Life with Dylan

Category: Halloween

  • Halloween has come full circle in our house

    Reminiscing of Halloweens gone by … from cute and cuddly to the dark side. Wow, have things changed. When he was little his world revolved around animals and all he wanted to be for Halloween was something cute and furry. The giraffe was my all time favorite.

    Then he started to grow up and wanted to carry a weapon of some sort. I really disliked this phase because I was the one who ended up carrying the weapon while he collected the candy. Next it was the Star Wars phase … ah yes, I remember it well.
    This year he is going back to his first love and has decided to be a San Diego Zoo zookeeper. No longer does he want to be the animal, now he wants to take care of the animals. I may not be able to turn back time, but at least I have the pictures to make me smile.  

  • Spooktacular Fun at Scarium of the Pacific – Giveaway

    For those of you who live in Southern California, you know how wonderful the Aquarium of the Pacific is – Filled with tropical fish, sharks, otters, penguins, and my personal favorite jellyfish. As members of the Aquarium we visit often and always learn something new with the many hands-on discovery labs and interactive exhibits.

    This Halloween the Aquarium is transformed into Scarium of the Pacific for two days. During this special event your family can explore the creepy creatures of the deep along with magic shows, face painting, and of course a costume contest for the kiddos.

    There will be spooky storytelling and underwater pumpkin carving – this I have to see! Throughout the aquarium there will be Halloween activities and treats for the little ones. You can print out this coupon and receive FREE admission if your child is in costume during Scarium of the Pacific.

    Photo courtesy of Aquarium of the Pacific

    Aside from or regular visits to Aquarium of the Pacific, the special events are a must for my family. We have attended lectures, special member only late nights, whale watching trips, and had the opportunity to preview new exhibits. So when I was asked to give away 8 tickets to this special Halloween event I couldn’t resist the chance to share my families love of the ocean with others. There will be three winners for this giveaway.

    I am giving away one family 4-pack and two sets of 2 tickets each to attend Scarium of the Pacific on Saturday,October 20 or Sunday, October 21, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Enter to win using the Rafflecopter entry form below. Winners will be selected on Tuesday, October 16 at 10:00 p.m. PST

    a Rafflecopter giveaway
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    Scarium of the Pacific is sure to be a day filled with more fun than fright for the whole family.

    Scarium of the Pacific is included with paid admission – $25.95 adults (12+), $22.95 seniors (62+), $14.95 children (3-11), and free for children under age 3 and Aquarium members.
    For more information about this special event call (562) 590-3100

    Winners will be selected using Rafflecopter. Due to the time sensitive nature of this giveaway, I reserve the right to draw another winner if I am unable to get a mailing address in a timely manner. Giveaway is only open to residents of the contiguous US. Please make sure I can contact you to notify you if you have won (leaving a valid email address in your comment is a great way). Winners will first be announced on Life with Dylan’s Facebook page, so if you’re not a fan of us on Facebook, you may not know if you win.



  • Wordless Wednesday – The Dark Side Meets The Blue Fairy

    The picture came out a little fuzzy (not sure why) … but it’s still a classic.

  • The Dark Side of Halloween

    This Halloween was one of the best we have had. We started celebrating in early October by decorating the house and getting in the ghostly mood. Then it was time to start making the rounds … visiting the Irvine Railroad Pumpkin Patch, previewing OC Zoo-tacular, attending the ENC Fall Faire, and finally some Brick-or-Treat fun at LEGOLAND California! Whew, I’m exhausted just writing all of the things we did.

    But it didn’t stop there. We still had a pumpkin to carve and some trick-or-treating to do!

    Pumpkin carving has always been something I look forward to doing. It’s another outlet for my creativity – this year, I let Dylan be the creative one. I know, so selfless of me huh?

    He chose a simple design that he thought would be just scary enough for the neighborhood. Evil eyes, no nose, and a monsterish looking mouth filled with sharp teeth.

    The initial cut is always exciting because you never know what you will find inside. Will it be filled with seeds and “guts” that will take major elbow grease to get out, or will it be a hollow pumpkin that only takes a few scrapes to clean out? Dylan’s pumpkin was just about in the middle this year and it didn’t take too long before we started carving away.

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  • Brick-or-Treat Fun at @LEGOLAND_CA

    What could be better than spending a day at LEGOLAND California? Why going dressed in your Halloween costume and walking down Brick-or-Treat Trail of course!

    This is one of our newest Halloween traditions and quickly became our favorite. The park is decked out in all it’s LEGO glory – with a Halloween twist led by the good witch Hubble Bubble.

