E a t i n g f o r 3: Halloween 2012, Part III: Preschool Parties, Googleween, and Playgroup Party

Monday, March 18, 2013

Halloween 2012, Part III: Preschool Parties, Googleween, and Playgroup Party

(See Part I and Part II.)

Bright Beginnings Preschool and Mountain View Parent Observation Preschool Parties

The first event is a Halloween party at Bright Beginnings Preschool, which as I mentioned is over a week before Halloween. They also dress in costume at their other preschool, Mountain View Parent Observation, on Halloween. At Bright Beginnings the kids put on costumes and troop through the adjacent adult education offices where the staff gives out little toys. Adorably, James keeps coming over to ask, “Pet me.”

Julia shows off her puppy dog ensemble at preschool.

James is a casual puppy dog.

Julia is not so sure she wants a puppy dog hug.

Bright Beginnings Preschool Halloween line-up. Julia wouldn't let me get away so I hoped the parents could crop me out. Top row: Arjen, Pari, Lilly, Ivania, Samuel, James, and Julia. Bottom row: Ivan with brother Wyatt, Elania, Christophe, Shinvanjali, and Koki.

Mommy with her clingy puppy dogs at Mountain View Parent Observation Preschool.

Puppy dogs on Gaga’s lap during circle time

Leaf fight!

Googleween

Next is Googleween. We make the brave decision to have them skip their naps to attend. That means that when the shuttle bus arrives they are not in the best frame of mind, and they are terrified to board. We end up driving to a lot near Googleween instead and taking a long walk.

Julia gets her ears out of her eyes so she can see on the long walk to Googleween.

Someone admires Julia’s costume, and I ask “Oh, you can tell what she is?” “Sure,” says the woman, “a polka dot girl.” Right. Because that’s a thing.

Googleween itself is pretty disappointing with long lines to do any of the activities. And my kids are too fearful of things like petting zoos anyway.

When Julia no longer wants to wear her ears (complete with bow), Daddy steps in.

Inspecting their Googleween trick-or-treat bags

The best part of Googleween: the walk back to the car. (Seriously. I'm not sure if it was because Googleween was crowded and unenjoyable or because the walk back was so fun.)

The twins play a game of Who can touch Daddy’s hand?

Mark’s Google Halloween Costume

Mark dresses up for Halloween at Google as a new employee badge. Apparently if you work at Google this is hilarious. For the rest of us, we shrug our shoulders and go, “okaaaaay...” Also, everyone who knows Mark is shocked that he is going to any effort on a Halloween costume for the first time ever. He ends up winning his team’s costume contest. Not to take away from Mark’s win but it helped that there were only a handful of half-hearted entries, many of which consisted of a wig or a mask and nothing else. He wins a Nexus 7 Tablet for his efforts.

Mark the New Employee Badge

MNO Playgroup Halloween Party

Next up is our playgroup’s Halloween party hosted again by Stacy (here’s last year’s). She provides vegan doughnuts, purchased at the Ferry Building during a moms’ day out excursion the day before in San Francisco. The kids decorate Halloween coloring book pages with stickers and rubber stamps, play with bat necklaces and bat rings, and run around in the backyard. (Thanks Stacy for most of the pictures!)

Item one on the agenda: Get a group picture before any kids can take off their costumes! Julia wouldn’t let me leave her side so the moms (sans Stacy) got to join this year’s picture.

Ronan the race car driver

Hmmm... wonder whose hand Julia could be holding.

Best picture taken this year of my kids in costume

Oliver with Rachel

Julia eyes Ronan suspiciously as he eats his doughnut. Maybe she thinks he’s going to make a grab for her doughnut, which is totally within the realm of possibility given that he ate her cupcake at her second birthday, and considered eating her cupcake at her third.