Happy Halloween! The Halloween fun continued into this week, even though we’d already had a good share of activities over the weekend. While Dan had carved his pumpkin at the Halloween party on Saturday, Mio and I decided to paint our pumpkins at home this week. She’s still a little too young to be wielding a knife, so we thought painting would be a much safer alternative. 😉
Painting our pumpkins at home together.
Mio kept saying, “Pumpkin! Paint!” and while we each had our own pumpkins to paint, she kept dabbing her paintbrush on mine to help me paint my pumpkin. So sweet!
With our completed pumpkins this morning. Happy Halloween!
Mio and I’s painted pumpkins next to Daddy’s carved pumpkin.
Earlier this week on Tuesday, there was a little Halloween event at Mio’s preschool! Parents were invited to come by earlier than the usual pickup time, so we could sit down in the classroom as the kids sang to us. It was our first time really getting to observe our kids in the classroom setting, so I was really looking forward to it!
The sign on Mio’s preschool classroom door showing the kids’ names.
While Mio was quietly sitting in the circle with all the other kids in the class when I entered, as soon as she noticed me sitting at the table, she sprang up and clung to me, refusing to sit back down in the circle and sing with the other children… much to my dismay because I wanted to see her participating like all the other kids. Oh well… she’s the youngest one in the class (they let her into the class this year even though her birthday was just past the cut-off date), so I guess she’s still comparatively a bit of a baby and has some separation anxiety issues. After the kids finished singing their songs, they were invited to change into their costumes for their mini Halloween parade outside.
Mio changing into her Snow White costume for the third time in a week…
The 2.5 year old class is the youngest class, so that day they walked out into the parking lot, showing off their costumes to the older classes that were seated across from them. The older classes then sang songs to the little ones — it was really cute!
Mio being bashful in front of the older kids.
The 3’s and 4’s classes singing to the 2.5 year old class children.
Taking a picture of all the kids in Mio’s class together… or trying to.
It was tough getting them all together in a picture, so this is just some of them. What a cute bunch!
Happy Halloween, everyone! Hope it is eventful and full of fun. 🙂
Mio had a fun-filled Sunday afternoon as we took her out for her first real trick-or-treating experience! We hadn’t introduced trick-or-treating to her the last two years, because we figured she was too young for candy, but now she’s definitely at an age where she can understand and appreciate the concept and of course the treats! A growing trend at community centers and churches in recent years is trunk-or-treat — it provides a safe and fun alternative to the tradition of going to door-to-door asking for candy. Volunteers gather in parking lots, their car trunks open and decked out in decorations and sometimes games, handing out candy to trick-or-treaters. It’s also an easier option than the traditional walking door-to-door for younger kids (as they tend to easily get tired) because they can still get plenty of candy without having to travel as much. Mio’s preschool had a Trunk-or-Treat event which we went to first, and then we continued onto Vienna Baptist Church, which probably hosts the largest Trunk-or-Treat in the local community.
Trunk or Treat at Mio’s preschool.
She got the hang of trick-or-treating pretty quickly!
Mio making her way around the preschool parking lot.
Playing a game to win a treat!
The second Trunk-or-Treat event we went to had an accompanying fall festival for kids, with lots of games, activities, crafts, and face painting that they could partake in before they went trick-or-treating around the parking lot.
Mio throwing her fishing line over to get some candy.
She got some fruit snacks!
Getting her face painted.
The finished facepaint: an apple to go with her Snow White costume!
Time for Trunk-or-Treat, round two! There were about 30 cars to collect candy from.
Some of the decorations were pretty elaborate…
We ran into Mio’s friend Junna-chan (in the penguin costume) there, too!
Mio helping herself to candy. She made sure to say “thank you” at every station!
A vintage Ford Model A vehicle that was also at the event! Dan had a fun time talking to the owner about it.
A happy Snow White with her Daddy! Her bucket of candy was so full by the end of the afternoon that she was having a hard time carrying it.
Mio had a blast trick-or-treating for the first time, and she kept saying “Hooray! Candy!” and examining her loot in the car ride home. Mama and Daddy have to be careful in making sure the candy is rationed and she doesn’t eat too much at once. 😉
On Saturday, our friends Xiaolu and Ryan threw an impressive Halloween party complete with detailed decorations, pumpkin carving, great food and games. It was a potluck so there was no shortage of delicious food, and our whole family had a great time celebrating one of our favorite holidays with friends.
