Friday, November 2, 2012

Alvin & the Chipmunks and our Enchanted 31st day of October

Our first Halloween Costume fun:
Modern Day Alivn & Chipmunks!
 I had the A shirt made by a local seamstress 
and she did an amazing job!  Thank you Allison. :)  



I've shared before in this post, Candy Corn Sunshine, why we don't celebrate Halloween.  I don't like to celebrate ugly, scary, or death.  I prefer light, beauty, and life!  However, I've been doing a lot of thinking (totally normal for me!) and soul searching (again totally normal for me) and I decided to interject some of the exciting, enchanted, harmless, Halloween activities into our lives.  I don't want to sweat the petty things.  I'll forever stand by my core values and I remain solid in my foundational beliefs, but dressing up and cashing on on free candy didn't have a moral impact on our lives this year...oh and did I mention FREE candy?  So, we've come over to the dark side!  ...because they have candy.  {wink}







I celebrated Halloween in some of my early childhood years, and in later years we stopped.  I enjoyed BOTH experiences!  Dressing up and walking our neighborhood was a true delight, but the other years were extra fun too because my parents would plan special alternative fun for us on that day!  

Moment captured of a Halloween past:
My brother and me being super!

     photo via my Instagram account


One of my first Halloweens as a child.  
My Mom made me this lil pumpkin costume!



The ONE thing that thrust my thoughts into a whirl, circling in my head, was when I thought of the idea of dressing our boys up as the Chipmunks.  My Grandpa called our boys the chipmunks.   He passed away this year.  It has been a difficult journey within my spirit.  Talking and writing about it is a great struggle because I really don't like to cry.  Not having one of my most loved people here with us on earth brings sharp pain.  I wanted the boys to be Alvin and the Chipmunks this year in honor of my Grandpa!    Every single time we would talk on the phone, he'd ask how his "chipmunks" were.  He spoke the word, "chipmunks" with gusto and fire, full of life in every syllable.  Talking about our boys (his chipmunks) made him most happy.     Even when we attended his memorial service, we had handfuls of people approach us and say, "Oh! So these are the chipmunks I've heard so much about!".   Therefore, naturally, dressing our boys up as Alvin and the Chipmunks this year reminded us about Grandpa all day.  



Ironically, each boy fit each chipmunk, in birth order! 

 The oldest, Simon, responsible and studious, is definitely our Cameron!  



 The middle, Alvin, who discovers adventure turned disaster, always motivated,  with a happy heart, is definitely Dakotah! 



And, the youngest, Theodore,  who depends on his brothers, takes his time, and enjoys to eat is definitely Titus!  



We thought it was IDEAL that each chipmunk character perfectly fit our boys! 




It all started a few years ago when my boys would sing along with the Alvin & the Chipmunks holiday album.  In their high,  fastforward, best chipmunk voices they would all sing the Christmas carols together.  I shared about that is this past post HERE.

A few years ago, my parents bought them Alvin, Simon, and Theodore stuffed animals for Christmas Eve.  Every Christmas Eve, we pull them out, the boys line up, and they sing their best chipmunk Christmas carols.  This will be our first year that they won't be able to sing the chipmunk carols to my Grandpa over the phone as he chuckles along during the entire song, but we won't forget him as they sing, because my Grandpa's strong, loud, love stays here with us.  




And so, Grandpa! These Halloween costumes are for you!  The boys will always be your chipmunks.  



Allllvinnn!!!!!





We experienced the entire enchanted celebration of the 31st...

trick or treating...





Pumpkin carving! 
More about our pumpkin carving party in a future post! 
 I'll also explain what 1610 means. ;) 







After school treats! Remember our USA Sugar Sips layered drinks?  They kinda did a little viral tour over the www!  I've made a few color combos since then and thought these candy corn colors would be super cool for Halloween!  To learn how to make them, visit my past post HERE



Caramels and candy corn taffy!



And to finish off our night, we joined our neighbors at their front porch fire pit to roast marshmallows and make s'mores on this scary night!  Their son, Ryan, was wearing a dark, long, black, robe with a jack o lantern mask and he sat on a stool beside the fire, in the darkness.  He jumped out and scared.me.to.death. as he yelled BOO.  I screamed and jumped like a mad girl.  It was all madness! Well played, Ryan, well played.




To end our day, when I went into our room,
 I found a surprise note from Dakotah. 
It read, "Thank you for letting me do fun things.  I love you."

It was my favorite part of our first Halloween day...
 and these special things are also one of my favorite things 
about my life and being a mama.  



 This simple note of gratitude touched my heart and still won't let go.  I can't stop smiling inside.



I hope your enchanted day of magical fun
on this 31st day of October
 was bright and full of life! 



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This post is linked to: Under the Table & DreaminNifty ThriftySeasonal SundaysMade by You MondayMet Monday, Tuesday Tutorials and TipsHOMEWORK: Be InspiredTasty TuesdayTip JunkieGet Your Craft OnWorks for Me WednesdayOrganize and Decorate EverythingCelebrations at Home,Transformation Thursday,Tablescape ThursdayStrut Your Stuff36th AveFoodie Friday, Frugal FridayI'm Lovin ItTickled PinkFriday Flair, Design Dazzleeighteen25Be Different Act NormalFunky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up sew many ways Six Sisters Saturday


6 comments:

Nicole @WonkyW said...

Love the cute & simple chipmunks costume idea. And how sweet of your kiddo to leave you a thank you note, what a gentleman :)

caveman said...

As beautiful as this post is, it is very difficult to read. I miss your grandpa too. I hope those three chipmunks never lose sight of the legacy of love that he passed down.

the cape on the corner said...

aww, so sweet and creative!

Kelly said...

veru cute!

Anonymous said...

Ahhhh, Sweet post!

You were so adorable as a little girl!

The boys are too cute too in their perfect costumes, tooo!

Stephanie said...

Super cute costumes!