Shine with the Light of Jesus

Halloween came and went, but Asher noticed this year. People have asked me how I handle Halloween with the kids as a Christian. Asher doesn't care about anything but dressing up and getting candy.  That is what I remember as a kid. For us, there is no deep dark meaning. It is a day to get candy, dress up and have fun. Asher actually grasped the concept of trick-or-treating (although here in OK there is no trick involved like we had to do in Iowa).  He watched some cartoons and learned that if you dress up, go to the houses in the neighborhood and say 'Trick-or-Treat!' you get candy. Done! He asked to be Hulk...over and over again. Good thing a friend had a costume we could borrow. We had numerous opportunities to dress up and every time he wanted to be Hulk. You can see from the pics below that I put Ayla in a variety of costumes.  We dressed up for the Fall Free For All at church, for Tuesday and Thursday church, Friday to Trick-or-Treat at the mall, and Saturday for trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. At church during the week, the kids made Jack-o-lantern crafts that said, "Shine with the light of Jesus". I thought this was a great way to make a 'scary' holiday into something great!  

Supergirl, My Little lion, and Hulk!

 Fall free For All at church was Candyland themed in the preschool area. They had tons of inflatables and games to play. Ayla wasn't sure about it all.

Church dress up days.

Buckeye Cheerleader for one costume

Church day dress up

The mall was CRAZY busy.  It was cold and rainy out but I was not expecting so many kids! Ayla was scared, but Asher knew what he was doing.  We hit up about one-fourth of the mall, then went to the Disney Store (Mickey mouse grocery store) then ate at the food court. I would do it again, but I would probably start at the other end of the mall.

Mall trick-or-treating

By the end she was happy

Pumpkin Pizza of course!!!

Our neighborhood wasn't great last year for Halloween, so we went to the Russell's. Ayla loved it. She did it a little slower, but wanted to walk and strutted up to each door with attitude. The kids got TONS of candy. We had to dump the buckets under the stroller because they were overflowing.  It was fun going with friends too.

We went to the Russell's neighborhood and it was great! The kids had tons of fun.

The boys: Hulk, Lion and Link (Atticus is Asher's best friend)

The Girls: Supergirl and Alice (NaLora, Atticus' sister)

We painted pumpkins this year. Ayla loved her purple one. Asher made Hulk, Superman and Ironman.  I didn't have them under the awning and the rain washed the paint off...oops  Asher also helped put spiderwebs up on the house.

Overall, we had a great Halloween! The kids had fun and we definitely were able to teach a lesson on manners when they received candy.  It is fun seeing the kids grow up and catch on to more and more each year.  With the excitement of Halloween, I can't wait to see what Christmas brings!