Sunday, November 1, 2009

Halloween 2009 in Austin

Before I tell you what they are, I'll give you a minute to guess:
Give up? Still don't know? Don't worry, you aren't alone. We were a little cryptic this year.
Jackson asked to be a cyclops (yes, aren't we a cute little classical-model homeschooling family), and as Harry is still moldable in his dress-up desires, we convinced him that Odysseus was the way to go (Harry! You get to carry a bow and arrow! "A bow and arrow! I wanna be Odishus!"). At first Jackson resisted the idea of Harry being his nemesis because "he'll stab my eye", but after some whispering that Harry doesn't have to know that part of the story, he calmed down and made sure not to mention it again - just to be safe. Matthew was the costume master, painting the eye and taking the boys out to the woods to find sticks for making the bow/arrow and an uprooted tree for Jackson to carry.
So yeah, we dressed our 4-yr.-old up as man-eater. I was planning to give him little cardboard men to carry and occasionally pop in his mouth, but to Jackson's credit, this idea repulsed him and he asked to be a "good" cyclops. But we couldn't resist the bone around his neck. Harry was pegged as a wood nymph, Ceasar, and Robinhood (that's supposed to be a Laurel wreath around his head), but he had a grand time telling at least one neighbor whose door we knocked on, "I have a bow and arrow, and and and and this (pointing at his wreath)."
And Mary Clement? Well, she was Penelope. The Odyssey is not exactly a treasure-trove of female heroes, you'll remember. But Penelope is the shining light, just like our baby girl. So we just made her look pretty, which of course isn't hard. But even with ALL the thought we put into her costume, she decided at the last minute to be Sleeping Beauty. Ungrateful. (Don't tell her Greek women didn't wear fur-lined bonnets. It might hurt her feelings.)
Love you all.
Ruthie

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