Pumpkin Patch 2014

Gratuitous pumpkin photos post. There's nothing to say we just went to a nearby pumpkin patch, took some photos and bought a few pumpkins. Maybe if we actually carve one I'll add that picture to the bottom of the post.

My little pumpkins!

Love this one! Thanks Kevin!

Loves of my life

Picking out one to carve

Miranda has never seen so many pumpkins!

Group photo fail! Miri was too distracted by the pumpkin.

• Last year's pumpkin photos at the farm 2013
• Pumpkin photos at the farm in 2012
• Pumpkin photos at the pumpkin patch in 2011

Grandma Visits- September 2014

While Kevin went on his Midwest Book Tour (more on that soon), Grandma Clouther came and stayed with me for 5 nights and 5 days and helped me with the kids and with meals because she super awesome. As if that weren't enough, she got up every morning when the kids and I got up, and she took them to the park in the afternoon, so each day she was here I had some alone time and time to do work. Seriously, Mary Poppins is alive and well and she lives in Cape Cod!

Okay, here are all the pictures:

Making Pumpkin cake with James!

Can he be trusted? Sure.

Eating the fruits of his labor

Itty bitty loves her too.

Feeding Miranda oatmeal

Facetiming with Great-grandma

Feeling a little sad but grandma's hugs help

Sending a picture to dada

Serious face!

Group pic!

Queens County Farm- October 2013

Even though I see Christina and Rachel pretty often, we haven't gotten our families together since we went to the Bronx Zoo over a year ago. Even though we selected a more low-key location this time, I was still exhausted half-way through our visit. In October, Queens County Farm has a pumpkin patch, a corn maze, petting zoo, and hayrides.

Tim, Isaac, Eleanor, Rachel in the pumpkin patch

Dan, Hudson, and Christina

James, me, Kevin- James is distracted by the pumpkin magic

There's my little pumpkin!

We took James back to see the goats he loved so much last time, and he seemed to remember his love for them. So much so he kissed a goat and tried to get a goat to kiss him. Um, yeah. Luckily these goats are pretty gentle. He definitely smelled of goat when we got him home.

In love with a goat.

Everyone even got a hayride around the farm. It was James's first hayride. I was banned from the ride because I'm pregnant, and even though the ride seemed extremely gentle, I took the better safe than sorry approach. I also got 5 blissful minutes to drink a cider by myself. Ha!

This hayride is BUMPY! Or not.

Off to see the farm again.

At this point, everyone needed some snacks and refreshments, but the excitement continued because there was a loose chicken in our midst. Luckily this chicken was also gentle and tolerated kids (not just ours) chasing her around for quite a while before she was returned to her area of the farm.

Chicken pecking at Kevin's shoe

Chasing the chicken under the picnic table

Group photo that Isaac is barely in (to the right)

Also, Eleanor and James got some serious bonding in. They find each other mutually hilarious. Eleanor is 8 months older than James but the gap is closing a bit as they get older.

The flirting


The affection


Mutual joy.

Fun day at the farm!

Apple Festival at Queens Farm 2012

I was really excited about Apple Festival at Queens County Farm. Really disproportionately excited for it. Maybe because since the first time I went to the farm I've been really into it. Also, I love apple cider, and Kevin is a big fan of apple pie and apple crisps. We discussed all the apple-goodness for weeks. And then it rained. The rain was bad enough, especially with a toddler who if we'd put him on the ground would have made a beeline for the puddles. But worse yet, there seemed to be virtually no apple products. We couldn't figure out if this was also due to the rain because we've never been to the Apple Festival before so we had no point of reference. This is a real quote from Kevin, "Apple Festival has all of the excitement of a trip to the grocery store."

Hamming it up

We tried to make the most of it and take some pumpkin patch photos, but that's a little different in the rain. Also, James doesn't remember the pumpkins from last year, so to him he had been set down in a field of orange balls. He immediately ran to one and started kicking it like a soccer ball. When that proved ineffective he tried to pick one up, but again, no go.

A field of balls!

I choose this one.

Maybe we should come back?

Holding the umbrella with James

James is 6 Months Old 2011

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James's 6-month photo (26 weeks + 1 day)

Wow, I can't believe James is 6 months old already! What's most shocking about it is that he seems less and less like a baby and more like a toddler lately. He charms strangers, sits up for little stretches of time, tries to grab stuff he sees me or Kevin using, and eats baby food. He tries to grab the spoon to feed himself. Yesterday we got him a booster seat to eat his baby food in; even though it was pretty funny to feed him in his jumperoo, it wasn't an effective way to actually get food in his mouth. He also started working on crawling at 24 weeks. He does what Lukas described as a "military crawl," meaning he crawls forward on his belly instead of getting up on his knees. He likes to stand while we hold him, and a few days ago, he held the coffee table and held himself up while trying to steal our remote control.

Holding himself up with the table! (25 weeks)


Propped up standing (25 weeks + 4 days)

James shredding magazines, a new favorite activity

James had his 6-month doctor's appointment and he is now 28 inches tall and 19 pounds heavy. That means he's in the 90th percentile for height, and 50-75th percentile for weight. His head circumference is off the charts, though. I like to imagine this is because he's brainy. He's rocking the 9-month-old clothing.

At his 6-month doctor's appointment

We are getting really excited for James's first Halloween. It's possible that he has two Halloween costumes... he will be all dressed up with nowhere to go. Taking him trick-or-treating is a little silly still, and he doesn't have any baby parties to attend, so I guess we'll just be taking some photos here.

Which one of these pumpkins is my baby?


Found him! (26 weeks + 2 days)

Happy October 2011!

October 3rd, 23 weeks +5 days

Profile looks just like Kevin!