Some Autumn Outings

Because we've been so busy this month, I wanted to get in a post about some of our recent fall-related activities. We have definitely checked off the typical fall activity to do list. Apple picking? Check! Hike to enjoy the fall foliage? Check! Farmers' market visit? Check! Pumpkin patch? Double check!

Apple picking

We went to a small orchard with a couple of friends from my moms' group to do some apple picking. It's getting toward the end of the season, but there were enough apples on the trees for us to pick. We took Matt to an apple orchard last year, although that was after the season was over, so this seems to be his first apple picking experience.

Sitting in a rocking chair on the porch, waiting for our friends 

Saying hi to the chickens

Helping to pick some apples

Trying out the burlap maze (the kids had so much fun running around this - we may have spent longer in there than in the orchard!)

Nature Walk

We also went for a nature walk with some of the same friends and a few others around a cranberry bog.

Posing with the bear and eagle on the bench

Looking for the turtles in the neighboring pond / swamp

On the trail

Enjoying one of our apples as a post-hike snack

Farmers' Market

While Jon was finishing up a couple of projects at home one Saturday, Matt and I went to the last farmers' market of the season (and then the library). We picked up some apple cider to enjoy.

Checking out the farm- and food-related toys at the local farmers' market

Pumpkin patch

Matt has been pumpkin picking twice this month. The first time Jon took him to a local farm for a hayride while I was at work. Matt enjoyed wandering through the fields and found a little pumpkin that he could carry all by himself.

Checking out the pumpkin fields

The second time was for a friend's birthday party at the berry farm we often visit. We went on a hayride, picked a pumpkin, played on the playground, and enjoyed some pizza and cupcakes.

Pre-party "horse" ride

Hayride to the pumpkin patch

Picking out a pumpkin

In the "Matt cave"

Enjoying the cupcake

Happy 23-Month Birthday, Matt!

Today Matt is 23 months old. One more month, and then he'll be two years old!

Matt had an exciting day with Jon today while I was at work. They went to an open house at a fire station, and Matt got to check out some vehicles. He also got a hat, balloon, stickers, and a coloring book, so it was a successful outing.

Checking out an ambulance

Exploring all kinds of vehicles

Driving a fire truck

Matt is talking up a storm these days. He now says two, three, and even four words together, more and more unprompted. He is getting close to complete sentences, although he doesn't always include the subjects and/or verb, and it'll be a while before he consistently uses prepositions and conjunctions. He is also adding a second syllable back into words, which is helpful. Matt tells longer stories now, too. The other day we had to go vroom vroom in the car to the store to get more milk to drink in a cup before going to sleep (Matt, that is). But his favorite story is about our trip to the zoo last month, specifically our rides. He still talks about how we had to wait for the choo choo to come back so we could ride it, how we went on the yellow car, and how one of his friends went to sleep. Then he talks about how we went up [and] down and round [and] round on the carousel, where he rode the hum[ming]bird and one of his buddies rode the ze[bra].

Within the past couple of days Matt has shown some interest in learning the alphabet. Specifically, he's starting to learn his ABCs - or, as he says it, his CD! He knows some of the letters in roughly the right order or at least in the right half of the alphabet, including Z at the end. Jon had written a few letters for him today, and Matt drew a couple Os somewhat on his own initiative. (His Cs and Ds had quite a few extra flourishes.) We haven't even been really working on the alphabet, just reading some alphabet books now and then, doing a few alphabet puzzles, and singing the ABC song from time to time. But no rush - Matt still has a few years before he'll be in school!

Matt hasn't added any new interests this month. He's still into the same old same old, particularly trains. His puzzle mania has subsided a little, but he will spend a good deal of time on them when the mood strikes him. These days he's more interested in hooking things, specifically trains, together. (I've even heard him mutter, "Hook," while rolling over during a nap.) We continue to read a lot and are very well known at the library. One thing Matt started to do last month that I forgot to mention then was naming each book after one or two reads, but now that he's saying several words in a row it's even clearer. Sometimes it's amusing what he picks up from the title or story itself to use as his title. Before bed he currently likes to read stories like Cur[ious] Geor[ge and the] Fire[fighters], Gid[eon], Sheep [in a] Jeep, or Dig Dig [Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel]. (Who knows what he'll want to read next week!)

I just switched out Matt's shirts, sweaters, coats, and pajamas to size 3T. The 2T tops were getting to be just a little too short, and the 2T pants are still loose around the waist, so he was flashing more and more of his tummy. He'll definitely want that covered in the cold months to come!

I forgot to mention last month that Matt had finished getting all of his baby teeth. No more teething! We are all very happy about that. Matt in general is much happier now that he doesn't have odd things going on in his mouth.

September Recap

I'm a little behind on getting up our September post, I know! We've been getting back into our school year schedule of playdates, library events, and more. Luckily the weather was nice a lot during this past month, so we spent a lot of time outdoors.

We went to several playgrounds.

Climbing all over the fire truck with friends

Attempting the rope bridge (successful on the way up, but needed some help on the way down)

Spinning the steering wheel

Whee!

Pushing the merry-go-round

One of the playgrounds was new to us, but we're definitely going back because it offered some different things (plus lots of shade and places to sit).

Dig digs in the giant sandbox

Bouncy ride-on dinosaurs

Neigh neigh!

Playing trucks with a buddy

We went to a storybook walk sponsored by our library.

Reading the book (photo courtesy of the library)

Trying to read and keep an eye on what everyone else is doing

 Puppets!

We went over to several friends' houses for playdates
.

Sidewalk construction plus pumpkin cupcakes made for one successful playgroup.

Whee down the slide at a buddy's house

Enjoying some peas and a hot dog during dinner at a friend's house

Trying to give his friend a hug

The monthly open gym we attended a lot last year has resumed.

Matt tried to claim the train for himself.

Matt still loves cars and trucks, especially construction vehicles and fire trucks.

  

Backyard dig digs

Driving the fire truck in costume at the children's museum

Watching the construction in the Y's parking lot

With his blue car at home

And he'll play with any train set, especially ones that "hook" together.

 At the library, building his own set of tracks

At the children's museum (yes, he put that very long train together pretty much all by himself)

At a friend's house

Matt still loves reading.

Reading to himself on the couch

And he still likes his puzzles and easel.

Trying his hand at the library's alphabet puzzle

Doing a little painting

Winnie the Pooh has been his fairly constant companion this past month.

Making sure Pooh gets food and drink

 A boy and his bear

Down for a nap

Some other photos from the past month:

 Playing catch with Dada

Hmm, I could have sworn I had a basket of freshly picked tomatoes around here somewhere.

Sitting with his favorite stick

Playing with his favorite stick, looking like he's trying to disperse the rain clouds with a wizard's staff

Playing with the cat

Blowing bubbles and watching airplanes (yes, his sweatshirt is on backwards, but he put it on himself)