Making Christmas cookies is a firmly entrenched tradition at our home. Hailey was involved from the beginning, and Lesley is now part of the team. That all takes place in another 5 weeks or so. This past weekend Hailey came over for a Halloween preseason event -- same cookies, different cut-outs, different decorations, same delicious taste.

Henry loves when the house bubbles with activity and loved the sprinkles Hailey passed to him even more. We carefully kept the frosting away from his reaching hands and lined up the drying cookies on the counter. The Christmas cookie plan is currently slated to double the volume of Halloween, so Henry better get geared up for that one.

Becky's birthday passed with a delicious dinner at Simon & Seaforts in downtown Anchorage and thanks to an early reservation we found ourselves with a window seat looking out towards Sleeping Lady and the chilly, bright sun. Due to our specification that this was a birthday celebration, the staff littered the table with small festive decorations. Henry tried to eat them, which is why they were quickly moved out of his ever growing reach.

Henry wanted nothing to do with Mom's steak, yet he wanted everything to do with Dad's crab and macadamia stuffed prawns. He went to town on the rich, succulent meat as well as the savory rice. He has rejected halibut in the past, but today is a new day. Hank created a cyclone of crumbs as one might expect, but after a tasty dinner and a few spoonfuls of dessert, Mom and Dad pronounced the dinner a success for everyone. Becky did not have to endure a public birthday song and her creme brulee went down wonderfully.



The snow came this morning ensuring a White Halloween as usual. Henry's costume is not simply a spider, but a "very busy spider." The Very Busy Spider is one of his favorite books, so thanks to Mom's handiwork, he's in business. The dry run went well around the living room last night -- nothing was tugged, torn, or attempted to be eaten. Tomorrow night we'll take the live show on the road to Chugiak for the candy score.

"Chase Henry" is the number one game around here. This video captures the joy in the game as well as a bit of the Halloween spirit.

We're in the middle of October which means that the temperature is dropping, the snow is sticking, and pumpkins are being carved. Saturday Lesley spearheaded an evening of brats, carving, and apple crisp out in the Barnes' garage in Chugiak.  As it worked out I was the speed carver, which was interesting considering I had a great deal of help from Henry in endlessly reinserting the top of the pumpkin while I attempted to cut away at the design. He was very involved and really enjoyed playing with the slippery pulp. The dude was slated for a bath the next day so we let him have at it.



I opted for a very basic design -- a hand reaching out of a tombstone. In hindsight it would probably have worked much better on a taller, narrower pumpkin, but I danced with the wide date I had brought. It turned out well enough, though the more I glance at it, the more I see a palm tree. Hawaii is closer than we think so we'll call it a harbinger of sorts. What I know for sure is that Hank really digs being able to look onto the deck and see a flickering light illuminating it.

If there is a happy byproduct of a sad visit to Wisconsin, it's that the Henry was able to visit with family that otherwise wouldn't see him as often (3000 miles is pretty far). Folks from nearby Wisconsin to northwest Indiana gassed up their vehicles and headed to Coloma to visit with and chase the giggling boy through the Wisconsin fall colors. I have never been this magnetic, but then again I am no Hank.

Here is the photo dump from that trip.

Henry's journeys through Wisconsin's fall have ended and he has happily returned to his toys and chilly Anchorage. Once returned to our living room, he was immediately shot out of a cannon as he scurried over every inch of the room to dig out, inspect, and scatter about his toys. From his smiles and laughter we knew that all the toys were intact and accounted for. He was happy to be home, though there is no doubt that he loved his visit to Wisconsin.

Henry loves being involved with things, especially when given a job. As much as he loves flinging anything in any direction possible around the living room, if I tell him to hold the mail as we walk it to the mailbox, he will not drop it. Maybe it's because we're outside and the world looks different. Maybe it's because I'm holding him at the time. Or maybe it's because he understands that he has a job, albeit a little one. What we do know is that he has an insatiable desire to be a team player and stay involved. When grandpa enlisted him for a walk down to the road to get the mail, he signed up. Just look at him -- the little dude is about business.