Pumpkin Cookies!

Last Saturday Sean had to work again and had to take our only car with him.  Owen and I were more or less stuck in the house because of Hurricane Joaquin, so I turned to food to keep us entertained.  I purchased a pumpkin cookie-cutter, and then let Owen choose a few other cookie-cutters from the eclectic collection I inherited from my Aunt Elsie:  for the record, Owen chose a dachshund, an airplane, and a hammer.

I made the dough the night before, and then Owen and I rolled the dough, cut it with the cookie cutters, and baked the cookies.  This mostly proceeded apace – although I got peevish at first when the dough was too sticky, and then Owen kept using the hammer cookie-cutter as, well, a hammer, and hammering the dough with it.  But once we made it past these hurdles, we made three cookie sheets of large cookies.

And then we made a lovely glaze and dyed it orange and iced the cookies.  Owen was in charge of the sprinkles, and he was very, very pleased to have the task of not only throwing tiny balls on to cookies, but being encouraged to do so.  He chortled with glee:

Later in the day, we got out our Halloween decorations and decorated the mantle.

Susan and Owen on Tuesday turned one of our pumpkins into a bat:

We are getting ready for the holiday!

Honey Bear

Owen was a bear for Halloween, although he didn’t really understand what it all meant.  By that I mean he did not seem to wonder why on the afternoon of the 31st his parents saw fit to put him in a big bear suit before letting him play in the yard.  He just romped while ignoring the large pillow stomach protruding from his front, and also while ignoring my giggling.  

And he knew that he did not like wearing the hood.

He went trick or treating at a few nearby houses and liked getting candy in his plastic pumpkin.  He also enjoyed all the lit decorations and the spooky soundtracks people had playing.  And then he very much liked moving his candy from one pumpkin to another, and then back again.  

I’d summarize by saying he was amenable, on the whole, and he certainly remains a big fan of the pumpkin.

Halloween Season

Owen was Robin for Halloween and Sean was Batman, and you'll have to take my word for it that they were quite the crime-fighting duo, as I promised Sean I would not post a photo for all to see.

I promised Robin no such thing, however, so here are a few fuzzy photos of the little sidekick in his dapper suit:

He was a little cranky at first, since 5-7 are the witching hours every day at our house, and Halloween was no exception.  But he did eventually leave his mother and go to a few houses on our street with Batman.  He wasn't at all scared of the other kids in costumes, or of the lit pumpkins and creepy decorations.  In fact, he seemed decidedly unfazed by the evening, and since it was strangely warm out, he spent a good hour playing with some of our pumpkin decorations, as well as taking candy out of our plastic pumpkin and putting it back in.  He was nonplussed enough that he was okay with me taking the pumpkin of candy away from him when trick or treaters came too.

He also very much enjoyed playing with our three carved pumpkins the next few days, and on Saturday spent about an hour and a half taking the lids off the pumpkins, switching them around, and then putting them back in the right place.

As a fifteen month old, Owen is always Very Busy.

Dorothy had to stay behind the glass door on Halloween night, and was very upset that she could not come out on the porch and greet all the children.  She sat by the door looking pitiful, even though many children came over to wave at her woebegone face.  I was surprised that Plum also sat right by the glass door and watched all the trick or treaters come and go.

Here is Dorothy the next day looking quite autumnal on the deck.

Dorothy thinking, why don't I get to trick or treat?

Scary!

Bulldogge Manor is getting quite scary these days.  Spiders are everywhere.  

Strange pumpkin-headed men can be found occupying our porch rockers.  

Various spooky beings can be found on our mantle.  

Let the festivities begin!