The Merry Men of Sherwood Forest made Halloween a merry affair this year (well, except for the tantrum when the allowed candy-eating limit had been exceeded, but we'll write that off to holiday exhaustion).
Robin Hood and Little John were fierce warriors for justice. In Soren's words, "We steal from the rich and give to the poor." Yes, he's watched the Disney movie many a-time.
Yes, Soren was Robin Hood, in a costume we picked up our travels in Oregon, and Jeff was "Little" John. Mommy got to be Maid Marian, Robin Hood's lady love. Well, aren't mothers the inspiration for all sons' good works?
Aw, let me in for a kiss!
Soren lost his first tooth last week, and the gap is
almost visible in this smile. It was a lower front tooth, and it gives him a disarmingly devilish grin.
And in case you didn't feel safe enough with Robin Hood patrolling our neighborhood, his friend was a ninja, so there were TWO swordsmen on the prowl.
No need to worry. Unless, of course, you're filthy rich...!
Soren's wearing his eye and ear protection in early October as he helps his dad with his Halloween project. What's he going to be? Can you guess by the end?
The acquisition of a little red wagon this summer led to the idea of pulling Soren in it for our annual downtown Halloween parade. But how to decorate the wagon?
Jeff, crafty fellow that he is, came up with the idea for a steam locomotive superstructure that could be bolted (and unbolted) to the wagon.
It's made of plywood, scrap wood, and milk cartons for the bendy bits (e.g., boiler), and painted with spray paint. It's taken many evenings and weekends this month to assemble, bit by bit. It even has a brass bell with a cord that Soren can pull and make it ring!
As a finishing touch, this locomotive will have a face--a la James, from Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends. Here I am painting the wooden disk, which has a bulbous nose just like in the animated cartoon. The project has been a family affair.
Halloween weekend we were visited by this geeky energy inspector. He boldly knocked on our door and asked if we were interested in a free energy audit. That's when Soren saw past the disguise and ran into Daddy's arms! The fake teeth and thick glasses really change Jeff's appearance. And since he is getting ever-better with his accents as he rehearses for his play, even people who know him well do a double-take. He fooled our neighbors in a great gag.
We've been lucky to find a great teenaged babysitter who lives just a few blocks away. Soren loves Kaila, and she has a great time with him. She comes 2-3 times a week for a couple of hours at a time. I took this picture in part because they were dressed in matching outfits!
And we'll close with a cute shot of Soren hefting a squash from our fall centerpiece and displaying one of those rare expressions where you can almost see what he'll look like as a grown-up. But he's a long way from that now, at 14-1/2 months. Thank goodness!
