Pumpkin Patch

This photo of the kids cracks me up. It captures each of them so well.

Owen, Cashion, Sadie and Seville

We visited Sweet Berry Farm to pick out our pumpkins this year. We love picking strawberries there in the Spring, but this was our first Fall outing. It was fun but crazy busy! Tons of families there on a Saturday. There were lots of photo ops and we took advantage of a lot of them. We were hoping the cool morning temperatures would hold out, but it got hot fast. The kids dutifully posed while we snapped away, though maybe not quite enjoying it. The sun was really bright. But, mission accomplished: pumpkins - purchased, hayride - riden. We headed to Bluebonnet for lunch, which was lovely as always. In fact, so lovely that Sadie, Cashion, Matt and I returned for breakfast the following morning after spending the night at the lake house. We rounded off this fun Fall weekend with s'mores (sorry Cashion, you were to sleepy to roast marshmallows with us.)

Tangerine Dream

We enjoyed another wonderful October weekend at the Tangerine Dreamhouse in Port Aransas with some dear friends this year. The number of kids doubled from last year, so it was busy and loads of fun with 6 kids. I love the weather this time of year down on Texas beaches and it is not busy at all. Cashion had his first experience with sand (not too tasty) and Sadie was a little bit braver about the waves (just a little bit.) She was really into sand castles and looking for shells, which was fun to watch. Cashion took lots of naps, so we only stayed at the beach for a little while at a time. I loved getting to spend so much time with our friends and their children. It is such a luxury to get to play all day and then put the kids down to bed, then still get to have a great meal and conversation with great friends. These days restaurants are so hectic with so many kids and we don't really even get to talk to each other before we have to leave to put the kids down, so I really appreciate this time together. I hope this will continue to be an annual event!

Cashion at 8 months

Wow, this has been an amazing month of change! Cashion is now crawling all over the place and pulling up on the couch! He still falls backwards sometimes and bumps his head, but usually recovers pretty quickly with a hug and a kiss. He is really interested in toys. He bangs things together with both hands and still needs to "taste" everything. Speaking of tasting, he has learned to love food. He now eats 2 jars of baby food at one sitting. He eats quickly and without much mess, which is a huge change from last month. He still loves his bottle and likes to drink it facing away from you so he can rest on your chest. I started this when he didn't want to take a bottle from me initially, thinking it would be better if he couldn't see me and it has kind of stuck. He fusses everytime the bottle is finished. He drinks it so fast it hasn't had a chance to hit his belly yet! He uses one finger to poke and point at things. Cashion is starting to pick up the Graduates "puffs", but still has trouble getting them into his mouth since they tend to get stuck in his hand. We have moved him into a rear-facing toddler car seat since he has outgrown the infant seat. Cashion loves splashing around in the bath. He is such a water baby.