The end of the party

Rowan had had enough. No more pretending to be something I'm not, he thought. No more biting crackers then putting them back on the serving tray, no more parading around in leg-warmers and a pink head-band, or stealing other kids' toys and appropriating them as my own. I am bushed...And so, at the end of a great little costume party, it was time to pack it up, head home, and get ready for the (literally) 110 trick-or-treaters who rang our doorbell until 8:30PM begging for candy. Some came dressed as monks, others as murdering psychopaths, though a few roguish preteens avoided the whole idea of dressing up altogether, decided to cut out the middle man and demanded candy just for breathing the same air as us. So we gave them candy...the poisoned kind...heeheehee...heehee...

Even more from the party...

Rowan takes a ride on another of Allison's toys, this time being towed instead of doing any actual locomotive work himself. He had a blast, though.

More from the party...

Rowan on his throne. Command me, lord!

Father and son share a beer and cracker.

Rowan walks up the steps unassisted. He's been getting better and better at this skill and uses it frequently at the playground, though he hasn't quite mastered the descent.

What was Rowan?

Rowan went as--now keep in mind, we tried to get a pumpkin costume for him, but the whole thing fell through, so we were left with the only option on the table--an 80s aerobic instructor. I have no shame...


While at the party, Rowan had the habit of taking a bite out of a cracker, then putting it back; repeat ad libitum.

Rowan, in a not too flattering pose, takes a gander at Allison's riding toy while shamelessly flaunting his gut. All this time, he has been completely unaware of the head-band.

Among his friends...

Next in line we have Mojo: Daddy's Little Pumpkin! Mojo (short for...something) is the daughter of another group of friends. She has bright orange hair and just LOVES Rowan. She also sits still and doesn't get into too much trouble, as far as we can tell, unlike some people...

Next we have Ba-Ba as a Rene Magritte painting! Here is a perfect example of what I was talking about earlier. I have no shame...

We have Bat-Man and his cousin...uh...Power Ranger...dude...who apparently was not a power ranger despite his costume. It's complicated, I guess. Rowan looks on in utter apathy.

The Halloween Party!

Rowan went to a Halloween party sponsored by some friends of ours at their house in Bloomington. Everyone was dressed in an appropriate costume--except us...So let's take a look at the cast of characters: We have Allison: A Fairy! and a spectacularly cute one at that. She's the daughter of our sponsors (the father happens to be an old friend of Winnie from her U of C days).

It's Halloween!

Yes, it's Halloween, that time when you don't have a costume so you scramble around to find something that remotely fits the bill of "off-the-wall" but ultimately fails in its statement. Just flip through the photos--you'll see.