The next tricky part was convincing Julia to wear a bone barrette I bought. After putting it in her hair once, she had no interest in ever wearing it again. Eventually I showed her how pretty other barrettes were in her hair and I would tell her I was putting one of those in her hair while instead attaching a giant bone to the top of her hair. Over time she discovered my ploy and actually liked wearing the bone. It would be funny if in the future she refused all other barrettes in favor of the bone, as though it was a perfectly normal look for a 2 year old girl.
"Hey! Where's the other barrette I thought was in my hair?"
Side note: because of the bones in their costumes, the babies now refer to the letter "I" as "bone" since the "I" in their alphabet set is shaped like one. I like to think that they sing the alphabet song:
A, B, C, D, E, F, G
H, bone, J, K, L, M, N, O, P...
H, bone, J, K, L, M, N, O, P...
James models the letter "I."
The first Halloween event on the babies' agenda was Googleween for Kids. We had to park really far away and then Julia wanted to walk though the parking lot backwards. I laughed at Mark trying to speed her up, because I was holding the hand of "normal-walking" James. There ended up being just too many people in line for activities the twins wouldn't care about yet (like facepainting) so we didn't enjoy ourselves. We left and showed off the babies around Mark's office instead, and went to Googleween for Adults, kids in tow, the next day. There, the babies enjoyed their first funnel cake. (By the way, James had a run in with the ground a week before Halloween. That's not animal carcass blood smeared across Bam Bam's face.)
The babies play on a green sofa in Mark's office.
The only picture taken at Googleween itself. Apparently I was a victim of a zombie apocalypse. Who knew?
Next on the babies' busy schedule of Halloween activities was the Las Madres Cupertino 2009 playgroup's Halloween party held at a glamorous locale called a Sports Basement community room. Some of the parents organized Halloween crafts but my kids were more interested in carrying around balloons and eating quesadillas. Each parent brought a non-candy item (we brought bath toys), and the kids went from parent to parent trick-or-treating. (To the parent who brought Halloween pencils: Seriously? When is my under 2 year old going to be using those?) The babies also sat in my lap for song time.
"Who cares about crafts when we have balloons?!"
Why does James always get so serious when he holds balloons?
James the bashful
It's like Where's Waldo? but with Cavebabies.
The big trick-or-treat night was next. Last year I thought they were too young and it was too hard with their early dinner time, so this was our first time trick-or-treating. They got the hang of taking candy pretty quickly. We ending up having so much fun I wish we had gone last year. We've only lived at our house for a little over the year, so it was our first time meeting many of our neighbors. Sometimes the neighbors would start chatting with us but Julia would say "bye" and turn to leave, having decided that "Operation Take Candy" was complete. And, as if walking with toddlers wasn't slow enough already, much like at Googleween Julia also preferred to walk backwards.
Setting out for their first trick-or-treating.
The house full of single guys next door didn't know how to deal with babies so they just put the candy on the sidewalk and backed away.
The babies, like the cave-people they portray, know nothing of cars and traffic safety. Luckily Mommy does.
I've noticed for a long time that James is often very cautious around men. This was definitely noticeable while trick-or-treating. At one house he clung to my leg when a man answered the door, and then at another where a woman answered he started to walk inside.
It didn't take long to catch on to the idea of "take whatever you want."
(I think this is the house where after taking the candy, James decided to head inside and make himself at home.)
Julia's already distracted by the thought of her next candy score.
The babies didn't eat their candy treats (more for Daddy!), but they loved carrying them around the house, as though they were new toys to collect and hoard.
The trick-or-treating haul.
Last on the babies' activity list was their weekly Mom's Night Out playdate, this week at Stacy's house. She hosted a Halloween playdate where the babies dressed in costume, put stickers on a pumpkin, and colored a treat bag (full of Halloween goodies). They also ate ghost-shaped Rice Krispie treats. James polished off his; meanwhile we found half of Julia's in the toy box. (Thanks, Stacy, for many of these pictures and for all the Halloween treats.)
The key to making the bone look work is to just own it.
James can't get enough of his Rice Krispie treat.
"I will reluctantly eat half of this Rice Krispie treat, but you'll find the other half hidden somewhere else in the house."
James models his Bam Bam bedhead while covering his pumpkin with stickers.
Stacy's house has rocks in front, so we decided it would make a good photo op.
Julia is clearly channeling Raquel Welch in One Million Years B.C.
"Cavebrothers are weird."
Rachel P. took this cool Hipstamatic print version.
Because of James's run in with the ground, I elected to wait a few weeks later when his face had healed to take photos of the babies running around in costume.
James licks his chops before heading in for the attack.
Sometimes cavemen take a break from catching their quarry to read a book about rainbows.
Julia looks like she's doing a witch doctor dance. (I recognize those from Scooby Doo.)
Here are some Scooby Doo witch doctors. At any rate, Julia has the right arm upraised, but is missing the crucial "skull staff."
Blunt weapon stand-off
"Captain Cavemaaaaaaaaan!"
James is more of an open mouth kisser.
"Help! I'm being attacked by vicious Cavebabies!"
