This year’s Halloween belonged to Adela. Last year, she had some input into her dragon costume (as part of our Shrek theme) and she ended up wearing it at least weekly throughout the following year. But this year, she very firmly let it be known that she was going to be Ariel for Halloween. The pictures are priceless, but they don’t quite capture Adela-as-Ariel. Whenever she puts on the costume… and wig… and crown… and wand… and princess shoes, she walks around the house singing Ariel’s song (if you’re a fan of the movie, it’s the tune that Ariel sings to Prince Eric on the beach and causes him to fall in love with her). And if, in the midst of her reverie, you ask her any question by name (“Adela, would you like to…), she reminds you that “I’m Ariel, not Adela.”
That’s not to say that Dylan wasn’t cool in his Batman costume (although I’m still working on the idea with him that Batman doesn’t kill bad guys). And he got to wear it for practically two days straight, between the Halloween parade at school, the actual trick-or-treating, and his sleepover costume party at Aethan’s house last night.
For us, while Halloween was fun, it was eclipsed by a magical evening tonight celebrating Dia de los Muertos. We joined thousands of San Francisco skeletons and revelers parading through the streets of the Mission with candles, flowers, offerings, incense, and photos of loved ones being remembered. At a small park, a community altar had been erected and everyone wrote messages to the dead. Dylan wrote a note to “Pop Pop Joseph” and drew a picture of him. Adela wrote to Nana and Umpa. We wrote notes to Uncle Dave Hirsch and Dave Merta. It was very special and Dylan even saw his kindergarten teacher, a real highlight for him.
Oh, and two days out from the election, we saw the best evidence yet that Obama has this thing in the bag: a sign reading “Skeletons for Obama.” I guess, like any good Chicago pol, he’s even got the votes of the dead. 😉
Happy Halloween! Happy dia de los Muertos!