Fantastic Fall Fun!

 Hello friends!!  We have had a bunch of fun fall adventures this month! 

This year we went to our first Buddy Walk - the fundraiser/ community event for the Down Syndrome Association of Northern VA.  We didn't really know what we were in for - but Rachel Coleman - the star of the Signing Time DVD series that taught us all to sign was going to Grand Marshall the event - so we were a little star struck and signed up to go!  We lucked out - it was a beautiful day and a GREAT event.

This is our friend, Kate.  She's a Special Education teacher at Mom's school. The past few years she and mom have co-taught first grade.  Mom loves her for about 1000 different reasons, but today, I loved her for her super soft fleece jacket.  Sooooooo good for cuddling.

A local HS dance team attended the event.  Prior to the race I was doing a little free style dancing in the field and they came RUSHING over for tips.  Who am I to say no?  Not everyone was born with a natural ability for dance.

They needed a little hand-holding, but eventually I think they got it...

Here's an ACTION shot of the family on the walk.  Hayley wasn't in the mood for riding in strollers, Abby wasn't in the mood for having her picture taken.  Chris is going to start looking for places to go (move) during the moody/demanding teenage years if this is what we deal with before age 3.

They had horses to ride!!  I was really unsure about things at first, but then, I was a natural!  Look at me one-handing it.  I was going to ride side-saddle or stand up and do a few tricks whilst in motion - but Dad thought that'd be over-doing it seeing as how it was my first time... and I'd already put the dance team to shame.

Ahhh, the fall breeze blowing hair across my face.  I'll add this sweet shot to my modeling portfolio.

We got there early, so we got to meet and talk to Rachel!!  We told her how much signing has helped Mom and Dad understand my NEEDS (I don't have wants, everything with me is a NEED).  We told her thank you.  I even half-signed Thank You.  Then she walked away and I proceeded to sign full sentences.  Of course I did.

It kind of blew my mind to see Rachel perform.  I was dancing, and having the best time.  So we came home, and downloaded the Signing Time CD's.  In Signing Time Rachel will teach a bunch of signs and then she'll sing a song that uses all the signs we just learned.  So the CD's are all the music from the videos and now we listen to them ALL the time.  All. the. time.  I love to sign and sing and dance along.  In this video I am wearing my smock because I was doing some serious work at my artist easel when my favorite song about signing zoo animals came on and I just had to go jam in my kitchen mirror.  Because, yes, I do still LOVE my kitchen "mirror".  Note that when Rachel asks us to "guess what I am?" I put on my best "thinking" pose...

Later in the month we went to Cox Farms again with Auntie Em and Nana.  Auntie Em just can't get enough sliding.

Mom will still claim that she did this for me.  Look at our faces.  Are you buying that?

So let's chat a bit about me.  In October I turned 6 months old.  Yikes.  How time flies.  In October I grew two teeth - the front, bottom two.  Bring on the steak dinners.

At my 6 month checkup I weighed in at a hefty 18 lbs 14.5 oz (95%) and I was 27 inches long (90%).   Abby didn't weigh 18 lbs at one year.  So I'm killing her.  When the doctor walked into the room he told mom that she had a "very healthy 10 month old" and so mom started to correct him - because I'm only 6 months old! - all the while mom was thinking this guy is losing his touch.  But he laughed and said he knows I'm only 6 months old - but I'm the SIZE of a very healthy 10 month old.

Then later in my appointment the nurse came in to give me my shots.  She had 4 she had to give.  She looked at my legs and told me I had the "perfect thighs for this:  plenty of surface area."

And so, in my house, I am frequently referred to as "Cheeks".

Phew.  Not a single piece of evidence left to give away that I may or may not have been eating hay.

Abby was pretty into slide and the playground and stuff.  I was pretty into Auntie Em's necklace...

... and Nana's scarf.

I have been obsessed with ladders since this summer when I'd set off to climb every life guard chair at any pool.  This one was PERFECT for me because it was slanted a bit.  I may have gone up it 6-10 times.  I knew the trip was all about me.  Every trip always is.  So I spent my time the way I wanted to.

Then it was time for Halloween!  For my first Halloween I was a Rainbow bug... or something like that.  It was a giant fuzzy and warm sleeping bag of a costume.  Good by me.

