Wild Kingdom

Happy (belated) Halloween!

Stella enjoyed her second Halloween with her good buddies, Isaac (aka Sir Dragon) and Scarlet (Madame Elephant), and had a rip-roaring time as a monkey (or is she a mouse?).

It was great to see Stella enjoy herself with all her company after a long week of battling her first ear infection. She's been a trooper though, and our small Halloween gathering seemed to perk up all our spirits.

The best part of the day was that she got to visit with both sets of grandparents. Lucky, lucky monkey.

Scarlet faced the biggest apparel challenge as an elephant. Despite the cumbersome costume, she was intrigued by all the festivities.

All of the adults were thoroughly amused by how the kids, for the most part, seemed oblivious of their costumes. Business as usual for a busy monkey, a giggling dragon and a curious elephant.

See, all the animals do get along.

I have to comment here that it's amazing to us that we're already rounding the corner on seconds for Stella. This is her second Halloween, and it's a trip to realize that we've already made it fifteen months with this wee sprite. A year ago, we were just emerging from that intense and exhausting newborn phase. Now we're busy chasing a very spirited and precocious monkey as she enters a whole new daredevil stage, climbing everything in sight and testing her boundaries at every turn. We're experiencing a new form of exhaustion, but we're also fascinated by how much she surprises us everyday.

We love you, little monkey.