    From an over-sized LEGO Pumpkin and a Giant Ghost to the Candy Corn Scavenger Hunt and Brick-or-Treat Trails, this annual Halloween event has something for everyone.

    LEGOLAND looks at Halloween from a child’s perspective and brings all the creations of the tiny pieces of plastic to life. Great family fun at an unbeatable price … only $25! Annual pass members are free as long as you are in the park before 5 p.m.

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  • Halloween #Zootacular at the OC Zoo

    Did you know that animals like jack-o-lanterns as much as people do? Maybe even more since the animals’ pumpkins are filled with special treats.

    Wondering what I am talking about? Well, the Orange County Zoo is hosting the annual Halloween Zoo-tacular this Saturday, Oct. 29th.
    Dylan and I recently had the opportunity to preview Zoo-tacular and you can find out all the details in the article I wrote for OC Moms.

    Will you be attending Halloween Zoo-tacular this year?

  • Family Halloween Traditions

    Every now and then I find myself lost in time as I look through old pictures of my son. Where did the time go and how did he get so big, so fast? Holidays are one of the best times to reminisce for me because we have some family traditions that are fun to see in pictures.

    During the month of October we visit Disneyland and pumpkin patches. And on Halloween we always take a picture of Dylan in front of the pumpkin statue at Grandma’s house. It’s fun to see how he has grown.

    We also have many family Halloween traditions that we do at home. Decorating, baking, making crafts, and of course carving a pumpkin! Be sure to read about our family traditions over at OC Moms in my recent article and leave a comment after the article sharing your family Halloween traditions!

     

  • ENC’s Fall Faire and Pumpkin Patch

    Are you looking for another way to spend some quality time with the family? Why not spend the day at the Environmental Nature Center Fall Faire and Pumpkin Patch?

    Halloween is just the beginning of what I call the best time of the year … the holidays! Everyone seems to be happier and I love the fall weather. Baking, decorating, and finding that perfect pumpkin with my son are what Halloween is all about.  Well, yes … the candy too! but it’s not as fun as it use to be because now when I tell Dylan he doesn’t like a certain kind of candy he responds with YES I  DO!!
    Oh well, it lasted a few years. 🙂

    Read all about the Fall Faire & Pumpkin Patch in the article I wrote over at OCMoms.

    I will be there this Sunday … will you?

  • Fall Weather + Pumpkins = Halloween Fun!

    Recently Dylan and I got to spend the day at the Irvine Park Railroad’s Pumpkin Patch, which is located inside the Irvine Regional Park, and we had the most amazing day! The weather was cool, the leaves were turning colors, and the smell of hay filled the air. A couple weeks ago I wrote an article for OC Moms about the Pumpkin Patch, so I thought it was only fitting that Dylan and I be there opening day.

    From face painting to hay rides to John Deere tractor races … we laughed, we talked, and we lost all track of time … this was one of the best days we have had in a while. Once we walked through the fence, it’s as if we were transported out of Orange County and into a land of Midwest meets Halloweentown.

    If you are not familiar with the Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch, you can read my article over at OC Moms … this is something you can’t miss if you live in Orange County. The best way I can describe what you can expect is through pictures … the memories you will create will be priceless!

            

    Looks like fun doesn’t it? If you are planning on visiting the Pumpkin Patch, be sure to check out these helpful Mom Tips and after you visit you can share your pictures with the Orange County Register.

  • Something Had To Give …

    There come a point in time when you have many so many things going on, deadlines to meet, papers to write, laundry to wash, and as hard as you try to keep all the balls in the air sometimes something has to give. Unfortunately, the ball that I just couldn’t keep in the air was our blog. So, finally someone told me that they have been checking our blog and it still shows Dylan’s birthday from July 2010.

    Once again, I will do a quick recap and try my best to keep up. I promise once school is done in May I will have more time. At least I hope so! In a nutshell, here is what we have been doing:
    DYLAN – excelling at school (2nd grade now), advanced to Wolf Cub Scout, started after-school tennis and science classes, loves reading and of course playing his video games!
    MICHELLE – still working for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, still attending University of Phoenix (BS in Psychology), running a successful business (Shel Cosmetics), single handedly keeping Starbucks in business so I can stay awake on a mere 4 1/2 hours sleep, and of course raising the most wonderful child on God’s planet!

    OK, now for the pictures to get you all caught up …

    Dylan caught a fish!
    Just another summer day at Disneyland …
    First day of school, not a happy camper to get up at 6:30am after sleeping til 9 all summer

    The cutest Anakin Skywalker for Halloween
    Mommy and Dylan self-portrait after Aunt Stephie’s Engagement Party!
    2nd Grade School Picture