How to Pick the Perfect Pumpkin

The thrill of picking out pumpkins never fails to bring joy to this girls heart.  I usually can't just stop at one.  So when the fruit & veggie stand up the street traded out their summer fare for gourds, mums, and pumpkins I jumped on the chance to go.  

On a warm fall evening I toted little man for a walk around the neighborhood and we made our way up to meet Barry as he was just getting off work. 

I wanted to teach him all about how to pick the perfect pumpkin; look for shape, firmness, stem size, ya know, the important stuff.  

But.

 He is apparently not as excited about pumpkins as his momma, of course that's only because he has yet to feel their slimy insides squish between his fingers......all in due time.

 

 

Touching his first pumpkin Evah.

Now that's a momentous occasion. 

  I call this the blue cheese pumpkin.

 And what's a trip to the pumpkin store without an old fashioned soda?

  Now this was yummy stuff.

Now they sit.

Huddled together on our front porch trying to save themselves from tomorrow nights game of eenie meenie miney mo.

Someone's getting carved! 

Foto Reel -29

There was a lot of movin' and shakin' going on in this house over the past week.  Our little man who has hated his stomach for 28 weeks of his life, curiously began to explore the world of rolling over.  And so it started with some rolly polly action back and forth like a ship being tossed at sea. 

 And ended with me coming in to find this. 

 Happy as could be.  

He immediately began sleeping on his belly at night which has seemed to make him much more comfortable allowing us to have longer periods of sleep at night.....(for now).  :) 

 He started taking baths in his new bath seat this week.  Gone are the days of the whale tub our little boy would much rather sit and play in the water these days.  We are loving this little contraption and I'm not sure how I'll give this wiggle worm a bath without it someday.  :)

If you haven't noticed my weekly recap, FotoReel Friday isn't always happening on a Friday anymore.  The older he gets the less sleeping and more playing he's doing along with the fact that we are feeding him baby food twice a day which adds an extra task of fun to our 24 hours.  I will always try to give a recap of our week so that years from now I can look back on all the fun, but time is marching along quickly and I'm just trying to keep up before his two little feet are the ones doing the marching.  :)  

A New Tradition

The sweet smell of hay with the spice of warm apple cider that fills the air.

The sound of children's gleeful screams as they plunge towards their parents on oversized slides.

Proud smiles of little ones as they carry pumpkins twice the size of their faces out of the dewy pumpkin patch.

It's a fall tradition that many families enjoy and we were happy to join that crowd. 

We got some giggles from passerbys as our two feet of goodness measured up next to the gigantic jolly apple.
He enjoyed exploring hay and watching farm animals for the first time.  

                                    

 We enjoyed the kindness of a stranger who led our little man down the tracks of the mini express.  His inquisitive little face told us just how much he delighted in soaking up all the new sights, sounds, and smells. 

 

 

 Thank You Fall for being so incredibly different than all the other seasons.  

Thank you Henry for making us see it through entirely new lenses.  

Within Reach

Success.

It started with a dish towel, enticing 27 inches of curiosity.  

All of a sudden the entertainment spaceship is not enough.  Other things catch his attention and in the blink of an eye are in his tiny hands.

Carrying him has become a strategy of quick footed spin moves to keep his little arms from grabbing all that is within reach.

FotoReel 28

Week 28 we stepped things up a notch.  

as he

became more playful and lovable than ever. 

 Fell back to our old ways of crumpling into Daddy's arms for sleep.

 Became a world class sitter. 

 Found more goofy faces and things to make him laugh, most especially eating and grabbing faces.

He spent some great time with great grandparents.

 And had a very memorable moment being held by his great Nana for the very first time.

 We enjoyed the gifts of fall, taking a drive out through horse farms and finding our way to a local favorite for a long lunch.

 He grew more inquisitive in a way that is unexplainable unless you see him every day.  He is getting spunky and enjoys showing you the proof. 

We took a walk on a cool fall evening, and heard the leaves rustle, watched the sunset, and learned we need a double stroller.

 We played with pumpkins

And loved this little gift called life with all we could muster.