We had a busy beginning of September, with Aaron's birthday and then our trip to Chicago for Amanda's wedding. We knew we'd have a small bit of time at the end of September and into October before things got crazy again with our planned trip to CA, Thanksgiving, Christmas and then the baby's arrival. So we really wanted to spend our free time in October doing "fall" things as a family. Which obviously means pumpkins.
There is an orchard pretty close to our new house that has a pumpkin patch. But having grown up going to Linvilla Orchards, this orchard is a wee bit lame-o. We went anyway, one Friday afternoon, for the fun of it (and the apple cider donuts). Here's the photographic proof.
Oooh, dis one heaby Mommy.
Clapping for himself.
Posing with the pumpkins. What a hambone.
Mommy, I got dis one fo you.
He didn't really love being placed IN the pumpkin pile. As you'll see from our later trip to Linvilla, when he liked it even less. At least here, his terror is being masked by a grimace, which can be mistaken for a funny toddler smile.
Yeah, less convincing here.
Careful placement among the pumpkins is key to Aaron's cooperation.
He liked this one.
He IS the apple of our eye.
He thought this was so funny.
He saw some kids throwing a football and thought it was so funny. His laugh is contagious.
Again, not flattering, but I'm trying to include more pics of Aaron and I - since they seem to be a bit rare. I'm usually behind the camera...but it's nice to remember that I was there!
Finally...a somewhat nice one. Looking at the camera is no longer a requirement for a "good" picture with this guy.
I love these guys.
Oh hey, Mommy. It's a giant pumpkin.
He just GRABBED one and bit it. Of course, if you slice one and put it on his plate, no dice, but sure, this giant pile of apples looks just delicious.
Hee hee, oops!
He just kept picking out apples and dropping them in our bucket. He apparently has an eye for good apples.
Almost as good as real apple picking, huh?
What dis, Mommy?
Two pumpkins? And then he started petitioning for three...four...five. The kid's a bargainer.
In early October, we went out to dinner for my mom's birthday. In my never ending quest (okay, it ended a few weeks after this) to get a quality pic of Tutu with her grandkids, we tried for a few family photos outside after dinner.
Tutu and Aaron are having a FAB time. Phoebe...less thrilled.
Not gonna lie, Tutu doesn't always help my plight.
Every party has a pooper...and these three take turns. This was considered the "win" for the evening.
Cute family, poor background.
The Three Browns.
Major progress in Phoebe & Aaron's relationship.
But still, she's denied. Keep on trying, girlfriend. One of these days...
Oh, look! A bird-day cake.
Thrilled. Obviously.
Phoebe can't figure out why Aaron's crying. It's CAKE, man!
Did I mention that in addition to crying while we sing, he also refuses to EAT the cake? WEIRD.
A final attempt at a cousin picture. Fail.
A few weeks later, we met Tutu and Phoebe at Linvilla Orchards on a Friday afternoon (in attempts to beat the massive crowds). We've taken Aaron to Linvilla every fall since he was an itty bitty baby. I'm glad we continued the tradition. Linvilla has gotten even better since we were there last year!
For your reference,
Aaron at Linvilla - October 2008 (1 month)
Aaron at Linvilla - October 2009 (13 months)
Aaron at Linvilla - October 2010 (25 months)
And a few (understatement) more photos from our trip to Linvilla.
He's a crazy pants.
Cheese, Mommy.
He just realized the chair rocked. Hilarious.
I honestly can't get enough pics of these two walking together. You probably noticed. I'm a sucker for a metaphorical picture. And they really are best buddies.
Linvilla, all spruced up. Very nice.
Picking out a pumpkin.
Phoebe arrives.
She was ready for some serious photo ops. I love this smile!
These next few are too funny. As I mentioned in the photos from Highland Orchards, Aaron doesn't like feeling unstable, so how he is placed in the pumpkins is kind of key to his enjoyment. Obviously, we missed the mark here and he decided he HATED sitting in a pile of pumpkins. His younger cousin, clearly, could not understand what his beef was. Her face is priceless.
He couldn't calm down.
So, being the kind and understanding Mommy that I am, I took his picture.
Over and over again. But no smiles. Moving on...
Oh look! Letters! Cheered him right up.
He was much more amenable to photos on the GROUND.
Terra firma.
Photography tip : if I had crouched down to eye level with these kids, this photo would be infinitely cuter. But alas.
Back to the letters. Phoebe's such a good sport.
Daddy and Aaron with the GIANT pumpkins.
Phoebe escaped into the giant pumpkins and Tutu had to chase her to keep her from crushing them. Whoops.
Aaron's pretty convinced he can lift giant pumpkins.
Too heaby Mommy!
Studmuffin!
Photos in front of the pumpkins counts right?
Enter the Phoebe in my continued quest for a quality cousin picture. You can probably guess how this worked out.
Oh cute. Minus Aaron picking his nose. Not so cute. True to life, but not cute.
We lost Phoebe and Aaron's still in pickin' mode.
Oh wait, now he's handsome. (That's his handsome face...it makes a regular appearance around these parts.)
Bein hansom.
Bein crazy.
Bein my little love bug.
I kind of love him.
My brother's vote for the family Christmas photo. It is pretty priceless.
Aaron LOVED the animals at Linvilla.
Checking out the ducks.
And finally, a family photo. It's okay if you are thinking, "Holy belly Batman!" I thought that when I saw these pics too. I'm having a baby soon! Whoa.
So, in a nutshell, that's our fall-themed adventures. We had a good time, although it went quickly. Fall is my favorite season, so I was very grateful we got a chance to slow down and enjoy some of the fun. As we're SPEEDING towards the holidays, it's nice to remember that we had a few quiet moments before the rush. Oh, and did I mention, I love these guys?
