Fall Fun

With high temperatures in the low sixties, fall is definitely here and we are loving it! I can't wait until the leaves change and fall - I am sure our little explorer will LOVE playing in piles and piles of leaves. Let's just hope he is not like his father and refrains from jumping off of roofs into large piles of leaves, thus breaking bones.

Sporting his cousin C's old coat :-)

Ethan is nursing a bit of a cold (think lots of snot) but has been really pleasant. He has learned a new word - "cheese, " says "ta-da" and waves his hands (this is a trick Christine taught him that we've yet to witness. Sounds cute, though!), and imitates Ernie's laugh on Sesame Street every time he sees him. It's hilarious!

Checking out Bailey after school

We ordered his Halloween costume, too. He was going to be a lion - a really cute lion - BUT, I waited too long and the stupid company upped the price by $15. I just thought that was really ridiculous, especially considering the fact that he will be in his costume for a total of an hour, so our boy will be one of his favorite things - a bumble bee! He will hate me for it one day, but I figure that I only have one or two more Halloween's before he gets his own mind and won't let me pick. Plus, it will be really cute having him dressed like that and saying "BEE - buzzzz."

One of his toys of choice - our headphones

He has also discovered how to...throw. That's just great. It means that his favorite new toy, a REAL baseball, must go.

He loves it so much, he tastes it, too...

I also have BIG news - Ethan went to sleep tonight for the first time EVER WITHOUT A WRAP!!! AJ had chamber rehearsal tonight so Ethan and I enjoyed some Mommy/Son time. I used to really hate doing the night time routine by myself, but now it's really fun. Ethan was quite a cuddler tonight. After his bath, he sat on my lap in the rocking chair and we flipped through three books. Can you believe that child sat still for that long? He was being so tame that I thought I would try something new, given the fact that the poor kid is busting out of his wraps - clearly, they are only meant for younger babies. But, clearly, the manufacturers don't realize that some wild children need to be mummy-wrapped well past a year! Anyway, I just laid out a blanket (one sewn by his favorite Aunt Jennifer, by the way) and loosely wrapped him. He went right to sleep without a peep! This is a huge milestone for us - I seriously thought we'd be wrapping him until kindergarten!

You can't tell, but the reason he is laughing is b/c he is

getting yelledat for banging the baseball off of

our tv stand...So much for discipline!

We had a busy and fun weekend. On Saturday, I got a much needed hair cut in the morning. Then, we got everything all ready and met my mom and AJ's parents in Oakland. We had lunch, did some shopping at the Pitt store, then headed to Phipp's Conservatory to check out the new glass exhibit. (That's where our new family pic at the top was taken) It was great! Ethan loved getting to walk around and touch things. He is especially fascinated by the drains. Everywhere we go, we have to stop and look at every single one.

Weirdo.

They had a really cool exhibit with glass aliens, called "Longfellows." They were hidden everywhere throughout the plants.

It was a great way to spend a rainy Saturday. AND, Ethan got to hang out with all of his grandparents - a very special treat. Not that he cares for anyone besides Papa anyway, but still. We tried!

On Saturday, Ethan spent the night at his Grammy and Papa's house so that AJ and I could do some massive cleaning. We had an open house on Sunday. From what our realtor said, it wasn't all that productive. There were five people that came, and the ones who were really interested won't be in the market to buy for a few months. So, that does not help our situation with the new house we love. We have pretty much come to terms with the fact that we will not be getting that house. It's a bummer, but we have to believe that everything happens for a reason and that when we do get a buyer who can get townhome financing, there will be an even better house waiting for us. Come on, St. Joseph!

Enjoy some pics from our day at Phipps.