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...