While it’s true that we’ve been traveling like crazy, our time here at home has been pretty spectacular as well. October began with summer’s one last gust of warmth and sunshine. Eric and I took the opportunity to test drive fingerpainting outside, in order to get an idea of just how extensive our protective measures should be when we moved the painting scene inside for the winter. We had an absolute BLAST with painting, and it now has become a weekly occurrence.
The Joy of Fingerpaint
October also means pumpkin time around here. As you may know, I’m not huge on the Halloween thing, but with Abbi’s birthday being October 25th, I’ve had to revise my attitude toward Halloween-ish activities. Pumpkins are something with which I can get on board. Going to the pumpkin patch is becoming one of our favorite fall traditions. Abbi talked all week about going to see the “punkins.” At the local farm, they also had cows, horses, pigs, and chickens that we could visit. Abbi is super into animals and the sounds that they make right now, so she absolutely loved seeing them up close and in person.
October is Pumpkin Time!
Abbi has also become quite the kitchen helper this month. I’ve started making treats for Eric’s office every Wednesday, so Tuesday evening is when Abbi and I bake. She pulls up the stool that stood in my Grandma Wilson’s kitchen for so many years, I measure out the ingredients, and she dumps them into the bowl. She calls it “dumpy.” Se also enjoys shaking the cinnamon and salt into the bowl- “shake shake.” Of course, the best part of baking is tasting, and Abbi shows a natural talent for this. Somehow she has figured out in just a couple weeks what Justin and I never did in our entire childhoods- when Mom hands you a beater, dip it back into the bowl quickly to get a refill. Why did we never think of this?! Brilliant! Baking with Abbi is an adventure, but I can almost feel my Grandma West smiling down on me as I introduce her great-great granddaughter to the joy of cooking.
Mama's Helper
And then there is Abbi’s birthday. We got back from Paris just in time for Abbi’s birthday, and we hopefully have another trip coming up in a couple days. There was no time to arrange a party, and Eric and I feel like big parties at this age tend to be a lot overwhelming anyway. Instead, we have been enjoying Abbi’s birthday over a week or so. Every couple days, Abbi opens a gift from one of her grandparents or cousins. That way, each gift gets to be special on its own, and Abbi has the fun of opening presents over and over. We saved her gift from Eric and I for the actual birthday. Even that, though, was spread out for maximum fun. Eric brought home balloons (also becoming a tradition, it would seem) and we had tons of fun playing with those and dancing to the birthday song that they sing. Then, I pulled out Abbi’s favorite dish for dinner- crock pot macaroni and cheese. After three bowls of “noo noos,” we moved onto the present. Since Abbi is so into fixing things and figuring them out, we figured our girl needed a tool bench where she could exercise all her left-brain potential. And we were right- she loves, loves, loves it! Finally, it was cake time. Abbi perfectly summarized her birthday as she ran around all day exclaiming, “Happy two!” She is, indeed, a very, very happy two.
Our Happy Two
