Sammy had an absolute BLAST trick or treating. He got the hang of it real fast, charging his way up steps and checking his pumpkin to see what candy they had given him. He even managed a few things that sounded like "trih treeeee" for "trick or treat" and "dank" for "thank you". When we got home, he dumped his pumpkin out and counted the candy, and then we let him have his first taste of evil - a Reese's peanut butter cup. (Yay! More calories and fat in one cup than he sometimes gets in a meal!). Then he hung out on the front steps for a little bit, thrilled to give out candy to the kids coming around. I'm so excited that he did so well, racing off in his dragon costume, fearless as always.

Each year around Samhain, Jay and I make a dinner to honor and celebrate our ancestors. This year I took a few shortcuts and made a basic baked ziti - but it was so much fun to be able to involve Sammy in the process! We sat on the kitchen floor and mixed cheeses and pasta and sauce and snuck bites while we talked about what we were making. He was fascinated with the ricotta - it's a consistency he's never really been exposed to. Next year I'd love to plan it out better and do up a real feast, somehow recognizing foods from each culture in our lineage. I'm not sure how on earth we're going to do that - Italian, Polish, Scottish, Irish, French, Spanish? Oy! But this year with a toddler in tow? Baked ziti and garlic bread it was. :-)