Happy Halloween!

Taylor's first Halloween was so much fun! She was dressed as a butterfly (thanks Lydia!) and looked ADORABLE! We went trick or treating and saw lots of our neighborhood friends! Taylor seemed very confused, but was happy to wave to everyone that she saw!

Mommy, would you like some candy? Close-up

Not in the mood to pose for mommy!
Saying hi to our friend Gillian!
Visiting with Roman and Maya!

11 Months Old!

Taylor Grace is 11 months old today! Time is flying by - I can't believe we are approaching her first birthday already! She has recently learned how to stick her tongue out when you do it to her, which is super cute so I'm going to let her do it for a little while longer!! She is fully eating table food now, which she LOVES. She has 8 teeth total, so she can chew pretty well now.

She has become very vocal about what she does and does not want to do (like when she wants to play with the garbage can and mommy and daddy say no!). She loves to hand things to you and waits for you to say "thank you" before taking it back! She also likes to take things out of buckets and put them back in.

We think that she might be on the verge of adding a few words to her vocabulary. As of today, she can say mama, dada, hi, and "deep deep deep", which are the last three words of her favorite book. She repeats them every night after I finish the story! We think that she might be saying "car", too, because she loves to watch the cars drive by from our kitchen door. She is going to miss the view when they build a house back there soon!

We spent the day today at Rock and Read, a literacy program put on by Minooka High School's NHS. High school students dressed up and read stories to kids, and there were crafts and snacks for the kids to enjoy as well. We went with our friends Madison and Bre! It was a really fun community event, although I think Taylor might get more out of it next year! She loved listening to the stories for about 2 pages, and then wanted to grab them. She also loved digging through the candy buckets, playing with balloons, pushing the stroller around, and looking at passing cars though the big cafeteria windows. It definitely was a fun way to spend the day!

Reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Clearly more interested in the bucket of candy!YUM! She kept taking them out and putting them back... at least she was tidy!Listening to The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything (mommy's favorite Halloween book)Hey, this reading thing isn't so hard!

Mom, have you SEEN how cool this is?!?

Pumpkin Patch #2!

Taylor got to experience her second pumpkin patch last weekend! Sam, Taylor, Grandma Pavelka, and I went to Dollinger Pumpkin Farm. It was a beautiful fall day, and Taylor had a great time! She loved playing in the pumpkins, and observing some of the goats at the petting zoo. She did NOT, however, enjoy the cows! She also got to meet Abraham Lincoln and General Custer as they prepared for Minooka's own Civil War reenactment. Taylor picked out a pumpkin with a ridiculously long stem. Afterward, we ate lunch at a great sub shop in Morris, where Taylor dined on her first kids' meal item- cheese raviolis.

We have thoroughly enjoyed all of these fun fall activities with our little girl!

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch!

Taylor and I visited the pumpkin patch today! We spent the day there with our friends Quinn, Colleen, Andy, Ali, and Michael. We went to Spiegel's Cottonwood Farm in Lockport. It was a beautiful sunny day, albeit slightly warmer than we would have liked! Taylor really enjoyed playing with the pumpkins, riding the train, watching the animals, and walking around the grounds. She also enjoyed picking up rocks from the ground and trying to eat them, despite mommy's protest! Here are some pictures from our fun day out!

Wandering around the pumpkins!

Sitting with my pal Quinn

Walking with Ali

Watching the goats!A little frightened on the train ride!Hugs from Colleen!