Shoot the Moon

We got caught up in handing out Halloween treats tonight. This year we saw more inflatable costumes than ever before. Last year, not a single one. Tonight we had two littles dressed as an inflatable unicorn and as a tiger. Non-inflatables included a very determined Cookie Monster, a few cheerleaders, and even a tiny businessman making his rounds. The littlest ones always steal the show but truthfully I love the creativity of the older youth as well. All of the childrten tonight had such lovely manners.

Our day started long before the candy bowl. Megan and Oliver came by in the morning, and as always, our little raccoon arrived just in time to help Grandma eat her cottage cheese and blueberries. Joe was busy soldering wires to repair a toy and helping Megan build a cardboard garbage can — a perfect prop for Oliver’s raccoon costume. The plan: our mischievous raccoon would sit in his “trash can” for Halloween. (Adorable doesn’t even begin to cover it.)

When the crafting began, Oliver and I slipped down to the family room. That’s when we had a first — Oliver noticed Alto, our cat, and burst into tears. I couldn’t believe it! This is the same boy who lives with two big dogs, but apparently Alto’s silent stare was a little too much. Eventually, the cat lost interest and wandered off, and peace was restored.

Oliver wasn’t too keen on being separated from Mom and Grandpa, so he climbed his way up the stairs and found the cardboard project fascinating - especially the duct tape. Once he got his fill of that adventure, we headed back downstairs for a little game time.

We played Shoot the Moon — one of those classic games that’s part skill, part luck, and all patience. Mostly, Oliver just enjoyed rolling the ball from hole to hole, and I kept score like it was the world championship. We must’ve played for ten minutes straight before he decided to see if the ball fit in his mouth. Game over. He wasn’t thrilled with Grandma confiscating the ball, but I stood firm — no points awarded for that move!

Afterward, we tried watching a few minutes of Charlotte’s Web, but Oliver is in his “must move constantly” phase. He’d rather pull himself along the furniture and practice his sidestepping than sit still for a movie. We stayed busy until it was time for him to go home, both of us thoroughly entertained and a little tired — at least one of us was ready for a nap.

My nap had to wait until after our Costco run, but I did manage to squeeze in a glorious 30-minute rest before the first trick-or-treaters appeared. This year, we set up chairs in the driveway so the little ones wouldn’t have to climb our big front step. It worked perfectly until the drizzle started, and we retreated inside. Only two more groups came after that, navigating the step just fine.

It felt like a Shoot the Moon kind of day — full of little risks, laughter, and moments that could have gone either way, but somehow landed just right.

Do you enjoy Halloween?