Raders Farm

This morning we spent a lovely time having some fall fun. We went to a place called Rader's Farm where you can go pumpkin picking. They have a few animals to check out, a "corn box" (like a sand box, but filled with corn) and something like a jungle gym made out of bales of hay. Or is it straw? I don't know, but that's what you get when you put a city girl in the middle of farm country!

Our friends, the Schmidtgalls, joined us with their two girls. We had so much fun watching the play with Ethan. And of course, it was a great time being able to catch up with what was going on in their lives.

After some play time, we all decided to go pick out our pumpkins for the season. They had these wagons, luckily, so Ethan got to have a snack while we loaded up the cart with a pumpkin for each of us. Even one for our cat, Eddie! Then we took (or tried to take) a family picture over by their "photo op" station. For some reason, Ethan doesn't like to pose for pictures with Mommy and Daddy! If you click on each picture you can get a closer look...

And here's Ethan's encounter with the farm animals...

It's now or never

Folks, I'm going for it again...the weight loss journey. And I'm blasting the news out there into cyberspace because I actually want to be held accountable. I figure the more people I tell, the more I'm pressured to actually do it. There are a few more baby pounds to lose before packing them back on with another pregnancy. No, we're not pregnant, but we hope to be in a few months.

You can read my ramblings day by day at http://vickyonadiet.blogspot.com/ I find myself wanting to journal my progress and frustrations, but my pen can't keep up with my thoughts. But my fingertips can... So, for a good laugh, you can check it out. Peace, and bless God...

Park Playdate

Ethan's friend, Grant, had his 2nd birthday celebration yesterday at a nearby park. We had cupcakes and juiceboxes and lots of cool playground equipment! Here's Ethan trying out his learner's permit...

One, two, three!

Yesterday I finally got the chance to hit some garage sales and pick up some much needed items for the upcoming fall. Like pants and pj's that fit! For Ethan that is :) I also found some toys for him like this set of magnets. I don't know why I haven't gotten these before, but he loves taking them on and off our refrigerator. We've been teaching him his numbers, but he's got his favorites like the numbers 2 and 6. He will often pull it off, hold it to us and say "six". While he knows some of his numbers, he will only say them in a certain pattern, probably because we've been teaching him by call and response. He says "2", I say "3", etc. So now he knows 2, 4, and 6. But that's about it!

The Great Outdoors

While Grandma Cuesta watched Ethan, David and I took an overnight camping trip to the Fox River Valley, about an hour and a half away. We stayed on the grounds of a bed and breakfast where Charles Lindbergh had stayed. It was a cute old house, complete with chickens, a dog and two cats. After setting up camp, we went to Starved Rock for a late afternoon hike. We then had dinner, and by nightfall we were back at the camp star gazing and enjoying some hot cocoa. It took us several hours to get Ethan "out of our system", but soon David and I were able to focus on "just us". What a refreshing time of being together.

The next morning we got up early, grabbed breakfast at the local truckstop ("Nah, there ain't no non-smoking section here." is what the waitress said) and headed over to the canoe rental place to embark on a 7 mile trip down the river. It was SO BEAUTIFUL. We were blessed with cool, but clear weather, and we were the first ones on the river. We will definitely come back...

Grandma and Ethan

Grandma Cuesta has been visiting for the past week and a half. What a blessing to have her here! It was a last minute visit on her part, but God has a way of arranging things, doesn't He?

During her stay, she got to spend some quality time with her grandson. He was so happy to have a playmate who gave such wonderful attention! They read together, went for long walks, and ran around in the backyard. And best of all, grandma watched Ethan over the weekend while I went to hear David play with the Peoria Symphony. We then took an overnight camping trip to enjoy the approaching fall weather. And when we got home, Ethan was so happy to see us but had had a fun-filled time with grandma.

Ethan "Don Juan" Snyder

A few weeks ago I witnessed something I thought I would never see in so young a tyke! We were at a family picnic with our small group and Ethan got the chance to run around and meet some other kids. There were these two girls there named Zhenya and Nina, around 4 and 2 respectively. We saw that they immediately took to each other as they ran around, shared a ball and some other toys. Ethan followed them around incessantly, particularly the older girl, Zhenya. As we were all finishing our dinners I noticed that Zhenya was sitting on a picnic bench, and Ethan was at her feet, looking up at her. He was holding her hand, I think. He then leaned up, and puckered his lips and would have kissed her had I not exclaimed, "Ethan, what are you doing?!" The girl's dad was there too and saw what had happened. We were all laughing in amazement. Here he is with his "girlfriend"....




The scary thing is, he repeated the EXACT same moves on another little girl that I was babysitting just last week. Men! So predictable!

Daddy's "Art Shot"

Now that Ethan walks well, we find that we need to give him good exercise! Since the pools have now closed for the season we often go to nearby playgrounds and parks. But for a quick and easy bout of exercise we take Ethan for a walk around the block. I remember when that used to mean putting him in a stroller.

Happy Birthday to me and Charlie!

The September festivities included dinner at my favorite Chicago restaurant, MK. David got a friend to babysit Ethan while we drove to the city, dined, visited a friend, and drove back. It was great!

After our dinner, we visited our friends Amanda and Vann at the hospital. They just had their first baby, Charlotte Faye, on September 1st. She weighed in at 6 pounds and measured 18 3/4 inches long. What a cutie, huh?

After the visit, David and I strolled near the lake a bit before heading back to our car. On the way home, we stopped to get gas, and I got a drink. When I got back in the car David had put a little gift on my seat :) I was also so happy when I received various cards in the mail the day after Labor Day (my b-day fell on Sunday). I was surprised to see how people remembered and cared. What a great Labor Day weekend!