One day I will start posting regularly and on time again, but as for now, here’s last weekend’s Halloween shenanigans. Ellie had a bit of a cold over the weekend, so we tried not to over do it, but man this child is hard to keep calm. She’s bouncing off the walls no matter what. She did go out on Halloween. We didn’t stay out too long, but our neighborhood is always incredibly busy and crazy on Halloween night. Ellie went a couple blocks and then was just as happy passing out candy till way past her bedtime. She dressed up as Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service (her favorite Friday night movie).
The end of the weekend we laid low. Spent most of it at home, until Sunday afternoon when we headed up to Carpinteria for their Dia De Los Muertos Festival and Parade. I thought it would be a neat cultural event for all of us to attend and it certainly was. Ellie wasn’t scared by the Sugar skulls at all. She followed the small parade and danced behind them all the way down the avenue. I made her a little set of sugar skulls, we read (I paraphrased most of it) this book and talked about things that were dead or gone. She remembered the “dead shark we saw on the beach” and the “dead possum who fell out of the tree”. So, we remembered the shark and possum and a few others who have left us too soon. I don’t think she understood much of what it was all about, but was touched that she remembered the shark and possum. We only just skimmed the surface when it comes to talking about death and since she’s only 3, I don’t think she needs to understand or know much more right now. But, it was a fun and very interesting event we got to attend and experience.
(p.s. the day after Halloween the switch witch came and took most of Ellie’s candy and replaced it with goodies (that Halloween Bunny was a last-minute request).
wow!! what an incredible festival!! i wish we had something like that close by. dia de los muertos is also a holiday that represents something so much more meaningful than halloween. i really need to implement the “switch witch” next year. it is such a brilliant idea.