We went trick or treating with Evan and Tucker.  Here we're trying to get our pictures taken before we hit the sidewalk for the good stuff.  Evan started to get out of line - so I put that baby back in his place.  I just know that his first spoken words are going to be "Yes, Ma'am, Whatever you say, Abby." 

Sitting up doesn't work to well in a sleeping bag of a costume!

Abby was so excited about her tutu costume we couldn't get her to sit still for a picture.  But this is a great view of back of her.

Tucker and I were SICK of all the picture taking that was taking away from our valuable candy collecting time!

Really - the best you can hope for with 4 children under 3!

Finally hittin' the streets!  Out for the good stuff!

Then at the end of the month Mom took the day off work to chaperon my field trip to a pumpkin patch/ farm.  The COOLEST thing they had there was a giant inflatable pillow that was very much like a trampoline - but with no way of really falling off.  I played on it for SO long, just running around and LOVING the feeling of jumping.  I want to jump so badly, I just haven't quite gotten it down yet so I love trampolines and other things that give the sensation of jumping.

See Evan.  You're not the only boy I tell what to do. 

There was this cool cow-train out at the farm - each cow had a name - so when we found one named Abby obviously a photo op was necessary.

And, finally, we picked a pumpkin! It was a GREAT day!

We'll wrap up this time with a super sweet video of Sister-Love.  Mom ran upstairs one day to grab her cell phone, after having us all packed up to walk out the door.  As she was getting it, she heard the two of us giggling and laughing in a way that we ONLY do for each other.  No one makes us laugh like we make each other laugh.  So she video taped us - but she had to do it from afar because we stop whenever we see her coming...

Summer into Fall...

Well, seeing as how it's almost October, we decided we ought to rewind and catch you up on our final trip of the summer; and then everything we've been up to in September.  There has been a LOT going on here!

This year Michigan was... well... a different kind of fun.  Our Dad couldn't take any time off work so he couldn't come at all; so we went with just Mom, Grandma, and Grandpa.  This was the first year I could walk and my little legs hit the ground before 7 AM and they didn't stop until 8 PM.  (Aside from nap time, of course).  The cottage wasn't exactly child-proof... especially with that big whole lake thing right outside... so all the grown ups were ON. THE. MOVE.  All the time.  And we spent a lot of time discovering cool kid-friendly places like beaches and playgrounds we'd never been to before.  And that's saying something.  Our Grandma's been coming here for 56 years!

Our cousins made this bean-bag tossing game called Corn Hole.  I thought long and hard about whether or not I was going to play.

I decided to play... but really didn't find the game all that challenging.  Apparently, I'm pretty much the best Corn Hole player around.  I never missed! 

Grandpa and I sat sideline and watched Abby cheat her way through Corn Hole.  My sister's a crazy nut!

You'll recall that I don't like to over exert myself whilst on vacation.  I did a lot of napping lakeside.  It's quite peaceful.  (How do you like my cheeks?!  Are they 95 percentile or what?!)

We tried to get another cute picture of the Nathlich girls - but Hayley wasn't up for the photo op.

Not up for the photo op?!  What about the fact that Abby is caught RED HANDED yanking on my ear?  Seriously!  The second child abuse rate is INSANE around here.

 DO NOT LEAVE ME WITH HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We went for a 3/10ths of a mile hike one morning.  The view was absolutely beautiful.  While we were in Michigan, Good Morning America voted our county the "Most Beautiful Place in America".  Sure is.

Here we are with our Grandma and Grandpa Howe.

3/10ths of a mile has never seemed SOOOOOOO long!

This was yet another playground we discovered on yet another day when Mom went looking for a way to keep me happy (and out of trouble!)

We tried for a picture on the dock - but it just wasn't going to happen for us this year.

We loved to go to the beach on Lake Michigan at sunset.  I LOVED building castles in the sand, shoveling and picking up rocks.

And I LOVED playing in the waves!

And I loved sitting and looking adorable whilst staying shaded and relaxing. 

So then we came home from Michigan and the beautiful weather to Virginia and hurricanes, rain and MORE rain.  And just when you are certain there isn't another drop left in the sky - it rains for another straight week.

