Happy Fall, Y'all!

HE stole my candy!  (pointing to Hayes)

Pardon me boy, is that the Chattanooga Choo-choo?

Stopping to smell the... pansies.

Some people do Sunday brunch, but we opted to tailgate instead.  The Titans weren't playing, so we trekked over to the airport, found a spot with a view, and camped out to watch airplanes take off and land.  Peter LOVES to listen for airplanes on our walks and he's gotten really good at spotting them in the sky, so he got a kick out of seeing them up close.  I can see this becoming a frequent (and favorite) event.  

In the spirit of Halloween, Peter test-drove a bat costume some of his cousins sent him.  While he didn't become nocturnal (thank goodness), he did seem to be flying around!  Note the remote control for his beloved car - he would not let it go.  

Practice for Trick or Treating

He wore himself out! Snack please?!

We're really getting our Halloween on over here.... we had yet another fun-filled day at the pumpkin patch! We met lots of farm animals; Peter especially loved petting a lamb and listening to Mommy's piglet imitations. We navigated our way through the corn mazes and enjoyed a hayride... with actual hay this time!  Peter kept going back to rifle through pumpkins until he found his favorite.

I spy an airplane!

"Flying"

Mommy love

Which one will be the "great pumpkin?"

Peter and I just returned from a trip to Lafayette for a quick Nanny fix. It was a short visit, but we managed to cram in lots of visiting.  As you see above, we played a bit of hide and seek... it's a whole new ball game now that he's walking so well. We wish we could have stayed longer and seen more people, but it'll have to wait for next time.  Here are a few moments we caught on film.  

Roll Tide Roll!

Rubbing noses with Brian

Blowing bubbles with Nanny

Can't get enough of his books!

Watching a puppy outside

I created a monster... the Snoopy ride at the store

Cheese!

It's amazing how his little personality is emerging.  In an effort to distract him from dialing China on the phone, I offered him a piece of junk mail that I had in arm's reach.  He looked at it, looked at me, walked over and threw the envelope in the garbage can.  Then he started reaching for the phone again.  Silly me... score 1 for Peter.  (Come to find out, he was only dialing Des Moines - not China.)  

Oh!  We have new teeth!  While at Gran and Pop's house on Sunday, we looked down and saw that he had cut two molars - his first molars!  I had only just examined his mouth a couple of days before with no signs that these particular pearls were on their way.  Surprise! We're up to 10 now.  He'll be chomping our popcorn in no time...    

What are you gonna be for Halloween?

I'm off to the farm today!  I'm so excited I can hardly walk!

Wasn't too keen on going inside the teepee alone, but was greatly intrigued 

by the nearby tire swing...

The bumpier, the better

"Dear Goat, what's it like to not be fed?!"

(Note the sign:  Do Not Feed Us)

Shaking the scarecrow's hand

"How tall this fall"

Tractors and dirt... what more can a kid want!?

We also went on a hayride and through a corn maze, but my hands were full and I wasn't able to snap pictures.  Peter's favorite part of the day was seeing cows on the hayride.  He mooed right along with them.  His version of "moo" is simply a long "mmmmm," which is also his version of mommy, milk, and more.  Makes for interesting conversations.  

The gorgeous fall weather we're having allowed us to spend lots of time out on the water at the lake last weekend. We also visited the horses across the street and played with the bazillion toys Reenie pulled out of the attic.

... and he's walking.  Granted, he's wobbly and tripping over books and puzzle pieces, but he has gained quite a bit of confidence over the past week or so.  He still opts for crawling "long distances," but it's not so unusual to see him traipsing across the room anymore.  He seems quite excited by this new found perspective, though.  

It dawned on me after we posted that last picture that I haven't really shared much of what he's been up to lately.  The past couple of months have been wrought with transitions (on his part) and a whole lot of trial and error (on our parts).  We seem to have settled into a groove, which naturally means that it will all change tomorrow.  

We no longer have to prepare special meals for Peter, which is a huge bonus for me.  We still have yet to find anything that he won't eat, so I'm holding off on chicken nuggets and fries as long as I can.  As soon as I introduce that, it's all over.  He loves his pasta with plenty of sauce, and his daddy's gumbo is always a hit.  He could be part monkey, though -- if a banana is visible, it's no use arguing.  He'll get to it.  Speaking of all things kitchen, he rather enjoys trying to open the dishwasher, refrigerator, and even the oven.  That's been fun to tackle.  His trademark move happens only once I get him out from between my feet while I cook.  He takes everything out of the tupperware cabinet and then leaving the room to play with his other toys.  Precious.

