Between Bagels and Rice: October 2018

October in Seattle was all about preparing for Halloween and the fall. We rolled pasta together to make fresh hot lasagna, we took our last bike rides, we raked leaves, and we chose pumpkins to decorate the house. But most importantly in October, we prepared our house for sale and sold it! The buyers were kind enough to let us rent back for free while we waited for our new house to be ready. While it was hard to live in a staged house and one without as many toys or our usual furniture, the boys did well, making the best of the new open spaces. The hardest thing for Oren was probably taking down his gallery of artwork that lined nearly every wall of the main floor. We assured him there would be a spot for all of it in the new house.

As usual we went up to Swans Trails Farm to choose pumpkins. It was a delight to see Oren no longer afraid of pumpkins and Naoki had no qualms about sitting in the mud to pose for pictures. Oren got to ride down on the burlap sack slide and the boys both had fun in the corn box. Later, he decorated his pumpkin with glow in the dark paint.

Oren chose to be Daniel Tiger for Halloween and Naoki defaulted into a lion. It was cute to see Naoki as a lion since Oren had been a lion a few years before and while we don't actually judge who wore it better, it's clear that Naoki was a happier lion and Oren was a more reluctant lion. Oren had such a fun time going trick or treating with the neighborhood kids. He'd spend the rest of the year choosing his candy for dessert and lining up candy to have on the following nights.

Oren was also very helpful raking leaves, jumping in the piles, and taking up his usual role compacting compost by jumping in the compost bin. In October, Naoki started climbing up steps and pulling himself up to stand more often. It's always good to see progress!