Fall things

It's fall at our house. That means knitting hats, lighting up fall-scented candles, and picking up leaves in the yard.

His and hers knitted hats in fall colors.

 

Fall festival at the daycare - photo op. 

knitXmidwest: a knitter's arcadia

So the girls of Hill Vintage & Knits and Jen of makeXdo put together this awesome event last weekend that I eagerly attended. (I am totally geeking out on this!) It was all about knitting, sharing, and having a great time with some very creative and interesting people. I managed to finish a hat I've been meaning to make for a while now (pictures to follow in a future post). For a full photo summary of the event, check out Jen's blog.

Photo by Jen 

Photo by Jen

It was absolutely blissful and just what I needed to kick off the season. Plus I made some cool new friends who are just as passionate about the craft.

Sunday evening at the park

On Sunday we went to the Greenwood park around the DSM Art Center. It was a nice time for a stroll. We saw some cool things and walked and played together.

What is this?

It must have fallen out of this.

What is that?

Where is Daddy?

Inside

Can we fit this back in?

My boy band

Dancing fools

Man-child daddy

Happy Halloween!

In our city, trick-or-treating (or Beggar's Night) takes place the night before Halloween. The forecast for tonight was looking grim - 90% chance of precipitation (thunderstorms). I was really bummed because this was going to be Jack's first time dressing up for Halloween and trick-or-treating. Luckily, the weather was cooperating, and it was even in the low 60s temperature-wise. So we headed out to my parents house, as their neighborhood is more family/kid friendly.

 Our little guy was dressed as a cuddly lion. He growled for the neighbors, picked one piece of candy, and even said "thank you" every time. We were so proud of our little munchkin.

All in all, great first-time Haloweening experience.

Iowa State Fair 2013

The summer is getting to a close. It's been a fun one, for sure. I took the day off of work to take Jack to experience the Iowa State Fair for the first time. The weather was really nice - in the 70s even. We tried to go right after Jack's nap to beat the crowds.
First, we  looked at the animals. Jack was fascinated with them all, but he took most intense interest in the fishes and fowl at the DNR building. He is definitely his daddy's and grandpa's outdoorsy boy. The trout were his favorite.

Jack also sampled his first vanilla shake that he shared with daddy, and his first corn dog. He seemed to have enjoyed both quite well.

 We also walked around and saw many different things, including classic cars, which Jack kept calling "brrm-brrm".

Jack even had a chance to help out at the Little Hands on the Farm exhibit, where he got to garden, milk a cow, pick apples, and then "sell" his yield at the farmers market for money that he got to use at the shop to buy a popsicle. It was adorable. He is such a good farmer.

We also went to the Midway to look at all the carnival things. Jack is too small for most of the rides, so we mostly just enjoyed watching it all from the benches.

We got out just before Jack's bedtime, before the crowds started coming in en masse.
It was a nice day to spend with the family. Jack was tuckered out at the end of the day. He has been growing into such a sweet little boy. He's very generous with kisses and hugs. I marvel at him every day.

 My beautiful, sweet child. Mama loves you to the moon and back.

Busy, busy summer

To the few of you who follow my blog, I apologize for not posting for quite a while. This summer has been so busy and a lot of fun. I hardly find the time for blogging anymore. But I will make up for it, I promise. For now, here are a few photos of my stylish 17-month old little bug. He is becoming more and more affectionate and interactive. I love my son - nothing in life has brought me so much happiness.