It was Abby's first day of pre-school.  The idea of Abby riding the bus was so baffling to so many that we thought we'd have friends pitching tents and saving a spot to view.  But - it was cold and rainy - so just our former nanny, Gabby and our new nanny, Marilyn came to see her off.

And Daddy, of course.  Daddy was there.  Mommy had to be at work with her own new class.  Which wound up likely being for the best.

 As the bus pulled up I said "bye" to Hayley... because as much as I may accidentally abuse her - I ADORE my little sister.  And the feeling is mutual.  She giggles more for me than for anyone else.  And when it's time to go to bed I always want to kiss everyone goodnight - but I always ask for "More" kisses to Hayley.

Just in case you weren't 100% sure I'm a daddy's girl...

Here comes the bus!

The bus driver and assistant met me at the door.  That's when I realized that something fishy was going on here and I thought I'd make a break for it.

Whoa.  Just what exactly is going on here, Dad?

 And this, right here, is why we are all glad Mommy had to be at work this day.  Mommy says if I had looked at her with those eyes she'd have yanked me off that bus and we wouldn't have tried the crazy school thing until I was at least 10 years old.

But in all honesty, I LOVE school.  After a week or so I'd walk around like I owned the place.  And I pretty much do.  You see, for the past 3 years my mom has worked with a wonderful Assistant Principal named Kim.  And at the end of last year, Kim got promoted.  She left Mom's school because she got her own job as principal.  Where?!  At MY school!  So, I'm pretty much the Principal's favorite as we've been friends for all my time on this earth... and everyone knows that I'm the Principal's girl... so my sassy attitude knows no consequences... at least for a few more years!

It was a pretty LONG day.  I got handed off the bus sound asleep!  We've since started having Marilyn pick me up at school so I can get a good nap after a long day - and I take a GOOD nap these days!

 To celebrate the start of Fall we went to the pumpkin patch/ fall festival.  There are lots of live animals there.  As you can see, I laugh in the face of true danger.

 I went on my very first hayride!

Gabby came with us.  If you used to see us everyday, you'd have withdrawal issues and want to hang out with us on the weekends, too!

 They have really big slides there!

We rode a slide, saw some animals, and then we walked by a dance floor where a live band was playing! And we went no further at the giant Fall festival. 

 Suddenly a bunch of other kids stole my great idea and joined in.  Followers.

I wonder if this is the crowd that band usually plays to.

 ROCK ON!

 I am never happier than when I'm dancing.

 Ugh, seriously?  Again with the cameras?  Don't worry Hayley, I'll protect us.  I see them do this on TV.

 Whyyyyyyyyyyyy do you do this to me?!

 This really isn't much better.

 So in Hayley news - I have tried solid food for the first few times.  I find it bland and boring.  Not a big fan.

I also started rolling over in mid-September.  But I don't do the typical baby thing of stomach to back... I pretty much hate being on my stomach.  Anytime I'm there I push and push with my legs, but I don't lift my head.  I also discovered my feet this month... and they are AWESOME.  So I bring them into my chest and that's how I started the rolling thing.  I roll from my back to my stomach and then I get REAL angry.  Because: as stated - I hate being on my stomach. 

Apparently Nathlich girls don't do "typical".

And at the end of the month Abby's class took a field trip to the circus.  Dad went with her.  Abby loved having her own seat.  Until the show started.  Then people in crazy costumes came out.  Abby doesn't do costumes.  But she liked the tumbling and crazy flexible people.  Or maybe she was just in awe that she isn't the ONLY one who can run her toes through her hair.

Tired girl on her way home from the circus.

And to finish things off: here are a few video clips for you:

The first one, Mom was trying to take a picture of me, but it was set to video.  The result is this very short, but very adorable clip of me smiling!

The next two we'll call: Abby LOOOOVES herself.  Here, she has a nice chat with her shadow on the beach.

And this one, we're REALLY excited about.  Over a YEAR ago our friend Brie requested a video of Abby's Italian Talking Hands.  And ever since (we take requests VERY seriously) we've tried and tried to catch them.  It's amazing we've had to try so hard because she uses them ALL the time.  ALL. THE. TIME.  What you're about to see is not a rare moment.  It's a constant.  And we are THRILLED to finally have it on video.  It should be noted that we are not even the slightest bit Italian.  But every Italian person who meets Abby swears she's one of them.