Autumn Outings

Here is a smattering of the various activities we have been doing in this nice fall weather. I have several more activities on my list of "Fall Things to Do," so stay tuned.
First, I have been going on walks with Dane again. I didn't go on many walks during the summer because 1) It was hot, 2) Dane is very fair and burns easily, 3) I hate the smell of sunscreen and hated smelling it on him all day until his bath. You could probably just combine those three reasons and call it "Ami is lazy," but whatever. Fall is here, and we're out walking again.
You might recall a post from last year detailing some of our autumnal walks. We relived a few of those moments, and I like seeing how much Dane has changed.

Visiting the sheep:

Staring contest


I couldn't capture it on camera, but Dane would laugh whenever one of the sheep would walk. I thought that was funny.

The Grapes
This experience requires some explanation. I was out walking with Dane when I passed a house with grapevines all over the front fencing. I thought, "I would like Dane to experience a grape straight off the vine. I would also like to eat one." So I grabbed one grape. At the exact moment when I picked the grape, the owner of the house pulls up. I am a little bit mortified, and I prepare myself to own up to picking her grape and apologizing when she comes up, comments on how cute Dane is, asks if I tried a grape yet (I said no, which was technically true), gives me a whole bunch of grapes, and tells me to come back with a sack and pick as much as I want. Whew. Crisis averted. And she was really nice. The grapes were delicious, and I haven't been back to get more because I am too embarrassed.


The Park
I have visited little playgrounds with Dane before, but he has been too little to enjoy them. He is still too little, but he can at least get around and try to climb up the slides, so I tried again.


Here he is very carefully trying to make his way down the incline. He has figured out that he can get down stairs/the couch/the bed backwards, but he still prefers going headfirst and tries that first.

There were some other really cute things he did, like walking across the bridge, but I was too scared he'd fall off to walk away and take a picture.

Wheeler Farm
Joel hadn't ever been to Wheeler Farm, so we made a little family outing out of it. I guess they were having some big activities there because it was quite crowded, but we had fun.
Looking at ducks





After looking at the animals, we went down to the creek bank. Dane loved playing in the sand. And biting leaves.




Then, we got some shots of Daddy tossing him up into the air



Then, our real purpose for going, picking a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch.





Happy Autumn!

It's Autumntime, It's Autumntime

So, Dane and I have been going on a lot of walks lately. I need the exercise (I just can't handle the gym thing. And by "can't handle" I mean "I would never go even if I tried"), and I want to maximize what little time we have before the weather gets too cold and snowy. Here is a photographic journey of some of the things we've encountered along the way:
This is a pretty, leafy trail near our house

I just loved the contrast of the yellow berries with the blue-grey sky.

This is a cat that crossed our path.

Sheep!

He always find the walks very soothing...except for that time I walked all the way to Wal-Mart. I think it's a little over a mile, one way, and I didn't set out until later in the afternoon, so it got kind of chilly by the time we got back. That wasn't so soothing.

And here we are, modeling the new stroller my dad got us while he was out here for the blessing. (Those are Dane's little feet sticking out in front.) And that's my new hair. It's not a close up because I made the mistake of forgetting to take a picture the day I got it cut; it's always so much better when it's professionally styled. But you get the gist of it.

I'll be sad when fall is over. And it sounds like that'll be tonight. Oh well.