November

November has come, and that means most of the leaves have fallen from the trees. The end of daylight savings time means the days are just ridiculously dark now. Well, we will have to hone our indoor play skills, which might be hard for an "dadai (outside)" oriented little boy. Here are a few random pictures (I'll also post about this weekend).

Isaac looking at one of his favorite things of the moment, the bus:

We also finally got the chance to go meet our adorable new little cousin Peter, who is already one month old. He is sooo precious and he has a wise, calm look about him. Isaac and Malachai played and tackled each other a few times - what can you expect from little boys? Isaac had lots of fun. Also, Lucia wanted to show Isaac everything in their house. (approximate transcript below)

Lucia: Mama, I want to show him, I want to show him, I want to show him...

Erin: What do you want to show him?

Lucia: I want to show him, I want to show him, I want to show him...

Erin: You don't really know what you want to show him, do you?

Lucia: Uhhhhh.....

Lucia also drew a lovely picture for Isaac. Actually, maybe genial is the better word. I think it is awesome. My cousin Erin (her mom) had her write Isaac's name on it too. Come on, don't you love the depiction of Isaac too? Basic person with a huge afro. I asked her if the other circle was his diaper, but she said it was just how she draws people. I was waiting to scan it in, but not having a scanner, finally settled for a picture.

pumpkin patch

We went to the pumpkin patch with Isaac's daycare class on Thursday! It was really a nice little outing. Mama had never been to a pumpkin patch before, so this was a first time for both of us. As we waited for the hay ride to start, we found this little board next to the wall. I wonder how accurate it is? Well, Isaac is 17 months old now, so I guess we only have to wait about 1 month to find out!

We kept waiting, and met our driver, "Wild Walt", who, from a Google search, appears to also be the owner of Johnson Farm. He was a hoot. (Okay, there are other kids in this picture, but I figured it was okay to post it since their faces aren't in it. I won't tell you who's who. That should be okay as far as the picture rule goes for the daycare, right?...)

We got on the wagon, and Isaac had eyes for one thing, and one thing only...

So when we arrived at the pumpkin patch, he went first thing to check it out.

Then, I coerced him into wandering amongst the pumpkins. I see a little teenage sassy face already in this picture. Oh dear.

Isaac kept looking and looking, but was not content with any of the pumpkins he saw.

He probably searched longer than any other kid. Or, maybe he wasn't actually interested in the pumpkins. The mud was quite attractive too. However, he says "pumpkin" now! I think I have a video of it that I'll put in another post. It's obviously not "pumpkin", it's missing a few sounds and has a few substitutions, but I am just amazed at how his vocabulary is growing. He's getting really good at imitating, and his receptive vocabulary is definitely growing a ton. Expressively, he is doing a lot too but we still can't understand a lot of it either... so hard to tell.

Finally, he found the perfect pumpkin.

Before getting back on the hay ride trailer, Isaac was determined to drive the tractor himself.

He was upset about being taken off the tractor seat, but found temporary solace in some splashable puddles.

Then, we rode back to the main farm area. We saw goats and chickens, but for some reason Isaac just wanted to be held after that. He has developed a fear of dogs lately, so I'm not sure if he thought the goats were dogs or what. Oh, I guess I'd better tell the dog story. We were walking along by the SouthTowne apartments, where they just recently put up new fencing (which is hard to see through), and had no forewarning, when suddenly a dog lunged at the fence and started barking. It startled me, so you can just imagine how terrorized out of his little mind Isaac was. Needless to say, dogs are no longer his friends. He always asks to be held or at least holds my hand when dogs come around. It's kind of sad, in a way. Isaac's first fear. The first fear of a fearless boy.

After we returned to the farm, all Isaac's friends piled off the hay ride. But Isaac did not. He was still mesmerized by the tractor.

I finally had to take him off. Later I found a different tractor to sit him on, but it was not the same. He did not approve.

After so much fun, Isaac was tired. After a few Ritz crackers, the little patient rider nodded off.

The pumpkin patch was so much fun! We'll have to go again next year, or at least every other year. Maybe with Papa next time...