Trunk or Treat 2014

The week before Halloween, the MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) department hosts a "Trunk or Treat" on base.  You may remember that pre-kids, we actually decorated a trunk for one of these events in Okinawa.  It was super fun.  This year we were on the other side of things, bringing our costumed kiddos along for some trick or treating.  The event was similar to the one in Okinawa: trunks are decorated, typically with some kind of theme and kids go from trunk to trunk for candy.  The MWR department judged the trunks and costumes for prizes.  They also provided a hay ride (on a huge military truck) and a pumpkin patch for kids to pick and decorate pumpkins.  The Trunk or Treat is held at the drive-in movie theater on base (yes, we have a drive-in theater!).

We didn't realize how popular this event is on base….it was crazy crowded!!  You couldn't really see the trunks unless you worked your way through the crowd to get right up to them.

We met up with our friend Katie and her daughter Keira, who has become one of Ruby's favorite buddies here.  They were adorable in their costumes.  

Keira was a pirate, Ruby dressed as Olivia the pig and Mila is Olivia's dog, Perry.

Mila wasn't so sure about the whole costume idea. 

Ruby and Noa were the trick or treating pair.  She was a little intimidated by all the people, so he went right up to the trunks with her.  I hung back with Mila in the stroller.

Hard to see, but one of her favorite trunks was the Frozen-themed one (shocking, I know):

101 Dalmatians, complete with Cruella deVille:

Sadly, we had to cut the festivities short.  The crowds, some scary costumes, and a few loud pops (little firecracker popper things) from one enthusiastic trunk decorator was all Ruby could take for one night.  Hopefully she won't be too traumatized to go next year because it was a pretty fun event overall.

Renegade 2013

A few weekends ago, I snuck away for a few days to spend with Traci for this year's Renegade Fair in San Francisco.  This has become a yearly tradition for us and I always get so excited beforehand (I even had trouble sleeping the night before!).  

This year's event proved to be a success once again.  We arrived early enough to have to wait outside on the chilly pier but thankfully not for too long.  Within minutes, the doors opened and we rushed in....excitement!!

We have a system.  We've perfected our system through the years and it involves careful maneuvering through the crowds, visiting booths in a specific order (bypass the front booths, work our way down the rows), debating on bringing children (this year: no kiddos with us), and when to purchase items (typically the second go around, unless it's an item that's low on inventory or a simple must have).  Yes, we're dorky about it, but again, it's our thing.  

Every year it seems like there's a lot of a certain type of item.  One year, it was paper-heavy (lots of cards, posters, prints).  Another, it was clothing, mostly t-shirts.  This year, there was definitely a lot of jewelry and many types of bags.  We definitely took advantage of the trend this year (I got a really darling little purse for Ruby!).

Back to being dorky: we even got to use the super fun photo booth!  We decided to go with a Poulsbo/Viking theme.  Love it!

This year, they didn't allow dogs in the venue (lame!), but a few sneaky artists were able to keep their furry friends under wraps.  I enjoyed meeting this friendly guy (a little Brussels Griffon).

The day was a huge success, fun, and exhausting.  Afterwards, we laid out all our loot and took a pic* to capture our spoils.  This is a combination of both of our purchases, many of which are gifts (can you spot Ruby's little purse?).

*special thanks to Traci, for sharing the loot photo!