Pumpkins

I had high expectations for cute photos in a pumpkin patch-- drove 20 minutes to get to one, and once we got there, Leah cried almost the whole time. I don't know if it was because she wasn't feeling well, if she was afraid of the bigger pumpkins, or if the wind was bothering her... She didn't want me to put her down. I did manage to coax her to see the small pumpkins for a minute or two, and then she loved our pumpkin when we brought it home. (To top it all off, when we got back in the car, Leah said "That was fun. I yike pumpkins..." and has talked about the big inflatable pumpkin they had there for days now!) Nevertheless, here's what we ended up with:




When it came time to carve the pumpkin, she was excited, mostly because she got to go outside & we were making a big deal out of it. At first she didn't want anything to do with the pumpkin guts, but eventually, she got into it, first playing with her spoon and then, finally, getting her hands dirty. She was still a little scared of the finished product (I'm starting to see a theme with this kid), but has talked about the pumpkin non-stop.

And, a fun video from the day:

Many more pictures will soon be on the photo site-- there were too many good ones to choose from!

And for an added bonus-- can you tell who's who?

10 Things About Leah...

Funny things I want to remember about Leah @ this stage:

1. She is afraid of birthday cakes. Well, not the cake itself, but the blowing out of the candles-- as a result of her own birthday party experience. She watched some clips on America's Funniest Home Videos of birthdays and cowered and whined the whole time. Weird...

2. She is currently standing on the second step in our house and yelling something that sounds like "I'm stuck!" (although it comes out "I suck"). I go over there to help, and it turns out she's just tricking me with a huge grin, to get me to come flip her upside down on the steps. Who knew a 2-year-old knew how to be deceptive?


3. She loves to ROAR. "I yion, Mommy..." (I'm a lion.) She goes around roaring all the time. There is a big inflatable spider at the Food Lion where we shop. Apparently, the spider also says "Roar!" She talks about the big spider every time I tell her we're going to the store (no matter what store it is).


4. She's learned how to jump. And it is really cute. She especially loves to jump on our bed, and fall down.

5. The other day she tried to order a "juice box, please!" from the drive-through window at the bank!

6. She has tried, more than once, to "nurse" her Elmo doll or some other doll, by lifting her shirt up and holding the doll up to her. She will tell me "Elmo eating, Mommy."

7. Sarah's dog is Sam. When Leah visits Sarah, she will occasionally help Sarah give Sam her medicine, which she takes wrapped in a slice of cheese. Now, when I give Leah a slice of cheese to eat, she holds it down, saying, "Here, Sam!" Also, whenever she packs up her purse and pretends to leave, I will ask her where she's going. 90% of the time, she says "Sarah's house."



And some not-so-funny things I love:

8. She loves singing from the hymnal. We have family devotion most nights of the week and she just loves to help Daddy get the hymnal and always "conducts" while we sing a song. If she can get her hands on a hymnal, she loves to flip the pages and sing. Most songs have the words "Jesus," "Mommy," or "Daddy" in them.

9. Bedtime is my favorite time of day to spend with Leah. No matter how rotten or whiney she's acted all day, she is almost always sweet at bedtime, and she always looks adorable in her big girl bed. She loves to brush her teeth with her "Elmo toothbrush" and then we sit on her bed and read a book or two. Then she giggles as she lays down and then we say our prayers. Lately I ask her what she wants to pray for and she always gives a really good answer-- "church," or "Daddy safe" or "Grandma." And if I leave anything out of the prayer, she will remind me! I am so thankful for a little girl who already has an appreciation for things of the Lord.

10. She adores her baby brother. She asks about "Baby Andrew" first thing in the morning when she wakes up and any time of day when he's sleeping somewhere out of her sight. If other kids try to touch him, she stands over him and says "No!" She brings him toys to play with (even though minutes later she grabs it back, saying "No, mine!"). She now wants to "hold" him all the time, and she loves to get up in his face and kiss him.

State Fair Day

It's NC State Fair time again! This year Daddy got to come. We went on Canned Food day-- we took 4 cans of food to get in free. So it was really crowded! But we had a lot of fun. Leah loved the cows-- "on the farm, e-i-e-i-oh," she said all day long! She kept wanting to see "different cows--" even after we'd seen an entire building full! She got to pet a goat and a camel, which she also loved. There was also a great kids' area sponsored by PBS, where she got to take her photo with Curious George, Clifford, and even Elmo! But she wasn't really into getting her picture taken--she almost seemed afraid of all the big cut-outs, so Daddy had to be with her in all the pics. We had a funnel cake, but no other "uniquely fair" food. We were all definately worn out by the end of the day, but enjoyed a fun family day.

Andrew @ 3 months

- He doesn't go to the dr. this month, so I don't know his weight or height now, but I'm sure he's grown significantly-- he doesn't seem to be stopping. He definately no longer fits in most 0-3 month clothes!

- He is smiling a lot more now, and becoming much more interactive. If I am holding him in my lap, he will crane his head around to watch Leah run around. He always smiles at her. He smiles when you "baby talk" to him, and he smiles when you touch his cheek. He also loves to be held up in "airplane" position and look down on Mommy-- that always makes him grin! He is especially smiley in the mornings when he first wakes up. I think I've even heard him laugh once or twice, but not sure if that's what he was really doing.

- His eating patterns are a much more predictable 2 1/2 to 3 hour schedule now (usually it's only 2 1/2 hours when I push him to eat earlier so we can go somewhere). Night time is always unpredictable. He's slept 6 or 7 hour stretches a couple nights, but never 2 nights in a row. It seems like he'll never sleep through then night! Sometimes I still have to get up 4 or 5 times a night (although he doesn't eat every time, sometimes he's just fussy), sometimes just once.

- We have been practicing with bottles-- I try to give him one a day, since I would like to be able to do things without him for longer than 3 hours every once in awhile. He still takes them very very slowly and never takes more than 3 oz. or so, but he's getting a little better each time.

- He's trying really hard to roll over. He seems to like it on his side a whole lot (probably craning around to see Leah or the TV). He tolerates tummy time. Of course his favorite place to play is still someone's arms.

- I tried him in his Exersaucer. He's still a little too small-- he needs a little more head control-- but he tolerated it for a few minutes. You can see I had to stuff blankets all around him to keep him in place!

Fall Family Fun

At last the fall has arrived! And with it, the leaves in our yard! Who needs professional family photos??

There are plenty more photos on the photo site-- I had a hard time uploading them here, so these are just a sneak peek!

Leah's Library

Leah loves her books. More accurately, she loves carrying around her books. She must have a stack with her in bed every night before she goes to sleep.

And then when she wakes up in the morning, she must carry the stack downstairs with her. (Well, actually I end up carrying the stack downstairs because she's not quite mastered the stairs yet.)

If we go back upstairs for any amount of time, she must take the books back up with her.

Most recently, she's opened a new branch to her library in my kitchen. But she gets so frustrated trying to carry the whole stack of books at once that she'll either carry them one at a time, or she'll cry until I come help her carry them. Then they must be placed exactly where she wants them.

She does like to read the books as well, and have them read to her. I only have to read them to her once before she catches on to the general idea of the book and when she "reads" it aloud the next time-- even though I can't understand most of what she says-- I can catch a few of the words from the book. I only hope her love of books continues as she grows!