Punkin Got A Pumpkin!

Last weekend, we went to the Oakes Farm pumpkin patch. It was so cold, but so much fun!! They had a corn maze, kiddie rides, a big homemade slide, a bounce house, and a hayride to the pumpkin patch. We met Matt, Katie, and Grace there and hopped on a wagon.

I couldn't help but think of It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown when we arrived in this field with pumpkins strewn everywhere. Here you can see Grace picking the first pumpkin she saw, but it turned out to be too "heaby"!

Here is Jalen choosing his first pumpkin.

There was a long line to get back on the wagon, and to some good hot chocolate!

All in all, it was a great first family pumpkin pickin'!

AND I also have to add: Jalen started saying "Da da da da da" yesterday, and discovered how to stand up without pulling up on anything!

The October Update

Where have I been?? Busy and unmotivated, I guess. Let's pick up where we left off:

We traveled back to IL the first weekend of Oct to see teeny tiny new baby Kalden. Jalen paid no attention to him, of course. But wow, a lot happens in 9 months when you look at a newborn and then at J, who looks like a two year old next to him! He has changed so much.

Jalen attended his first parade when we went to Enfield's Mule Days. The sirens were a little startling, so it was a good thing they handed out little frisbees that were the perfect size to chew on (because you know I wouldn't let him chew on a tootsie roll!).

On Sunday of that weekend, we headed to Louisville, KY because Devan was attending a meeting the next day. This was our first hotel stay as a family. I'm calling it a vacation because I haven't been in a hotel in way too long! Jalen's favorite part was the closet because the doors were mirrored. While Devan was in the meeting, Jalen and I strolled along 4th Street, which was awesome. They have a couple blocks that are all restaurants, bars, shops, and very pedestrian-friendly. We spent several hours in Borders reading books and enjoying our "vacation".

I started working on Wednesday of that week, at Natural Alternatives, where I was before Jalen (but who remembers those days??). I am working Wed, Fri, and every other Sat to start out. J has been staying with friends of ours while we look for the "perfect" sitter to care for our little punkin-head. He has had a great time playing with Maddy and Grace, and Pete the dog.

Jalen's 9 month check up was on Monday. He is 21 lbs 3 oz (50%-75%), and 29 3/4" tall (90%), which is totally backwards from what we thought! So maybe he will be tall dark and handsome like his daddy!! He is super healthy and amazing, but we don't need to be doctors to know that. He has been teething hardcore for about two weeks, and its hard to get a good look, but I think his top two have broken through. Some of his new favorite activities are:

• Pushing/Pulling/Scooting things. Chairs, stools, his activity table, the vacuum, clothes basket, walker, Exer-Saucer, ... I mean anything. Push it, pull it, push it, pull it.


• Opening and closing drawers -- same concept.


• His new laugh. It's like "Ah ha, Ah hah, Ah hah!"


• Oh, maybe I should have put this first -- taking steps! He will take one, sometimes two, steps at a time before getting scared and falling down. The other night he was cruising down the couch at full speed and when he ran out of couch, would take a couple steps before he realized what he'd done and sat down!


• He's really good at standing, and can even squat down and stand back up now.


• Still says "Mom", but its a more pronounced "Ma-Ma" now, and makes some other undiscernable sounds now too.


• When he eats, he likes to reach up and grab his hair, styling it with an all-natural tomato based gel. (See photos)

Ok, that's all I can think of. Coming up we have Uncle Phil and Aunt April visiting this week, then Grandma Connie will be here for the big Race for the Cure, and finally, Halloween!