Halloween

Halloween is a holiday that could pass without being noticed in Germany. Within the last 10 years it has grown to become more popular but it is still virtually nonexistent. But of course, we celebrated! We began preparing for the holiday by carving pumpkins with Moritz, the son of family friends. Only Tom was really keen on pulling out the seeds. The other two boys were content watching Isabelle and me do all the work. Tom and Moritz insisted on scary pumpkins while Max requested a silly. They all loved the end results, especially with the glow of a candle. On Halloween, we dressed up in last year's costumes which were big then and now are quite perfect. We had a playdate in the afternoon so we dressed Vania up in the new costumes which are again too big but just perfect for Vania. We went trick-or-treating along the street and collected some goodies. Sabine always has plenty of Schokolade und Gummibaerchen in the house so the treats really didn't compare. But it was all in good fun!

My first package arrived today! Stefanie sent me lots of Halloween treats. Max noticed that I had a big box and asked to help me open it. He couldn't believe all the candy that he found inside! He loved the ghost marshmallows and when he asked what they were I said, "Peeps!" He thought I was using a bathroom word and started laughing which of course made me laugh. Then he found Mallomars. I should preface this story by explaining that cookies are not popular in Germany; instead, everyone prefers to buy fresh cake from the bakery. Therefore, the process of obtaining cookies is a little foreign to a 3 1/2 year old. The conversation went as follows:

Max: Can we eat them?
Me: Of course, they are cookies!
Max: Do we have to bake them?
Me: No they are already cooked.
Max: Did your mom cook them and send them to you?

I couldn't help but laugh. These are packaged cookies preserved in a nonorganic fashion in a box that was developed by some marketing team and Max thinks that my mom could have simply done the same. I love the innocence of kids!