Halloween Prep

Most of the trees in Arvada are either yellow, red, or bare. Our tomatoes are finished for the season and the mountain tops are white most of the time. We've had lots of fun playing inside and out during these days of fickle weather.

We and Eliza are engaged in a long and heated debate regarding her Halloween costume. Her faithful parents believe the monkey suit is the best choice for both aesthetic and practical reasons: it is very cute, cozy on a cool night, and sports a ripe banana. Eliza on the other hand, prefers the fish-head-ballerina costume. It's fashioned from her own developing sense of beauty. She does have some strong points in her argument.



This morning we drove to a pumpkin farm just to the north of town. As we approached from a few miles off, the land appeared to turn from brown to bright orange. This place had acres and acres of pumpkins. A hard freeze earlier this week minimized surrounding foliage leaving the gourds exposed. Given the ample selection, Eliza had no problems picking two of the best specimens.



Eliza and Mom have been attending a weekly Mandarin class for the past couple of months. One of the little girls who traveled back from China with us is also in the class. They have fun. Weekly art projects magneted to the fridge are a great addition to home decor. Eliza seems to pick up the new vocabulary quicker than we do. She knows her colors and body parts as well as please and thank you in the official language of China.