move on, the next stop had the choice of either an apple or candy. Keenan chose the apple (good kid!) and once again sat down to enjoy his treat. Here's Keenan with an apple in one hand and chocolate in the other.
Why wouldn't you eat the frosting first??
Conversations with a bee...
I thought they looked so cute sitting by each other enjoying their juice. When Keenan's ran out he immediately grabbed hers which resulted in two kids covered in juice.
Here's most of the kids posing with the Ambassador. Keenan is sitting on the neighbor girl's lap. It was all kind of chaotic...lots of kids running around...lots of sugar...
Keenan was exhausted when we finally made it home and pretty much went right to sleep. Yeah!