Trick or Treat

After two weeks of negotiation, we managed to get the Critter to don his hand-me-down costume. We made it next door, where the little dragon successfully said, "Trick or Treat," snagged a full-sized Three Musketeers from Mr. And Mrs. Newton, and declared it time to take off the outfit. He spent the rest of the evening speeding around the neighborhood on his trike, shouting, "Scary!" at every child in costume, including the Ladybug and countless Fairies. Happy Halloween!

No Nap!?

On a no nap day, afternoon play in the yard was quite mellow. Chase isn't the only one ready for bed at 7pm tonight!

Riding out the Storm

While all our east coast friends and relatives hunker down under the rain and winds of Hurricane Sandy, Ace and Mommy enjoy yet another blue sky day in the west.

Pondering Pumpkins

Ace and music class friend Bella discuss the merits of competing entries at the Stapleton Jack 'O Lantern contest this evening at Founder's Green. Bella was sold on the Cinderella Carriage, but Chase much preferred anything with flashing electronic lights.

In the Shadow of Giants

Ace and Daddy spent the morning at the Denver Museum of Science and Nature, where we were particularly interested in the dinosaur exhibit. On the way out, The Critter (he's in the blue jacket to the right) discovered another giant lizard guarding the parking garage.

Kinetics

Chase squeals with delight as a parade of balls fly down our own custom designed ramp at the Children's Museum. We miscalculated slightly, not realizing today was the first day of the Halloween celebration, which brought out a bit of a crowd. It was all made up for by this new exhibit. Truly the best combination of balls and gravity since Plinko.

Contemplation

Before you complete the masterpiece, you must consider the final brushstroke.

Anyway You Want It

After getting a flu shot this morning, Ace played like a champ at Great Play scaling rope ladders, climbing mountains, and hitting targets. Afterwards, however, the champion seemed tired even after a long nap -- flu shots can do that to a guy. So Mommy indulged Ace's every desire this afternoon, bringing him snacks of grapes, sliced bananas, milk and even pancakes as he watched Bob the Builder the first time. By the time Daddy came home he was back to normal.

Zoom

Chase and Erinn enjoy an afternoon of racing trucks at the park.

Better than the Batmobile

Ace would happily eschew his bike -- and even superhero transport -- for a chance to pilot that beautiful telehandler!

Beach Bum?

Yep, even in the high desert, a mile above sea-level, Mommy can manage to find a beach! And what a glorious day it was for surf and sand at Cherry Creek State Park, with toasty temps and not a cloud in the sky.

Love That's No Bluff

The Critter and Mommy enjoy a playful moment in the twilight at the end of our mile-long stroll around nearby Bluff Lake, on a warm October Saturday in Denver.

Leaf Toss

Chase enjoys tossing the fallen leaves today at the park.

Towering

The Little Engineer works on a big project with Mommy early this evening. It did prove to have minor structural flaws, which resulted in the collapse of both the structure and his emotions.

He bounced back quickly, however, and shall return to build another day.

Trains and Legos

We went to Barnes and Noble to play with trains and Legos today and you didn't! Na, na, na, boo, boo!

Shot in the Dark

No pictures were taken of Chase until 9:30 this evening. The little stripper shielded his face against the bright light of the flash. Afterwards, a brief discussion ensued regarding whether or not to put his pjs back on. Instead, we turned up the heat.

Experimenting with Glue

Chase has a new favorite obsession. Glue. A bit messy, but lots of fun.

Gerbil Ball

Stapleton held the final farmer's market of the season today, and the festivities included a chance to walk inside a giant inflated ball, which Ace did with careful concentration.

Going Bananas

This was Chase's weekend to take home the class pet, a monkey puppet who looks alarmingly like our own kitten, Bird. This little critter, Bananas, accompanied us to Lil' Monkey Bizness today and took (with Chases' help) quite a ride down the slide.

Zoolander

The little monkey enjoys quality time at the zoo with Mommy.

Kittens & Broncos

With our neighbors away for the week, the Critter has quite enjoyed going over to check on their cat. Although Ricky (their previous cat was named Lucy) has remained largely out of sight, Chase found another way to entertain himself on tonight's visit.

This balloon, left over from Nick's recent surprise birthday party, seems to be deflating as quickly as the team did against the Pats last week. I told Ace to give it a strong punch for good measure.

Train of Thought

Ace had the Barnes and Noble train tables all to himself this morning, as he and Mommy enjoyed an early start to the day's adventures.

Pumpkin Pals

Charlie and Julien, our neighbors, graciously gave Chase one of the three pumpkins from their garden. Mommy and Daddy can't wait until Charlie and Julien are old enough to babysit!

Lost Artifact

Someday this magnificent piece shall be unearthed (since it was mistakenly left behind at Lil' Monkey Bizness today and subsequently discarded by their staff) and imagine the riches that will fall to the discoverer. Eat your heart out, Dr. Jones.

Picking Pumpkins

Ace makes his selection at a local pumpkin festival today with Mommy. Fine choice, huh?!?

Fireside

As cold temps and spitting snow suddenly descend on Denver, the Kid and his mommy enjoy a quiet moment in front of the fire. Many more await this Fall, which thrills them both.

Snow !

Ace makes the most of the first snowfall of the year.

Watch out -- he's developing a heck of a snowball shooting arm, and takes absolute delight in obliterating all opponents.

Deep Concentration

Shouldn't he have done this before his bath?

Game Over

Ace -- and the rest of Red Sox Nation -- couldn't leave this season behind fast enough. Although Beantown Baseball won't be stretching into October this year, Denver temps are starting to drop, making this snazzy jacket a respectable choice. Regardless of wins & losses, the Kid will always represent!

After School Special

Ace and Jamey hung out after school playing trucks.

Hammer and a Nail

Chase practices hammering nails at the Children's Museum this morning.