Pumpkin.

One of my favorite pictures from our family photo shoot in late September! Monica Genta did such an amazing job with us. I will post more later, but I had to get these up right away. :)

Can't you imagine when Beckett's first girlfriend comes over? It might go something like this:
ME: "Welcome to our home! Do you have a couple of minutes before you need to go?"
BECKETT: "No, mom, we have to get going."
GIRL (eager to please): "Of course we do!"
ME:Smile. "Isn't she sweet?"
SHONN: Eye roll.
ME: "Well, come in really quickly. Shonn can grab you a drink while I get a couple pictures to show you of when Beckett was little."
BECKETT: "MOM, noooo!"
ME: "Oh, pumpkin, I'm sure she will just LOVE them!"
SHONN: Laughs.

Ella's Kitchen is Where it's At!

Mom and I were shopping maniacs at Babies R Us this weekend. She got this coupon-flyer in the mail that offered gift cards for purchasing specific items. For example, if you bought 2 packages of Pampers, you got a $20 gift card. For adding on batteries, toilet paper, paper towels, wipes, Tide, pull-ups, you got another $5 gift card. Everything on the list was stuff we will use, so mom got a set and so did I. We ended up with $110 in gift cards...and a WHOLE lot of diapers. :)

I also purchased a new product. As you know, we've been playing around with offering foods to Beckett, without pushing too hard. I was getting some Organic Gerber Stage 1 food when this nice lady in the aisle with us pointed out a product I had never heard of, called Ella's Kitchen. She raved about how good it tasted and showed me that the ingredient list on each package was JUST fruit and veggies - no water or anything else added. They were interesting blends, too, like Carrot-Apple-Prune, or Broccoli-Pears-Peas, and Spinach-Apples-Rutabega. I picked up 5 packages of different flavors and thought we'd give them a try.

Beckett LOVED them! We started with the squash blend, which was Butternut Squash, Carrots, Apples, and Prunes. I put it on a plate and fed him with a spoon, but soon he grabbed ahold of the package and began sucking!

I really like the products because they do taste good (true story), they are all organic with no preservatives or additives, they come in a very cool, portable container, AND it's a small business with a cool story. http://www.ellaskitchen.com/

Here's the little man, enjoying his snack!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Camp Camfield

 

One of our favorite things to do, especially in the fall, is go out to Camp Camfield for family hikes. I love getting out to enjoy the beautiful colors and weather! Beckett coos the whole time we hike - he loves inspecting leaves, the light shining through spiders' webs, and twigs. One of the reasons we love the Sullivan area so much is for this type of thing; there is so much Corps land and Lake Shelbyville, which are both perfect for outdoor activities. So fun.

Frog Food

We caught a little frog while our on hike at Camp Camfield last weekend, and Beckett was really interested in it. So interested, in fact, that he seemed to think it would make a nice snack. Is that considered caviar? Or am I just fancy-ing it up?

Hiking with the Girls

 

We had some special guests today. Tam called around 3:00 and said she was in Arthur because they decided to take a road trip to The GREAT Pumpkin Patch (emphasis added). Mom, Dad, and I were enjoying the weather in the backyard when the girls arrived. I haven't seen them for a long time, and they seem to have grown so much! Amber is in third grade already, and Audrey started Kindergarten this Fall. They are so cute and full of energy. We decided to burn some of that energy at Camp Camfield, one of our favorite spots. Amber loved being the leader, and Audrey wanted ot be the caboose. Dad ended up giving her a shoulder ride while Amber led the way to the little pond where Shonn and I found tons of baby frogs last weekend. We sang songs, got some R & R (rocks and roots), and enjoyed listening to Beckett coo while he took in the gorgeous leaves and sunshine. It was a wonderful surprise visit on a gorgeous fall day.

I See You

 

Beckett's eyes have started changing color. They are this beautiful combination of colors right now, and I wanted to capture this stage. They were mignight blue and now they are a hazel-ish color, with some blue still lingering. I love how intensely he studies everything with those beautiful baby brown-blue-hazels.

Art Appreciation

 

Beckett's taste in art mimics his Aunt Mandy's. He loved the graphic poster prints in this book, especially "Girl in a Mirror," which is one of Mandy's all-time faves. I got to see it in person at the MOMA, and I hope Beckett enjoys art museums as much as I do!