Costumes and Critters

Halloween week was full of multiple opportunities for the kids to dress up. For character day at school, Cole was a dead ringer for 'That Jim' from the genius Junie B. Jones books, and Caroline, ever independent, chose a cat from some book I've never heard of and refused to let me partipate in the disguise process. Then Halloween itself was full of ghoulish boys and a battery-operated witch (there were lights sewn into Caroline's tutu-like witch costume). Chase was so very disturbing in his overalls and mask, and he and the other neighborhood 'big kids' hit three different neighborhoods and then slept at his friend Mehmet's house. It was my first Halloween without him, and it was somewhat heart-breaking. Meanwhile, the lady bug nymphs crunched themselves into tight wads, froze for a week or so, then climbed out of themselves, as beautiful lady bugs. Pale orange and wet, they developed spots and black underbellies in a matter of minutes and began practicing their flying skills. We had five by the end of that day, and the week the temperatures hit the seventies in November, I set them outside to take flight.

Also Amanda sent me a whole mess of beautiful pictures from Dad's birthday, but I had to post my two faves: