Halloween through the years

I decided to scan Ashley's first few Halloweens into the computer so the collection could be complete.

2002

 Ashley's first Halloween she was 5 1/2 months old. The half is important when you are so small. At that stage she didn't get a vote. Since I always called her my princess, I dressed her up as a princess that year.

2003

 At one year's old, Ashley was still my princess. I dressed her as Belle, my favorite Disney princess. I love Belle because she reads a lot, and because she doesn't put up with a lot of nonsense from the men in her life. She is strong and independent. More interested in adventure than in dating. This was the first year I took her to the pumpkin patch at Little Acres.

 This was also the first year we took her to the Fire House Halloween Parade on Gordon Avenue. She won for the Kookiest costume in her age category. I think it was her white beaded "pock" (pocketbook) that put her over the edge in voting. Personally, I thought she was a shoe-in for Cutest costume. 

2004

By two, Ashley had more definite opinions. We celebrated Halloween at Disney World, where after much effort I was able to take a picture of Ashley dressed as Pooh with Pooh. Our Disney costume highlight pictures would make another good blog thread. The tradition of taking a Halloween pumpkin patch picture continued.

This was Ashley's first year trick or treating with a friend. Prior to this year, I just took her to a few friends' homes long before regular trick or treating began. 

We went to a few hours in our neighborhood with Sophie and her dog, Gigi. The girls are still good friends years later.

2005

Three-year old Cinderella searching the pumpkin patch for just the right pumpkin to turn into a coach for the ball.









Trick or treating with her best friend, Sophie. We only hit a few houses that year.

2006

 















Four-year old Pocahontas / Tiger Lilly (from Peter Pan). With her hair down, Ashley is Pocahontas. With her hair in braids, she is really Tiger Lilly. Same costume. Yes, it can be a bit confusing at times.

We went trick or treating in Allentown with my parents that year.

2007

Five-year old fairy (Ranie --before Disney decided to do away with the fairies by Gail Carson Levine and create their own knock-offs) flying through the pumpkin patch at Little Acres.

This was the first year Ashley had a last minute idea -- she wanted to dress up as Mary Poppins. I was stumped, but Ashley wasn't. She went to her dress up collection and pulled together a few pieces -- including the dress she wore in Aunt Becca and Uncle Bill's wedding, a leotard, a hat, some netting and she was set to go for the firehouse Halloween parade, always held on Mischief Night. 

She was not yet done, though, she wanted Don and I to dress up as Mary Poppins and Burt, while she dressed up as Jane Banks, while we trick or treated through Allentown. 

2008

Six-year old Ashley dressed up as Iridessa, one of Disney's official fairies. 


This was also one of two years we were homeschooling Ashley. We decided to go to Disneyland. Halloween lasts for about 6 weeks at Disneyland. However on October 31st, the Mad Hatter ("Sweet") took Ashley trick or treating through Fantasyland. Yes, it was a slow day in the parks as it was mid-week that year. This is one of my favorite memories of Disneyland.

2009

Seven-year old Ashley wanted to be a 50s girl, and I found a costume on eBay. Probably the simplest Halloween costume ever.













This was the first year she trick or treated with Emily on the other side of our neighborhood. They had a lot of fun canvassing the neighborhood together.

2010

Eight-year old Ashley was being very indecisive about what she wanted to be for Halloween, yet I wanted to take the annual pumpkin patch picture. She decided to dress as a Chinese girl, and have her doll dress in a similar attire. (The dress was a hand-me-down from Krissy, and part of her dress up collection.)

The day before the parade at school, she decided she wanted to be the Pillsbury Doughboy, a character Don and I have both been over the years (I went as the Pillsbury Doughboy when I had a "bun in the oven.")

Once again I asked Ashley, how do you see this happening? She went into her dress-up collection and her dresser, added the chef's hat Don wore with his costume over 20 years ago, and came up with a Pillsbury Doughboy costume. The kids in the older grades all got the inside joke and thought it was great!

She wasn't done yet. She decided for the firehouse parade, Don should be the doughboy and I should be Poppie Fresh, the female counterpart to the the Pillsbury Doughboy (otherwise known as Poppin' Fresh) and Ashley wanted to go as their child (Poppette Fresh?). Don had a costume. Ashley had a blue baby doll dress in her dress-up collection. I went to Red, White and Blue to find the right dress for my costume and added some white sweat pants and a mob cap. We took first prize for group costume at the firehouse. (Pictured at the Purple Cow.)

Trick or treating with Emily and Sofia.

2011

 Another year without purchasing a costume because nine-year old Ashley decides to dive into her dress up collection to become a hippie. In fact, she and her friend, Emily, both decide to dress as hippies that year. They did Trunk or Treat together at school, and trick or treated around Emily's neighborhood with Sofia and their siblings.

For us, though, Halloween 2011 will be marked by the first time Don or I remember it snowing in New Jersey before Halloween. Fortunately, it was the only time it snowed that "winter."

2012

Ten-year old Ashley decided to be a witch and put together her own costume. She also mastered the art of "flying" for the camera.

