Enjoying Fall
This past weekend was the perfect (if not a little too warm!) Autumn weekend in the cities. The trees were in full color, the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and it was warm enough that you didn't need a jacket. We decided to take full advantage of probably one of the last warm weekends of 2010 by spending most of it outdoors. And boy, am I ever glad that we did!
On Saturday, our good friends N and D and their adorable tots, A and M, drove up to meet us at an apple orchard to pick apples. Audia and A really seemed to love picking their own apples from the trees and putting them (though not very gently....) into bags.
D is amazing at multitasking, no?
I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it a billion times more, but it is sooooooo cool to have a best friend who has a daughter the same age as Audia. Watching them interact is SO much fun, and is getting even moreso as they get older. 
On Sunday, Chris and I took Audia to a nearby park to go for a nature walk.
Would you believe this place is only 10 minutes from our home? It has walking trails, both paved and unpaved, anywhere from .5 miles to 2 miles long! Not to mention the huge playground, gorgeous lake, and plethora of grassy picnic areas. If I had known it was there a little earlier in the year, I would have been taking the munchkin here LONG ago! Needless to say it will become a staple place to frequent in our family!
Unfortunately, all three of us got severly ill from food poisoning on Monday, so we have been stuck inside for the past three days. Good thing we spent as much time outside as we did this weekend! As a kid, I always detested Autumn to a certain degree. Mainly, I think, because it meant school was starting and I had to be responsible. But these days, I am beginning to think that Fall might be one of my favorite seasons. Experiencing things through the eyes of a toddler definitely puts a fresh, new, exciting spin on things!
Of course, with her crazy development comes a whole lot of testing of waters.....she goes through periods of having a Jekyl and Hyde-like personality, being all sweetness and love one minute and then doing things she knows not to do (pouring water on the floor, banging on daddy's keyboard, pushing Fievel...), while looking at me with a "what are you going to do about it?" expression on her face. We have been consistent with time outs, and while they seem to do the job most of the time, there are other times where she will do something naughty and then put herself in a time out before I even have a chance to. I know that this is just regular toddler behavior, but it can be hard sometimes after a long day not to take it personally. The past week, thankfully, she's been mostly sweet. Just this morning after breakfast, I was picking up the cheerios she had dropped in her lap and on the floor and she said, "Sorry for making a mess, Mommy. I love you so much!" It's moments like that that make me feel like we must be doing something right.
He is, as are all kittens, totally crazy-chaotic from time to time, but for the most part is a total cuddle bug. He has basically become my shadow, following me everywhere I go. He also loves to follow Audia around. I am so amazed that 1) Audia doesn't terrorize him, in fact, she mostly doesn't notice him unless he is on her bed. Then she gets out her books and reads to him, and that 2) Fievel isn't more cautious/skittish/afraid around Audia. He really seems to like her.
The changing colors on the trees, the smell of fall....I missed these things so much when I was in AZ. It is so great to be able to enjoy the changing of the seasons again. We've lucked out the past week or so, and the temps have been in the lower 70's, which is fairly uncommon for October. 
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