Halloween!

Last weekend, we carved up some pumpkins for Halloween.

Mine is the cat on the moon in the center.  JT went with the goofy-faced pumpkin on the right and T carved up the scary pumpkin on the left.  For the actual Halloween, JT hit the mean streets with his buddy D, his long-time trick-or-treating buddy.  JT went as Albert Pujols (a costume planned well-before his beloved Cardinals won the World Series).  D always goes out as something scary and this year he unzipped his face.

He's induced some bloody Halloween wounds before but this one set the bar higher than ever before.

The injury must have been well worth it, as the 2011 candy haul may very well be the best to date.

Sled While the Snow Shines

This past weekend's snow was the first of the season and JT, apparently unwilling to believe that winter has only just begun, is determined to enjoy every last minute of the snow.  I'm amused by this development because past experience has shown me that sometime around the end of February, JT will declare that winter is OVER and he's ready for swimming weather.  Spring's primary utility for JT is the fact that it's the only highway to get to summer.

But it's not February yet and in the meantime JT is a sledding machine.  Wet snowy mittens, cold feet, and fading light be damned...JT will slide down the hill for as long as I will let him.

Monday, we went sledding at our school, skimming down the steep hill onto the glittering untouched field below. 

 

 It was a beautiful day and, tucked behind the field house at school, the wind didn't bother us a bit. We were the only people there and we sledded for two hours, until I declared that the jig was up (mostly because he had to get home in time to warm up and change into shorts for basketball camp).

On Tuesday, we headed south to scoop up JT's buddy D and sled down the long hills in his neck of the woods.   D's mama S talked me right through her busy town, and we ignored the warnings to park the seld transport vehicle at the edge of a most impressive hill.

 

These hills had to be shared with other similarly-minded kids, but the boys didn't mind, occasionally shouting "look out" as they whizzed down the well-trodden paths, sometimes edging a little too close to the icy creek for a mama's comfort. 

S took a few screaming runs down the hill. 

And as dusk descended, the boys paused for shorter and shorter periods at the top of the hill, knowing that the clock was ticking.

We got back to D's house to find that D's mom T had the hot cocoa and mulled cider ready.  As we wrapped our cold hands around the hot mugs the boys laughed and chattered, reviewing the best runs down the hill. I conclude from this that truncated runs and wipeouts are as much fun as sliding just to the edge of the icy creek (while your mama shouts "be careful").

Happy winter!

All Halloween, All the Time

This year, the calendar kindly served up a Halloween that was a two-day affair.  On Friday, we celebrated at school and on Saturday, the actual Halloween day, we got to work at home.  There was a block party in the afternoon.

And then JT's buddy D arrived for the trick-or-treat extravaganza.  The front porch was made festive.

JT donned his man-skirt; D seemed to have experienced a rather significant accident.  This happens to him every year at Halloween.  Perhaps the authorities should be notified?

The tricky twosome trolled town for candy acquisition.

They met with great success and returned home to count and catalog their loot.  Some serious candy trading ensued.

There is enough candy in my house to carry us through the coming dark and cold season. 

Camp Report

As we pulled out of the campground on Wednesday afternoon, JT made it official. "This was the best camping trip ever," he announced.

I couldn't agree more.

Given the cool and rainy summer we've had so far, the weather on Cape Cod was surprisingly cooperative, with plenty of blue skies and breezy sunshine on offer.
The beach, as always, provided hours of hole-digging fun.
Those same shovels are also quite handy should you be called upon to play air guitar.
The very dangerous shark who declared the ocean her own proved a thrilling challenge for the smack-talking invaders. Note: if the laughter was any indication, her bark was far worse than her bite.

We ended our annual tidal walk with a bit of impromptu dancing by certain young men.
Riding the 6 mile round trip bike trail to Herring Cove Beach was an awesomely enjoyable challenge.
Hanging around the camp site was pretty fun as well.
D's Auntie C drove on over from Boston and taught us how to make our very own silk-screened t-shirts. This batch, which combined a picture drawn by two very happy boys, will serve as a lasting reminder of the '09 trip to Cape Cod.
The jaunty shirts drying on the line say it best: we had a happy 10 days in the woods and at the beach, riding our bikes downhill, and basking in the glory of being with two very happy boys.

To answer Nichole's question: Hell yes, we slept in that tent for the whole trip (full disclosure: on an air mattress). And that was fine right up until the night it rained buckets and we discovered the waterproof limitations of our 12 year old tent. Now on my To-Do list: a new tent for family campouts.