Trick or Treat Festivities

We finally found some free time two weekends ago to carve pumpkins. Purchasing pumpkins in Iwakuni is a pretty cut-throat process.  Since they aren't grown here, they get flown over on a C-130 and sold at the commissary at obscene prices, and you have to be quick.  I was able to score one giant pumpkin and a few smaller ones.  We had been brainstorming ideas for carving and painting for awhile; we usually take the activity VERY seriously, and there is also typically a contest involved.  Unfortunately, we were slacking this year.  It seemed impossible to find enough free time to actually engage in our annual tradition, so we only kind of did it this year. Jesse carved his pumpkin while I tried to help Fletcher paint his. Unfortunately, he was more interested in licking the paint brush than actually painting the pumpkin, and I lost interest after about 10 minutes.  Jesse carved out the Kintai bridge on his pumpkin, but the awesome Japanese humidity caused it to implode less than 24 hours later.  And I never got around to carving mine or making anything for Baby S.   Basically, the Simmermons experienced a pumpkin fail this year.  We'll get 'em next time.

Fletcher did get to attend his very first Halloween party at a friend's house.  He thought it was pretty amazing.  He dressed as Spiderman because he didn't want to get his cowboy outfit dirty before trick or treating.  I always love getting to secretly watch him engage with kids his own age.  I know that he's very independent and social and sweet, but I don't get to see him play at school. He also acts very differently around Jesse and I than he does around his buddies.  There were lots of kids at the party, and several of them were also his age.  He loves to sit on anything resembling a chair (Santa took notes and is very busy in his workshop) and babble with friends.  I noticed that he's also very good at sharing and I really hope this is a quality that sticks around, especially after he realizes that his "baaabyyyyy" is a real person and not just a giant tummy that you have to rub gently.  

This past weekend was trick or treating, and Jesse had the ENTIRE Saturday off from work.  You never really know when this will happen but I thought fast and planned a day trip to Hiroshima.  We went to Alpark Mall, which we've never been to before, and it was AMAZINGGGGGGG.  It was actually a real mall. We walked around and marveled at the sight of Gap, Godiva, Starbucks, H&M, etc.  Additionally, there is an indoor play space for kids that is very gymnastics/run around like a lunatic, friendly. This was really great for me because I got to play pregnant lady while Jesse rough-housed with Fletcher. Speaking of which, we really need a yard because this kid could run around all day.  The only downfall was the sand pit. I believe I've spoken previously of my aversion to sand. The mess really makes me anxious.

We arrived home just in time for a quick dinner and trick or treating. Fletcher was completely clueless as to why we were so excited for him, until he realized there was candy involved.  Candy is pretty great.  The base opens up on Halloween so that the Japanese can go trick or treating.  They kind of get a kick out of all of the American holidays, and will become your fast friend so that they have someone to sponsor them to go on base.  I guess it's nice of the base to open up to the public, but it also means that the candy runs out pretty quickly.  Poor Fletcher wobbled/ran as fast as he could up to a couple of houses that were out of candy by the time he made it to the door.  He stuck it out though and ended the evening with just enough candy to make me really happy for a few days.  He also received A LOT of compliments on his costume. Aunt Jen nailed it with his authentic cowboy gear and he proudly rocked those boots every day up until Saturday.  There were also chaps involved but he refused to wear them.  He started to get sleepy about halfway through the evening, but we kept handing him dumdums and he quickly rallied.  By the time we got home he was running circles around the house, pretending to vacuum the play room, and every time I said "it's time for bed" he would lay his head on the floor and start laughing.  This kid cracks me up.  I'd say his first trick or treating experience was a major success!