Laurel Elisabeth Stevens

Getting ready for Halloween the kids painted their pumpkins. I'm fine without a big Halloween celebration. So, little pumpkins were painted. For Halloween we searched the closets, Henry found pirate ware. Elisabeth planned to be some sort of snowflake princess but changed at the last minute to a pirate too. For either costume, the eyepatch was always the problem; neither was able to wear it for very long. The biggest problem with Halloween this year was that Henry was scared of it all. Anything in masks, the decorations in the stores. We couldn't take him anywhere without expecting some fear and crying. This included the mailbox thanks to neighbors that enjoy decorating their yard for Halloween. I am hopeful that Christmas will be more friendly. Henry and Elisabeth's cousins came over to trick-or-treat. So, we had Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, and two pirates. A pretty good crew in a Neverland sort of way.

Elisabeth is preparing to release the butterflies that she received for a birthday present. These kits are pretty neat. Five caterpillars came in the mail and they quickly formed crysalids. About five days later the painted butterflies emerged. They were released another three days later. The animals are more active during the now more common cool fall mornings at the zoo. Here Henry is making a bunch of ducks very nervous. Finally long sleeves and pants. We can play outside without frequent water breaks . The mosquito population is also moving a little slower. I've enjoyed coming home from to work to see several neighborhood kids playing in the driveway and the parents trying to keep them out of the street. Henry and Elisabeth love to be part of these events.