November Jack-o-lanterns

Well, we've got a lot of pumpkin. Most are, admittedly, pie pumpkins, but we did real well growing them this year. Now if we could only grow some pies. But with all of the costume excitement, we didn't do so well on Jack O Lanterns. Josie carved one at a party, but it molded in 3 days!

Last night, Amanda carved a pie pumpkin. So of course, Josie and I had to do one too! I let Josie take a pen and draw the face, and then I faithfully cut out whatever she drew, with no artistic license, just exactly what she put. And this is what we got! I think it's museum quality. I continue to be overwhelmed by the amount of graphic skill and hand-eye coordination she just flaunts for an almost 4 year old.

...And the final doorbell...

Here's Josie and Monkeyboy at the final stop of the year Tuesday night at our neighbor's house. note Josie's jacket on under her costume, and the halloween socks she picked out herself. Jasper has learned the game, just put the shiny stuff in the bag, make sure I get as much as her. Nothing more realistic than a little, waddly toddly monkey who doesn't use his knees scuffling up the the door, looking up from between those dinnerplate ears, holding out his bag and going "ugh ugh!!"

Afterwards, while Jasper was going to bed, Josie and I had a long heart to heart about what it is a flower fairy actually does. We decided together that her job was to take care of the flowers, put them to bed in the fall and wake them up in the spring. Needless to say, at 8:30 on a freezing halloween evening (aren't they always freezing?) Josie and I were out shivering around the yard, putting imaginary blankets on each and every flower in each and every garden. And believe me, I planted a lot of flowers this year!

Hallowhirlwindy!

Mama really pulled out all the stops with the costumes this year. I am proud to report that Josie was one of only two kids at preschool with a homemade costume, and hers clearly looks professional, as the pictures show. Hopefully she (and Jaspie) will get lots of additional use out of them after all the effort Amanda put into them! I'm thinking we will need an organ grinder monkey at both Thanksgiving and Christmas if we can just get him on the plane!

Without further ado, here is our first (of four) trick-or-treating outings this year:

Just moments after finishing the costumes, we are studiously accessing the street:


Josie really starts to enjoy it:

Meanwhile, the other child can only be described as "grumpy monkey":

Afterwards, we reviewed the afternoon at a nearby restaurant. A classic Josie triptych:



Meanwhile, my primate of a son just kicked back with a cold milk: