Pumpkin Carving

Tonight, we carved my pumpkin. Mom and dad weren't sure if I would get into it or not, but I loved it! I loved touching the bristley stem of the pumpkin as dad got ready to cut the top. (And I loved standing on the table, this is obviously a special occasion.)



Then, it was so interesting to see inside. I am such an inquisitive little girl. I looked right down into that big orange pumpkin and saw a whole bunch of slimy orange stuff.



You would have thought the sliminess would have deterred me from sticking my hands in the pumpkin, but it did not. Nor did it stop me from trying to get a taste of this new object in my surroundings.



I loved trying to reach to the bottom and scraping what I could find. Luckily, dad had already cleaned most of the inside of the pumpkin out so I just had fun coming up empty.









































Next came a very serious thing. At first, I wasn't to sure about dad sticking the carver into my pumpkin.



Fascination followed as my pumpkin took shape and actually started to have a face. Mom drew it out for dad and he carved most of it. Mom did get to carve out the mouth though which she fashioned after me. Well, I was actually her inspiration. Big eyes, a huge smile, and one tooth. (Mine has broken through but is not actually visible at this point. Sometime soon though, we hope.)



Here's our finished product. Mom lit the candle while I was out of the room. When I came back the lights were off and I wasn't quite sure what to do. Reaching out to touch my pumpkin was definitely not the answer at this point! So, once I saw my first jack-o-latern, mom turned the lights on and blew out the candle. Inspection of the pumpkin was now a possibility again.

Faulkner Pumpkin Farm

Today, we went to Faulkner Pumpkin Farm to pick out my very first pumpkin. What a great farm to do this at! They had hay rides, a petting zoo, and all sorts of other things for the bigger kids. They also had a wagon I could ride in while I picked out my pumpkin.

The hay ride took us on a tour all around the farm. They had scarecrows and animals made out of the hay they had harvested. We saw a spider, a frog, and a turkey! I loved standing and watching everything go by and it ended just in time, I discovered the straw at the end and was very intrigued!



Here I am at the petting zoo. I looked at a miniature bull, a llama, a sheep, a pig, and all sorts of different goats. Aunt Ruth would have loved this part! We took a picture of the goats special for her. I was very interested in the sheep and pig. Mom and dad bought some hand puppets last weekend and have been impersonating the animals on the farm. What a difference between playtime and the real thing!





Here's my pumpkin. I picked out a pretty big one. Well, at least in relation to my own size. It's a little green because the farmer said it would keep better. But it sits pretty good and has a bright orange side we could carve.





And, here I am with mom and dad. We don't get opportunities to have a family picture often, so these are a special treat.

Go Tigers!

Today, I went to my first Missouri Tigers football game. (It was mom's first time too!) Aunt Katherine is in her Senior year there and got us awesome seats for the game, front row - 5 yard line! Thanks, Aunt Katherine. Even though the Tigers didn't do that great, we had a blast by the band, the dance team (I liked the glittery pom poms), and those crazy Sooner fans. I even got filmed by ABC, though we don't think I actually made TV. We also were able to meet up with my cousin Will and Uncle David on the hill by the M. This was were we spent the second half to give me a break and so I could stretch my legs. What an awesome Saturday! Thanks Dad, for taking us!

Here I am sitting on the wall. Both dad and I thought I had the perfect spot until one of the event staff told me I had to get down.



And, the weather was awesome. It got up to 70 degrees and was sunny! I started catchin' a few too many rays, so out came the sunscreen and the shades.

Puckering Up

Well, I haven't quite mastered the art of blowing kisses, but I'm getting closer. I love to smack my lips and make the sound to mom and dad. I just haven't gotten the hand motion down quite yet.

Bundle Up Baby

The weather here sure is different. We went for a short walk to the mailbox today and it took 10 minutes just to get out the door. Check for socks, long sleeves, pants, find the blanket, put the hat on, put the hat on again, and put the hat on again. Mom, we're still inside what's with the hat? Well, the minute we stepped outside together, I got the picture. It was brisk. I can't see my breath yet, not because I'm not blowing it out but because thankfully it's not quite cold enough.



By the time we got home, I had a red nose, rosey cheeks, and I even wanted to be bundled up.

So Alone

We've been exploring, and mom and I have found three parks within 20 minutes of our house. The first one we stopped at didn't have toddler swings, but some nice lady gave mom directions to a few parks that we have started frequenting.

So, the other day we went out during the brief moment of 68 degree weather and sunshine to check out the last park on our list. Mom thought this picture said it all as we realized for the first time the magnitude of loosing our playgroup friends, the playdates at the park, and the times we were able to spend just visiting with other moms and my little friends.



But as we looked back together, we realized the new adventure that lay ahead of us. The chance to cherish and keep our old friendships and make new ones. So, we started to chat with some people at the park, and I moved on to the slide where the newness of a new park item and my big smile seemed to make the day a bit brighter.

Toys, Toys, Everywhere

Well, I think I lucked out with this move. Because I have no one to borrow toys from anymore, Dad started investing in some of my favorites. (I miss you John and Dad's pocketbook misses you too!)

