weekend update

The pictures from the pumpkin patch are in and posted (see two below). We probably won't have much to share the next couple of weeks. This weekend is a working weekend and next week I have mandatory training both Saturday and Sunday. That's OK, though, it will be useful information and then we have a Fall Feast at our house to get ready for. Hooray for good food and friends.

with a bow on top

The ever-talented, devoted Dad ties Miah's hair back. It's a proven fact that I can't do anything with hair, so Mark stepped in.

Miah sat patiently, for the most part, with her legs crossed on the table.

Horton had to help out at one point. And we encouraged her to sit still while Dad made her pretty--one of her favorite words.

All pretty, with a bow on top. Of course, this didn't last. We picked up headbands at Wal-Mart just a little while later.

pumpkins for my punkin

Last weekend it was hot air balloons and monkeys and sea lions and state fair animals; this weekend we ventured North to Black Forest to play at a pumpkin patch. Miah selectively remembered the little horse that nipped at her and held her free arm behind her back every time we introduced her to a farm animal. Except for the rabbits of course. Mark and I petted the sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, the alpaca, and even the camel while Miah laughed at us, hand tucked as far away as possible. We did, however, get her to ride the pony for a few turns. The first time around she grinned over the ponies at her dad and said, "Whee!"

Then Mark laughed at me while I bumped along in a barrel train to keep Miah company. I really should have just walked beside the train like I had planned, but instead I squeezed in and over the sides of the barrel car. We raced rubber duckies, Mark gave me a lesson at lassoing (boy am I glad he didn't have a video camera), and then we raced each other down a 100' slide.

I learned that Miah likes slides even more than her mom. She wore me out! We walked away with three smallish pumpkins that I thought I could use for cooking: my little punkin LOVES pumpkin. Using fresh pumpkin for cooking is new to me, and I'm a little skeptical about the yellow hue to pumpkin I baked tonight, but we'll see if I can't make an edible soup out of it.

"Look Mom, I found one for you."

state fair

"Say 'banana'!" We posed for a picture with Kamila the baboon after watching the show "Wild About Monkeys" at the state fair. Kamila starred in Evan Almighty and other movies, so this was is Miah's first picture with a movie star. Plus we think it's kind of cute that our "little monkey" finally met a real monkey.




While we might have been impressed with the monkey, Miah was falling in love with rabbits. She was thrilled when this rabbit sat in her lap for a minute; in the the show rooms Miah made it clear that her favorite rabit is the white haired, red eyed rabbit from the Cadburry chocolate commercials. I decided my favorite is the Mini Rex rabbits with the velvet fur. Then my jaw dropped when we met the French Lops which weigh about as much as Miah.

Miah was just as excited to try to climb the fences as she was about petting the animals. After getting nipped at by the miniature horse, we moved over to the calm donkey.

I was excited to see that Miah took to the goats--though not as much as to the rabbits--because someday I want a couple of Pygmy or Nubian goats. Mark tussled the goat's head before letting Miah get close, so Miah imitated by grabbing the goat by the horns and head-butting him. I'm glad she didn't do the same with the huge cow we saw in the judging corral. We got to see some massive brown cow with horns about the length of our vehicle who lowered her head at all the spectators and let out the deepest, longest moo I've ever heard. It was so low that I almost liked it.

balloon classic

Labor Day weekend always brings the balloon classic to Colorado Springs. Locals gather to watch hundreds of hot air balloons launch on the weekend mornings. This means rousing ourselves early from bed on a holiday morning and fighting a crowd before we've even had breakfast. It's always worth this because it's a pretty fantastic sight; it is also the occasion of my first date with Mark. (We didn't call it that at the time because we were just getting to know eachother and decideing whether to date, but since it worked out I call it our first date.)

The other two times we've gone, we've been on the other side of the lake watching the balloons fill, expand, grow like a bunch of circus tents coming to life and lifting off to touch gently upon the surface of Memorial Lake and then float off into the sunrise. Some of the balloon handlers touch the lake like mosquitos and others, with a lot less finesse, almost drown themselves. Miah loved to wave at the people as they drifted overhead.

Although she enjoyed the balloons, Miah thought it was too early in the morning to smile for the camera. Roxy meanwhile, barked up a storm at every balloon she saw. Notice her ears are back! We won't take her next year, poor thing.