The Devil is in the details...

This year the kids made me proud. Told them that we were on a shoestring budget for costumes when Daddy was going through the whole "job change" phase because that was the weekend we went shopping for costumes. 

They dressed up as a cat and a devil. The devil costume will be retired this year finally as it barely fit the little one. She made the most of it in return for a promise that next year she gets a snow white costume.. a new one!

Here they are posing before stepping out!

They went trick or treating with their classmates while we (me and my parents) gave out candy to the countable kids who showed up at our door. 

Unless we get streetlights, don't think anyone is going to come to this street for candy! Well, the street itself is spooky to start with... so one would think it will make a great Halloween street.. but NO!

The candy collection is impressive and that means the adult has to control himself and stay away from the bags of candy over the next few days!

By now I am used to Halloween. It takes you a good 10 years to get used to a festival you cannot grasp!

Pumpkinography 2012

This year took the kids to a new pumpkin patch, let the little one play for a few minutes on the "jumpy thingys" and got two pumpkins. One for Jr. to carve and one for Team "daddy and the little one" to carve. 

We did an okay job till daddy ruined the flying witch by detaching one side of the entire thing. Fortunately Balaji had enough small nails to get the witches hat and broom nailed back into the pumpkin. However, the nail head actually shows up in the photograph like bones in an x-ray! The other pumpkin came out great. Both Jr. and the little one are getting good at carving straight lines and small curves. 

We are happy with the end result though and it goes out on display outside the house tomorrow.

Here is the entire linup of pumpkins carved by all kids.

The kids have been convinced to go low budget on the costumes and the older one is going as a cat and the little one is going to be a devil again. She is proud to reuse the costume on condition that she gets to spend the money on something else at Target. Knowing she will spend money at Target anyways, it is a win win deal for daddy!

Pumpkin picking at a local patch and carving it at Balaji's has definitely become a family tradition to the point where the kids ask for it like a routine and look forward to it for a week in advance! Guess this is how family traditions start..

Navarathri 2012 and the grand Golu's

This year we had a very different Navarathri (Navrathri) Golu festival. 

We did not invite anyone to our house because San went to India as soon as the festival began and we had to manage with Daddy's ability to dress the kids up and visit all golu's because they refuse to be dressed up by my mom. 

Given those limitations, did the best I could and if you think their hair could have been combed better or there could have been better necklaces or bangles, yes.. yes.. wholeheartedly agree!

That said, the whirlwind visits to a dozen places in a span of three days was a little too much for me to handle!

Did take photographs of almost all golus except Suja's (sorry!) and put them in a landscape gallery  and  a portrait gallery. So please check out the pictures! It is amazing to see that the golus in the bay area are getting grander and bigger every year. 

Seriously!

Last year I missed the golus because of the hand surgery to remove plate and screws just a day before Golu season started. More than made up for it this year!

You can check out previous golugraphy's for :

2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, ....

The three step ones have become 5 steps and the 5 have become seven and the grandest one went from 7 steps with a width of 5 feet to almost 10 feet! Truly amazing!

Some of the displays created by the kids were really cute and imaginative.. like this cow about to be captured by velociraptors ala jurassic park style in a field of methi grass..

or Vedhaville (my favorite).. why not name a ville after yourself and make it rhyme with your name?

and a hand made set done by a 9 year old..

with a rangoli to go with it! 

It was truly an experience having Jr. sing at most of the Golus and get some really tasty treats for all of us! 

It was also an eye opening experience for my parents to see that culture and tradition are alive and well and realize that just because we celebrate Halloween with great pomp, it does not mean we give up the Navarathri celebrations.

They probably saw what their grand daughters are missing, but still insist on not starting a doll display in our house because of some old ill omen stuff. For the sake of not upseting the kids, we steered the conversation away from that topic. 

We had a great time, not to mention the mege photo session that we had on Sunday!

Indian festivals are a ton of fun. Nothing is less than a day and this one spans 9 days.. so go figure!