For the first time since Ashley was 3 she trick or treated in our neighborhood. It was fun being able to ring our own doorbell, and to see our neighbors. She loved trick or treating with Emily the past few years, and going to Allentown with my parents, but there is nothing like going door to door and seeing your neighbors, and having them see you in your costume. 

A bigger story about 2012 Halloween. We'll see what 2013 brings. I'm just hoping for no natural disasters!

2013

A beautiful night for trick or treating -- mid-60s. No snow storms or natural disasters. Perfect! Trick or treating with Emily -- hit both our side of the neighborhood and hers.






















2014

Ashley made her own Steampunk costume using hand-me-downs, thrift store finds, and crafts to create the costume. The goggles were purchased at a Steampunk festival.












2015

This year Ashley is going as Galinda from "Wicked." We lucked into finding a pink prom dress at Red, White, and Blue. This was the first year she went out without me. I'll admit I was a little sad. They went with a Broadway-theme and all looked awesome.

2016

Another year another Broadway musical. This year Ashley went at Alexander Hamilton from "Hamilton: The American Musical" and her school best friend went as Aaron Burr (same show). As Don was having open heart surgery that day, they trick or treated together and I did not see them. The next picture is from Maia's Halloween party. The last one was taken at Aaron Burr's grave in Princeton (his father was a president of the United States, so the former U.S. Vice President was buried near his parents). I think the weather was nice enough for trick or treating.

It has been a few years since I've updated this post. By the time Ashley entered high school and then college, Halloween was more on her and less on me. The pumpkin patch closed, thus taking away our annual photo op.

2020

Freshman year of college Ashley celebrated in COVID lockdown with Abby, who was supposed to be her roommate until Muhlenberg decided they should each have a single their first semester. They went thrift store shopping to find their costumes. I'll have to find those pictures to share. (Abby and Ashley were roommates their second semester of college.)

2022

Ashley and her girlfriend, Anna, dressed as Bert and Ernie. Ashley (Bert) had a shirt similar to what Bert would wear. Anna bought an official Ernie shirt from a Sesame Street shop. Paired with a rubber ducky found by chance at Target, they turned it into a photo shoot. They wore nametags when they went out to make sure people knew who they were trying to be. Quite clever!

2023

Ashley and Anna dressed up as chefs from Ratatouille. I don't have a story to go along with the picture.

2024

I don't have a picture, though I have been told it involved FRED Rogers, Ashley and Anna's cat.

2025

Pebbles. Bam-Bam. FRED Flinstone.

Oh Christmas Tree(s) 2012

After the Christmas Tree sagas of 2011 and 2010, I thought it noteworthy to write an update about our 2012 Christmas tree.  For the first time in the over 20 years Don and I have celebrated Christmas together, we did not get a real tree. Between Ashley's play and not being able to find a reasonably-priced cut your own place, we decided to stick with a "fake" tree.

The tree did manage to stay upright -- despite the best efforts of Lucy the kitten. Lucy did manage to break a dozen ornaments, but Don has mastered the art of Super-gluing items together and patched them back up again.

As we did in 2011, we had a Coca-Cola tree in the Coca-Cola themed family room, and a food-themed tree in the kitchen. We found a good sale on fake trees and bought a fourth one for 2013. This one will be put up in the dining room and include Disney ornament on it (no, our dining room does not normally contain a lot of Disney items in it).
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Also of note in our decorations is our nativity set. About 11 years ago Don and I were on the hunt for a nice nativity set -- a quest that took us to many stores in numerous states, but we never quite found one we loved. We found ones that were very, very nice by Lenox and other such companies, but with anticipating having a family, we didn't want one that would break during baby's first Christmas. We found cheap ones in the dollar store, and places with price tags not much higher. Then my Florida grandmother (Grandee) passed away in October 2001. While my mother was cleaning out her condo she found her nativity set and passed it on to us. I think of her every year as I unwrap the pieces, and again as I carefully put them away for another 10 monhs (or so). 

Undecorating tends to take place over Martin Luther King weekend. Just too much work to take the decorations down too soon. 

This weekend I'll finish taking down the decorations and thinking about Christmases past, present and future.

Hogmanay

For many years, Don and I found new places to celebrate New Year's Eve. We've honored the change of the calendar in Boston, Wilmington, Newtown, Haddonfield, Anaheim, and Berlin (Germany, not New Jersey). There was also a stretch of a few years when we celebrated with the Woodmans in Hamilton Square and burned calendars in a BBQ. This year's event was a combination of those events, but much closer to home.

For 15 years, Lawrence Township has held a Hogmanay at the Brearley House on Princeton Pike. Many of those years I heard about the event, and knew people who attended, but for one reason or another we did not go.

A Hogmanay is a Scottish tradition of burning of the old grievances of the past year to make way for good things to happen in the New Year. Well, I just made all that up. HERE is a link to what Wikipedia says about the event. It is a Scottish tradition, but one that lasts until the New Year, and this event just went from 6-9.

