Concentration

Margaret goes about the business of being a baby. These days, that means making sure she gets invited to every meal. A charming smile often leads to a handout at the dinner table...

... but when it comes to developing a plan for locomotion, the Snoo puts on her game face.

Halloween

Halloween was a major league event this year. In the weeks leading up to the day, Silas declared his intention to be a dragon -- which was the costume he wore to the Halloween party at his preschool. This is a picture he asked me to take of him (a rare occurrence) at our playgroup, modeling his costume before going downstairs to the preschool party room:

At the party, Silas quickly found the food and a seat on the couch. At this point, he had been sitting by himself for several minutes happily polishing off a cookie and eating the icing off of his cupcake before the rest of us realized it was a photo opportunity:

Meanwhile, schoolmate Bat sized up Nice Scary Wolf:

And Aidan gave us his best Pirate Face:

Simon and Sabrina ask, "What are twins if not fun?"

That was the Thursday before Halloween. On the day of, Silas helps me carve our pumpkin ...

... and then decides he will not dress up as a dragon. Rather, he will be a Scuba Diver:

Not being a Scoover Diver yourself, you may not realize that the knit hat is a Scuba Diver Cap and the red cape is a Tank. Few people realize that wearing a Cap, Tank, and green thermal underwear make you a certified Scuba Diver.

Confident in his choice of garb, Silas is eager to hit the doors:

And he returned with the loot. There must be something instinctive about spreading out your Halloween haul for appraisal once you return home. Here, Sophie the Cat helps Silas find the best bits:

The only sad note to the record is that Margaret had no Halloween fun. (Although there seems to be quite a lot of candy unaccounted for.)

Squeeker

Margaret testing out the vocal chords:

Inside

Everyone here has a cold, and the weather is rainy with highs in the upper 40s. Yesterday was an inside day. Donning sweaters over their pajamas, Silas and Margaret spent some time sailing the high seas.



Could they be related?

Rhode Islanders Visit

As you may have noticed, today is a day to catch up with the blog. Long overdue are some pictures from Noni and Nono's recent visit to Baltimore. Some highlights:

1. Nono taking Silas and Dad to Camden Yards to watch the Red Sox clobber the Orioles. It was Silas's first game, and he loved it. (Although the experience was enhanced by two slices of pizza and a pair of binoculars.) After six innings, Silas decided it was time for us to go on a mission to "find the duck." We did manage to have an up-close encounter with the Orioles' mascot -- unfortunately I did not bring my camera on that particular adventure.

2. Enjoying some beautiful fall weather in the neighborhood. Here, Silas shows Noni how to work the stroller:

3. Soy beans!

4. Reading some books (supplemented by a couple of trips to Daedalus):

5. And last but in no way least, Dad's glorious new peg board in a cleaned-out basement:

Dinner Parties

Silas' friend Sava came back into town this week after being gone for four months or so. It was quite a reunion: a solid afternoon of high-energy, high-volume, high-hilarity play. Here they are enjoying dinner outside:

And we had fun at another party a couple of weeks ago -- Pop-Pop's birthday dinner in Bel Air. Silas was excited to drive up to meet Grandma and Pop-Pop for a dinner party, and Margaret was excited to be "one of the gang" at the dinner table (for a few minutes anyway):

Silas and Pop-Pop discuss the merits of their new books:

And Margaret decides to find the whole situation overwhelming:

Garden Work

Silas and his friend Mila help prepare the garden for winter.