The Ancient West....

A decided that he wanted to go as a lawman from the Wild West.








Then he decided that he wanted to put an ancient world twist onto the costume idea.








And went as a Cowboy Mummy.

Finished Jack-o-Lantern

Carving a Pumpkin

M decided that A could carve a pumpkin tonight.

We're toasting pumpkin seeds even now...

Gearing up for Halloween

I came home from work and found A had given himself a nap with his new favorite decoration.

October 2010 Slideshow

The elementary school sickness hit us. And then it was Halloween. And then it was post-Halloween. So here are the pictures we should have put up a while back:

Making Christmas

Okay... in what possibly might be Tactical Video Error Number Three, we just let A see the first half of Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas. A is now vowing to create hand-made Christmas presents with fangs.

I am secretly pleased that NBC is getting such a good reception, although A) it's probably for the wrong reasons (monsters! making scary gifts!) and B) I expect we might be hearing about it at the next parent-teacher conference.

Skeleton Pirate Ghost

Well... A said he wanted to be a Pirate Skeleton Ghost this year. And M, with that ability of his to find things, found a costume on Super Sale! I'm pretty sure that this costume obligates either M or J to wear a hat that has been super-saturated in phosphorus and then set it alight.

Moments after this picture was taken, M found A around the corner, in a very still heap on a couch, pretending to be dead. A was practicing: he says he wants to wait, partially hidden in a leaf pile, then jump out at Trick-o-Treaters and scare them so badly that he gets their Halloween candy.

And to think two years ago, he thought handing out candy bars was the best thing ever, and made us ring the doorbell on November 1 eve in order to give us more.

Dental Halloween Hijinx

Scene: Grandma J and Grandpa H's house. A, who has been eating an apple, has made the discovery that one of his lower incisors is very loose.

J (leading A upstairs to phone relatives): "Come on, A; we should call Grandma M."

A (following J through lower hallway to stairs): "This would be a great haunted house."

J (reaching the stairs): "Yeah; Aunt J and I used to decorate this house to be haunted during Halloween."

A (finger in mouth): "J! J! I've got something to show you." (Points at stairs)

J: "What?"

A: "Look! Blood!"

J looks down at a small puddle of saliva and blood on one of the stairs.

A (proudly): "I made a mysterious blood stain [just like Oscar Wilde's Canterville Ghost]!"

J (running upstairs to get a wet cloth): Uh, A; make sure you stay off the carpet and don't touch any furniture, OK ?"

This is Halloween

A is particularly focused on creating a Haunted House for Halloween. Never mind that M's birthday, Labor Day, the first day of Kindergarten, and the Autumnal Equinox all come first; A wants Halloween to happen now.

SCENE: driving from the local hardware store to home. A has been grilling J about preparations.

A: "...and what else could we put into our spOOooOOooky Haunted MAAaantion for HalloweeEEeen?"

J: (still driving, but able to keep the word 'rabid' out of the following list) "We could have mutant squirrels with laser eyes."

A: "Oh J! That would never work; that's not scary, that's just cool."

Trick or Treat

A tried on several costumes before going off to preschool. At first he was "a robber," (which included a fez). I was in the shower and mistook him for a Shriner. Then it sounded like he was dressing up as a pirate. But in the end he wanted to go as... Barack Obama. If you look closely, you can see his campaign fliers (they say "Vote For Me.")