Dan hard at work carving his pumpkin!
Scooping the inside out. Dan’s pumpkin carvings always impress! I forgot to take a photo of the completed carving, so I’ll have to post it later this week!
The Hwang Super-family! Loved their family costume.
Mio was Snow White. Thanks to my cousin Yuko and her daughters, we always get the cutest hand-me-downs, including this costume. 🙂
Mio and Ellie all dressed up.
Franken-Snow White!
Princesses Kailee and Mio
Sweet girls!
Aaron (Lightning McQueen) joined in!
They were just the cutest bunch, monopolizing the couch.
Mio had so much fun with her little friends at the party, and Dan and I had a great time catching up with friends and playing board games with them, too! Xiaolu and Ryan were amazing hosts and thought of everything, and by the end of the night there were well over thirty guests taking part in the revelry. Mio was so excited that she didn’t want to leave — I think Halloween is quickly becoming one of her favorite holidays, too!
Happy Halloween! We have survived Hurricane Sandy/Frankenstorm and all of its pouring rain and howling winds it brought with it earlier this week. Thankfully, we didn’t suffer any damage to the house or cars, and didn’t even lose power. Unfortunately, some of our friends up north were not as lucky — we’re keeping them in our prayers, and hope that they’ll be able to regain a sense of normalcy back in their lives as soon as possible.
We have nothing planned for actual Halloween Day today, as we got all of our festivities out of the way this past weekend before the storm hit. Here are some photos from our Halloween activities this year!
Watching Shimajiro is serious business. Breaking out of her trance a little to wield her wand… Casting a spell!
Because Mio was sort of a Tinkerbell-esque fairy this year, I decided to wear this dress — it’s a vintage Betsey Johnson dress that I bought at a thrift store a couple years ago, and Dan always calls it my “Peter Pan dress” whenever I wear it. Instead of buying a costume, I figured I’d just wear it to be Peter Pan-ish this year. 😉
Almost-Peter Pan and Almost-Tinkerbell. Mio and Mama Looking out at an autumn afternoon. I love this little silhouette of her in the doorway…
Mio holding a mini pumpkin outside.
On Saturday afternoon, we took Mio to the Air & Scare event at the Udvar-Hazy Center, which is the annex to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. It was actually one of the first places I took Dan for a date when he first came to visit me in DC several years ago, when it had just opened in 2003, so it was fun to revisit it again after almost a decade. The Air & Scare is an annual event they hold at the museum, where kids can come in costume for safe indoor trick-or-treating and participate in creepy crafts, spooky science experiments, and other Halloween-themed activities. There’s storytime for younger kids like Mio, and opportunities to take photos with Star Wars characters all around the building!
Arriving at the Udvar-Hazy Center.
Inside the Air and Space Museum. There were so many people!
Mio is too young for candy, and I knew that if we let her trick-or-treat, she would most assuredly put the candy in her mouth, so we avoided the trick-or-treating stations and just explored the museum and other activities. Between the permanent aerospace exhibits and the Halloween-themed activities, there was plenty to see!
Mio and I posing with Star Wars characters. I confess that I have no idea who the heck these characters are…
I think the main attraction for Dan and I was seeing the retired Discovery space shuttle up close! We weren’t in DC yet when it made its final flight over the area back in April of this year, and we just missed the Endeavor space shuttle flying over California right after we moved away last month, so I had felt disappointed that we missed both opportunities to see the shuttles. Thankfully, one of the perks of living right by the nation’s capital is that a lot of such historical sights are open for viewing and can be easily visited. We stood in awe as we got to see the retired orbiter, which has made 39 successful missions in over 27 years of service as the oldest of the surviving space shuttles.
For some reason I always envisioned the space shuttle to be pristine, but it’s actually quite worn if you look at it up close (which of course makes sense, if you stop and think about how old it is and how much it’s been through). Mio and I by the Discovery space shuttle. Thank you for 27 years of service. ãŠã¤ã‹ã‚Œã•ã¾ï¼
Mio and Dan by the base of the Discovery space shuttle. Dan was really excited to see the shuttle so close!
Dan showing Mio the models of Japanese rockets that were on display.
Daddy’s girl.
We met up with our friends Pat and Theo and their adorable daughter Anna, who was born only 3 weeks apart from Mio.
Trying to get the cuties to pose together.
…but the attempt failed, as they kept running away from each other. haha* I will find a way to make the two of them BFFs one way or another! 😉
Mio looking a little out of place among all the rockets.