As far as playtime goes, he's a pretty laid-back little guy.  Sometimes he wants nothing more than to climb all over us and give lots of hugs and kisses, while other times he wants nothing to do with us and goes off to his little reading corner by himself.  He just recently began dragging books over to us and sitting down for story time.  That really is precious.  

Perhaps Daddy's favorite trick is the "touchdown" pose you see above.  Peter holds his hands up high like the referees do, and he waits for you to call a touchdown.  There's been a lot of that going on with Alabama playing so well.  (Sorry Tiger and Bulldog fans, it had to be said.)  

Peter's always been a climber, but he's gotten big enough now to climb into his rocking chair (courtesy of Tim and Cindy Magarahan) and his armchair (aka his throne).  He'll scoot it over to the wall, climb in, sit for a minute, try to stand up and reach the light switch, then climb out and repeat the process.  Several times.  Of course, I'm sitting there trying to avoid any unnecessary tumbles and so you can imagine how thrilling this activity is for me.  Like my mom says, he's just trying to figure out spatial relationships.  Yeah... not so comforting after falling and hitting his noggin on the baseboard.  Popsicles help, but they don't do much for those spatial relationships.  Oh, well.   

Then there's outside.  He certainly knows that word - due to our somewhat obsessive watering of the lawn, our daily strolls, and his somewhat unreasonable obsession with his tricycle, we're spending lots of time outside lately.  He's been playing with the acorns that cover our driveway and splashing in puddles (left from the sprinkler, not any rainfall).  He also loves to pull the leaves off of my plants.  I try to point him to the dead ones, but his aim is a little spotty.  

Peter got some new shoes just a week or so ago!  Wouldn't be so noteworthy, but his feet grew a whole size in just a couple of months.  Lengthwise anyway.  He measured for a 4 in July, but we had to go with a 5 extra-wide because of his instep (thick feet).  This time, we left with a 7 extra-wide.  Poor baby has been trying to grow into his paws since he was born.  Who needs a puppy when you've got a Peter?!  

We are down to one nap a day.  I personally mourned the loss of a nap, but Peter apparently couldn't wait.  Just like Hayes, he is all about sleeping just enough to get through the day so he can get out and play.  This does not bode well for later years.  Anyhow, he interestingly dropped the afternoon nap instead of the morning nap.  We are in the process of pushing the morning nap back bit by bit to get him down after lunch instead of before.  Exciting stuff.

What a coincidence!  That nap has just ended so I have bedhead to fix and a grilled cheese sandwich to make.  We wish you a wonderful weekend!

I get to go to the lake this weekend!!

I'd walk there if I had to.

(It might take me a while, though.)

Talk about surprises - Peter walked this morning!  Peter was standing up in the bathroom with no support and suddenly decided to head for the door.  Instead of kneeling down and crawling, as is his usual MO, he took four steps over before stopping and realizing that he just did something really cool.  Then he just went about his business.  No steps since.

Here we go!

SURPRISE!  

Or at least it was a surprise for me.... Hayes managed to plan a fantastic surprise party for my 30th birthday last week.  I don't know how he did it, as I usually end up figuring these things out ahead of time.  He had every detail figured out - so much so that I realize now he's an untapped resource when I'm planning a party - I need to put him to work!  We had a great crowd, good champagne, and shrimp and grits to rival those found in the low country.  I'll share pictures once we get more from our guests, but I had to share the one above - can you believe those two kids are 30?!  

We just returned from Peter's first trip to the beach.  We drove down to Seagrove, Florida in mediocre weather, and lost a day to intermittent rain.  By Day 3, we had gorgeous summer sun and perfect beach weather.  Peter took right to the sand, though he was immediately most drawn to the stairs up to the houses.  He crawled all over, exploring the new terrain.  The sand was apparently quite tasty - he licked his fingers and shovel!  He didn't even mind a face plant here and there.  The water was a bit overwhelming at first, but by the end of the trip he was fearless.  He knocked over a few sandcastles, played with the seagulls, and really enjoyed his 'fort' that we set up for some shade.  He waved to passersby, both pedestrian and aerial, human and avian... We must admit that it will be nice next time when he can walk and perhaps even carry something down for himself!  All in all it was a great introduction to the beach, as we have more than a few beach bums in the family....  now we know Peter is one too!    

Catching his shadow

That's more like it!  

Always checking out the neighbors....

I think I'll just chew on a few sea oats....

The most genuine 'Peter smile' we've managed to catch on film

The stairs with a Peter magnet built-in

His personal cabana

Aww!

He did this over and over and over and over and over....

Photographic proof that we DID have a hat for him, but he refused to wear any of them.