People gathered around the burning pile of wood and tossed in pieces of paper with their grievances with the past year. As I reflected upon 2012, I could not come up with something that went terribly wrong in my life. I have friends enduring cancer treatments. Friends who lost parents or other loved ones. Friends suffering from injuries, surgeries and health ails. Friends who lost jobs. And two friends who lost their homes due to Hurricane Sandy. 

My biggest grievance with the year was that I did not land one of the jobs I interviewed for in town. On New Year's Eve I was comforted by knowing I had a great freelance job that could lead to bigger and better adventures in the new year. On January 1, I learned the freelance opportunity was in the hospital on a respirator, with a slim chance of living. I didn't know that on the 31st.

The Hogmanay was a great chance to see friends. We bumped into the Dennis family as they were leaving, Pastor Katie, the Ballards, the Knabs, saw the Bohras, missed out on seeing the Davises, and I met Don's biking friend, Sylvia. I'm sure we knew a number of other friends at the event, but it was hard to see in the dark! I look forward to the return of Music in the Park next summer when I will continue to reconnect with friends at a fun event in Lawrenceville.

Happy Halloween -- Jersey Style

Superstorm Sandy put a crimp in our Halloween plans. This was the second year in a row weather impacted Halloween in New Jersey. Last year it was snow.

Ashley was very excited about her costume this year. About a month ago she decided she wanted to be a witch. I asked Ashley what that meant (the past few years she has been creating her own costumes out of her dress up collection).

She pictured a black dress. So we went to Red, White and Blue in Hamilton, NJ and found a woman's black dress for $1.50. Ashley cut it up and added some "patches" to it from her sewing collection. The hat was found at Target in their bargain bin section. The scarf was half a yard of Halloween fabric on sale at Target. The hair was a wig loaned to us by a theater friend. She decided the costume really needed leg warmers and striped socks.

I took her to Little Acres for the annual pumpkin patch picture. She decided to get into the action by "flying." 

Trick or treating ... this is what makes it a Jersey-style Halloween. Due to the wide impact of Superstorm Sandy, Governor Chris Christie (R) declared trick or treating would be postponed until Monday, November 5. Other towns more severely impacted changed the date to November 16th, or a different date that better suited them.

Unfortunately this meant the Halloween party at school was cancelled, though they did hold Trunk or Treat. 

For the first time in years, we trick or treated on our side of the neighborhood. It was a real treat for me to see the kids on our side of the neighborhood and knock on our neighbors doors. We went with Ayla, her friend, Lina, and Ayla's brother Noam. Her sister, Myah, went trick or treating with her friends.

In the end, Ashley had a nice haul of her favorites. The candy swap with Ayla and Lina meant each kid left with their favorites. What more can you ask for on a holiday that is really just for the kids?

Egg hunts

Easter weekend was quite busy. I went to 4 egg hunts -- two for Patch, one for the family and one for friends. They were each different, and each a lot of fun!


Township Egg Hunt
200 children -- 4 fields -- and one Easter Bunny. 


The morning started chilly, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. I covered the event for the Lawrenceville Patch:  http://lawrenceville.patch.com/articles/egg-citing-times-for-lawrence-easter-egg-hunts


I remember when Ashley was one of the little kids, we would go and see her township friends. It was a lot fun. Now, the only kids her age who do come, have little siblings. I saw my niece and nephew, and some other people I know, but it just wasn't the same as when I was one of the parents cheering for my little girl to find eggs.




McCormick Family Egg-stravaganza


A record number of the McCormick kids' classmates turned out for this hunt. That morning Debbi and Mike ran the Trenton Egg Hunt for the Kiwanis club. They took the 3,000 eggs out again and tossed them in their backyard. They also hide eggs with each child's name on it. The 30-35 kids had so much fun finding eggs, the McCormicks kept tossing them back out on the lawn. 








Venner-Hullfish Families Egg Hunt

The Venner and Hullfish families have been hosting an egg hunt in Lawrenceville since 1929. Even though families have moved out of the area, they return every year to dye 45 dozen eggs and hide them next to the Lawrenceville Swim Association. This year about 80 kids (including Ashley and a couple of her friends) hunted for these eggs. 50 of the eggs are identified with initials of family members. Kids who find those eggs receive a special prize. 


This year we helped them dye eggs on Good Friday. We loved the way they welcomed us into their family tradition and encouraged us to return next year to help again. Their goal is to keep this alive at least until the 100th egg hunt in 2028.


I love the tradition. I love the generosity of the families. We hope to help them again next year.


This was part of the same Patch article:
http://lawrenceville.patch.com/articles/egg-citing-times-for-lawrence-easter-egg-hunts

Family 


The last hunt had a lot less kids, but was a lot of fun. My parents, and Aunt Barbara hide a few dozen eggs around the yard and have the four grandchildren -- Aimee (almost 4), Daniel (4 1/2), Hayden (7) and Ashley (9) hunt for them. Ashley rehid some of her eggs so the little ones could find them and keep giggling. She is turning into such a big kid.