Pumpkin Patch!

As is the custom this time of year, we went to the pumpkin patch last weekend.  It was low 80's out, so we couldn't dress up all Fall-like with scarfs and mittens.  Instead, we dressed Maddox like a little farm boy. 

Stop Motion Toddler

For various reasons, we have quite gotten it together to post more pictures. Maddox took it upon himself to produce this short film for your enjoyment.

Gigi and Gramps were here for a visit, which was a lot of fun.  We didn't do much but play with Maddox (and really, what else could be more entertaining??). 

Maddox is getting to be such a big boy (and not a baby!).  He is walking and running around like a champ.  He loves playing with his toys, especially his cars, train, and farm animals.  He also has a tool box he enjoys.  His vocabulary is just amazing.  He regularly says two word-sentences ("mama baba (water)", "nekked baby!" (when we let him run around naked after his bath at night), "more vroom vroom!" (vroom vroom refers to anything car-like)).  We have started working on three-word sentences as well, especially adding "please" on to the end of a request ("more baba... please").  He is also a little parrot, repeating words he hears other people say.

He is such a neat little boy, with such a mellow personality.  He is inquisitive and playful, but also very loving and (for the most part) gentle. 

We went shopping yesterday for new 24month and 2T winter clothes, and Maddox also got some new shoes.  They are very stylish. 

Our first hurrication

As most of you know by now, we had our first hurrication experience a few weeks ago.  We were in Dallas for a few days and then we were in Houston.  We didn't take a lot of pictures while we were gone, but the pictures we do have of our Maddox playing at the Children's Museum in Houston (which was pretty neat).

 And one from the hotel:

Talking on the phone

We got home yesterday from a whirl wind trip away... a hurrication as the locals call it.  It was exhausting, but we had a good time.  Maddox especially loved being in the car and seeing the big trucks, and exploring our hotel rooms.  I'll write more about our trip and post pictures this weekend. For the time being, here is a video of Maddox chatting on the hotel phone:

How is summer over??

The Fall semester starts on Monday, meaning my summer is officially over.  Unfortunately, that doesn't mean we are out of the New Orleans summer heat yet.  That could carry well into October. 

We recently returned from our last summer trip, visiting Grandma ("Ra Ma") and Tom ("Nom") in Minnesota.  We had a great visit.  The weather was amazing, so we were able to do a lot of fun things outside.  Here are some pictures from out Minnesota adventures!

We played at the park:

Maddox stepped foot onto a baseball field for the first time.

And went down the big slide many, many times with Dada

Family teeter-tottering!

Went to the Children's Museum:

Playing in water (I love his little apron!)

Mopping up the restaurant floor

 At the Children's Museum, there was a very popular conveyer belt:

Selecting his block....

Walking the block to the conveyer belt...

Block goes onto the conveyer belt...

"Ooooo, neat conveyer belt!"

Watching other blocks on the conveyer belt

And we spent a lot of time outside, playing in Grandma and Tom's backyard:

Walking.... caught him mid-step!

"This ball is sooooo heavy!"

We had a great time, and now we are home, settling back into our routine.

It's official-- we have a walker!

Maddox has been toying with the idea of walking for some time now.  He would walk back and forth between me and Luke, or between one of us and a piece of furniture.  But he has been hesitant to just walk-- to walk on his own without having one of us near him.  Then, last Sunday, he started doing it.  Walking around the house, like it was no big deal.  And just like that, in a single day, we graduated from cruising status to walking status.  And his walking skills have greatly improved over the course of a week.

Just about to venture out two Sundays ago:

Compared to video I took of him walking tonight (please disregard the mess... Maddox is our current interior decorator!):