Mio and I by the first military plane. I can’t believe they flew these things into war — incredible!Â
Storm troopers!
Look at these great Daddies! It was Theo’s birthday that day – Happy birthday Theo!
And of course we had to get a photo of the mamas with our girls! It was so wonderful seeing Pat, Theo, and Anna again.
Later that night, we put Mio to bed and entrusted her to my parents in case she woke up in the middle of the night (which she never does), Dan and I went off to have some more grownup Halloween fun at our friends’ party! The theme was comic superheroes, DC vs. Marvel. We had a great time seeing a lot of our college friends again and catching up with them! 😀
The DC Comics superheroes. (I didn’t get a photo of the Marvel ones.) I went as Catwoman — the latest Dark Knight Rises version too, with the cat-ear-like-goggles! Dan (not pictured) was lazy and went as Peter Parker (basically just hanging the camera off of his neck).
Hawkeye Danny with sexy Rogue Ashly! 🙂 Thanks for being such great hosts and throwing an awesome party.
The most adorable couple award goes to Tom and Hanna as Superboy and Wonder Girl!
Lastly, we also carved pumpkins as the weather got crappier into the weekend and we were cooped up indoors. Dan is always the skilled carver, so his is the awesome creation in the middle, but my sister Miwa and I also carved our own mini-pumpkins. Mine is the Angry Bird on the right.
Happy Halloween! This year marks our first Halloween together as a family of three! Halloween is one of my favorite festivities of the year, and I love thinking of creative costumes every time. I especially like costumes that go together in some sort of a theme and last Halloween, I was just at the beginning of my second trimester so I was pregnant Quinn and Dan was Finn from the TV show Glee. This year, Dan was Mario from Super Mario Brothers, I was Princess Peach, and Mio was… ::drumroll please:: Toad (the toadstool mushroom)! Dan and I had actually thought of the idea of being Mario and Peach for Halloween and had prepared our costumes two years ago, but I got deathly sick that Halloween and so we hadn’t been able to use them! But I suppose it was for the better, because our costume idea was made exponentially better with the addition of Toad Mio!
We had a busy Halloween weekend — on Saturday, Dan and his coworker friend co-hosted a baby-friendly Halloween party in the neighborhood, and on Sunday we drove into the city for an evening of Halloween bowling in the Presidio with our friends from Nakayoshi! Check out all the photos of the Halloween fun from this past weekend…
Mio and I as Toad and Princess Peach.
Cedar was an alligator, and Cristina was the alligator tamer.
Mio looking up to Cedar.
Toad Mio with Mario Daddy.
Standing with some help from Daddy.
She was a little overwhelmed by all the people...
Jasmine and Emme, the older girls at the party.
Pocahontas Sofia pointing... adorable!
Going after Mario's fireball.
Kayo and Jinwoo.
S & S!
Gorgeous view of the skyline and San Francisco city lights, taken from the balcony.
A family picture at the end of the night.
Bowling at the Presidio Bowling Center with Nakayoshi. (I believe this is the first time we’ve taken Mio into the city!)
The Toad mushroom hat we had originally bought for Mio.
The hat was ginormous and way too big on her, so we opted for a different one that was a little more manageable...
...much better!
Jamie lives in San Francisco now! She's my dear friend from Virginia Tech. I'm so thrilled that she's in the area now!
Mio got lots of lovin' from her Nakayoshi aunties and uncles.
Mio's first time meeting Graig... and she loves him already!
Wow, look at that chin. Fat angle much? hahaha*
My happy mushroom, aglow under the black lights.
Graig was so good with her!
The masked men: army man, wolf, and storm trooper.
Basketball star Graig and Little Red Riding Hood Aileen (with mushroom hat)
My new friend Hisae-san! Loved her hat!
With lovely Sam... so glad we got to see her!
With Haruka and Aileen! Mio has known them since she was one month old! 😀
Standing around.
"There's a smile!"
She looks like she's about to break into a dance.
Mio's first encounter with a bowling ball.
Jason took this cool picture of Mio in front of the bowling lanes!
She's loving it! She is as round as a bowling ball.
There she goes, scrunching her face again in an all-out smile...
Mio loves Auntie Jamie!
Couldn't resist putting the giant mushroom hat on her one last time...
Hope everyone has a fun Halloween! Perhaps next year Mio can go trick-or-treating!!! I’m already thinking of more family costume ideas….