So since our great excursion, I've acquired the Leap Frog Learn N' Groove Table, a set of key's made by Parents (they're real metal, just like mom's car keys), the Bee Bop Band (thank you Nonni and PaPa), the Leap Frog Alphabet Drum (thank you Nana and Granddad), and the most recent being the Fisher Price Learn to Count Piggy Bank.

The Piggy Bank is great for making coin sandwiches.



I also love to take the coins out of the bank by taking off it's door. Mom hopes this isn't a sign to come on how I work with money.



Perhaps this is why I got the bank, dad says you can never start to young. So, each morning we count to 10 and learn about how to save money in the piggy bank. This is quickly followed by my lesson on how to spend money as I take it out and hand it to mom.

Welcome to My New Lair

We thought we'd take this chance to introduce you to our new home.



Well, in all seriousness, the wood pile above is one of my favorite features. (Nonni and PaPa call it our natural art work.) Dad bought mom an outside fireplace and he goes out gather and chop firewoord from the pile. Mom and I stand on the deck. I'm not quite sure why, but I find dad chopping wood very entertaining and laugh everytime I see him do it.

So anyways, here is our new house.



And here is my new play area inside of our new house.



Mom had to invest in the foam ABC playmat since the family room has a wood floor. A few slips while crawling and standing left us both crying (nothing serious, don't worry) and scurrying to find the closest Babies/Toys R' Us in the area.

Mom, dad, and I feel that God has greatly blessed us with this house. We have enjoyed the time we've spent making it into a home and look forward to filling it with love and laughter as long as we're here.

Back in the Blog of Things

Well, we (mom and I) have been missing in action from the blog world for quite some time. However, we're back. We've found the camera, the charger, and the memory stick reader and now intend to catch you up on all of the things that have been going on in my life these past few weeks, well okay almost month.

But before we get started, we should catch you up on what happened before we left Texas and moved to Missouri. My last home cooked meal, yes mom makes my food, was beets! I enjoyed this very magenta food immensely and promptly received a bath afterwards. I'm not sure why mom was so hot to trot to get me into the tub, I liked the look of natural lipstick.



But as you can see here, the bath worked and removed all remnants of the beets.





This was also my last bath in my baby bath seat. As you can see, I was caught in the act of trying to get into the tub on my own. Since I'm now sitting up in it and am really ready to play in the tub, not in the seat, mom's retiring it. (One small thing I can do to help make her packing job easier.) I love the water, the faucet, and the toys (especially my waterproof book) that I can now fully enjoy.



After the bath, mom experimented with the hair dryer. It was a good thing she started me out on this in Austin to get the hang of it. It's cold here in Missouri and this has now become part of my daily bedtime routine.



We also took a stab at hats. Surprisingly enough, I've taken to them quite nicely and will leave them on my head. I've also started wearing what dad calls the "girl bow". Yes, mom puts those headband thingy's on me to make me look oh so cute. Pictures of this will appear in a later post.



And before we left, we tried puffs. The Gerber version of puffed cereal. Here I am examining this new type of food. With my first encounter, none actually got in my mouth. After a few tries though, I'm now eating them like they are candy. Mom wishes they had "power puffs", high calorie puffs, to help bulk me up a bit. Nonetheless, these have become lifesavers for mom and now go with us everywhere. We've even become quite good at passing them between the drivers seat and the car seat.

Where's Ainsley?

Well, I'm not in Texas anymore and if you've checked out my friend's blogs you'd know we said goodbye and moved on up to Missouri. So why am I telling you this 2 weeks after the fact? Well, mom only has DSL and just got it this past Thursday. Plus, we just found the camera but are still searching for the charger and the memory stick reader. So until we unpack some more, which I'm making very difficult (it's too much fun to explore this new house), there won't be any new pictures. But here's a quick update of what's transpired here at my new digs...

We made the drive, mom and me, by ourselves with dad leading the way. It started out rough but then the excitement and disappointment of leaving Texas behind caught up with me and I slept for about 6 hours in the car. Thank you everyone for praying that the drive would go smoothly. Resting more than half the trip made the whole drive easier for mom...

We arrived in Kansas City and stayed at Aunt Markie's and Uncle David's (perhaps mom can get them on the blog bandwagon). My cousin Chanie joyfully gave up her room for me and we were there for the weekend...

We spent our first night in our new home on Sunday. My bed was made and everything. Mom and dad definitely got the short end of the deal here. I'm unpacked and they're living out of suitcases and boxes. (This is still the case a week or so later, but it's getting better.)...

We've had lots of visitors and helpers since we've been here. Nana and Grandad were here the weekend we moved and this past weekend to help. (Thanks so much, you have both been such a blessing!) Nonni and Papa arrive this week to help out some more...

The weather is different and I'm trying to get used to it. But man, it sure feels cold in the morning when mom takes me for a jog. I think we need to invest in some mittens already, or go later in the day. Yes, that's right, I got a new stroller, well actually it's for mom and I love it. Dad also got me my very own house warming present, the Leap Frog Learn N' Groove Table, it was my favorite at Aunt Ruth's, Mrs. Pavy's, and Mrs. Parker's and now I have one all my own. Thanks Dad!

Well, this is it for now. Mom and I will catch you up on all of the happenings with pictures later this week, hopefully. That of course is counting on the fact that Mom and Nonni don't get lost in the box maze in the garage.