Oct 31
2011

Happy Halloween!

in Family, Product Reviews

LiveOak Canyon Pumpkin Patch

Happy Halloween!  It has been a fantastic October in the Fuji household.  We made our annual trip to The Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Patch and have been to several Halloween parties.  The girls have already had the opportunity to wear their costumes several times, and can hardly sit still in anticipation of tonight’s trick-or-treating festivities.

Bug and Squirrel in their Halloween Costumes

Yesterday the girls spent an hour with Fuji Papa carving pumpkins and giggling.  I’m not sure who ended up having the larger grins, the girls or the jack-o-lanterns!

Fuji Papa and the Fujilings and their jack-o-lanterns

Out of everything this month, one of the highlights, according to the girls and their friends, was the fun they got to have with HEXBUGs.  HEXBUGs are small mechanical robotic bugs that use robot technology to move and “interact” with their environment.

HEXBUG Nano bugs

I was chosen to throw a HEXBUG Nano Halloween Party, and received a big box of different HEXBUGs and habitat sets.  On Saturday we attended a family part at a friend’s house, and we surprised the kids by setting up a big HEXBUG arena in the garage.

HEXBUG Habitat

Although we had a bunch of fun games and activities, like bobbing for apples and reaching into boxes to touch “brains” and such, the activity around the HEXBUG arena was constant.

Reach in to feel some brains, eye balls, and gutsMad scientist and her minion

I had some activites planned for the kids and the HEXBUGs, but they needed no direction, creating their own activities faster than I could say “Boo!”  The Nano Halloween Zombie bugs have removable glow in the dark exoskeletons.  The kids devised a game where they tried to capture the Zombie bugs.  If captured, they collected their exoskeleton for points.

HEXBUG Play

There were at least 6 kids playing with the bugs at any given time.  What we really loved, was that despite some big age gaps in the large group of children present, they were all playing together!  My 2-year old was interacting with a 10-year old, and both were giggling and talking animatedly about what was going on.  Even the adults couldn’t resist the HEXBUG fun, picking one of the bugs up from time to time to see how they moved.

Planning HEXBUG strategyHEXBUG Fun

The best part, from the adult perspective, is that because our kids were so enthralled with their HEXBUG activities, we all got to eat the chocolate pumpkin bundt cake that I made in peace.  When does that ever happen?  I love those bugs!

Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt Cake

What are your kids/grandkids dressing up as?  What are your favorite Halloween traditions?  I hope you all have a fun and safe All Hallows’ Eve!

* Disclosure: I received the HEXBUGs and habitats for free from Innovation First Labs, Inc., but was not required to write about them.  All opinions expressed are my own!

{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }

Ericka Sanchez (@NibblesNFeasts) October 31, 2011 at 2:49 pm

What cute costumes! Happy Halloween!

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LiztheChef October 31, 2011 at 4:34 pm

Cute and love the interactive play between different age groups –

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Roxana GreenGirl October 31, 2011 at 5:00 pm

Happy Halloween! Those costumes are so cute!

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Ethan October 31, 2011 at 6:44 pm

The pumpkin and the kitty are adorable. That is all :)

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Joy November 1, 2011 at 9:24 am

The kids are adorable!

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Cookin' Canuck November 1, 2011 at 10:38 pm

It looks as though your sweet girls had a wonderful Halloween. And don’t you love those hexbugs – my boys play with those things by the hour.

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Megan @ Newly Wife November 17, 2011 at 11:35 am

So I am a new reader (but we have been following you on twitter forever, so I’m not sure how that happened — I blame two users on the account) and I just noticed you went to the Live Oak Pumpkin Patch. Are you in the IE? My friend and I are both food bloggers in the IE and thought we were alone. Maybe we can meet up with you sometime (or you can let us know where the secret IE food blogger meetings are! haha) Anywho, hope you have a fantastic day!

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Fuji Mama November 17, 2011 at 11:43 am

@Megan @ Newly Wife— Yes, I am! I’m in Corona. Where are you guys?

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