Fall Harvest

Before Ed left for Afghanistan, we were able to spend a couple of days together as a family. We had tons of fun at an apple orchard near our home. They even had pumpkins! So...we picked up some apples to eat and some pumpkins so that we could carve one of them and roast the rest. Now, I have a ton of pumpkin puree in my freezer that I can enjoy throughout the winter months. When we were at the orchard, we decided to have the kids pose with the pumpkins. I think that we were able to get a few nice shots (as you can tell it was a little sunny that day).

Here I am carrying our finds back to the car.

Tate also decided to pick out a few apples for the family.

And the pinnacle of the month of October for Colt...Colt actually pulling himself up to a standing position!

On a Tate note: he has really taken to the piano. It's so cute! He even "reads" and turns the pages! If he keeps his interest, he may be learning how to play sooner than later.

Little Buddies

As we prepare to pack and leave Louisiana for Virginia again, I decided to do a quick blog update on the boys. They continue to do the cutest things. Everyday they interact more and more (mostly because Colt loves to follow Tate around and do what he does).

Now, Tate has started including Colt in his pretend play. Tate loves to pretend that he's taking a nap. He usually covers himself up and says "nap". Now, he covers Colt up as well and they both take "naps". Here they are playing the napping game.

Tate also loves to play fort. Tate was a little reluctant to allow Colt into his fort (which was Colt's bed on its side with a sheet over it). He kept saying "Baby! Fort!". Eventually, he let Colt in once Ed told him that he needed to play nice with Colt.

Colt is also able to get around well. The other day he crawled into our cabinet and decided to set up shop for a little while.

Tate saw me take a picture of Colt and wanted in the mix as well.

Tate also shares his toys with Colt. Whenever Tate sees Colt playing with one of his toys, Tate will say "Careful! Careful Colt!". He also pushes Colt around on his little car, which is a lot of fun for the kids. Tate will pat Colt if Colt is crying -- hoping to sooth him. He's turning into a good big brother.

On a Tate note: He's learning when to say "please" and "thank you". He'll help me put away the groceries and everytime he hands me a grocery item, he'll say "thank you" (even though I should be the one who says thank you). He's started using his comforter and pillow when he sleeps. He always wants Ed and I to cover him up at night and put the pillow under his head. Then he'll say "lul u"; then "nite, nite"; then "bye bye"(which will usually be in a whisper). It's so cute! He loves Curious George and Elmo. Oh, and if you have chips he'll ask for them by saying "chip" until you give him one. If he has to wait too long for his chip, he'll say "chiiiiip" like you're an idiot. I would write about his expanding vocabulary, but there are just too many words to write down AND he's using sentences more and more. Ed and I love watching him learn and grow!

Colt has progressed from "Mama" to "Dadda". I don't think that he associates the words with the people, but his speech seems to progressing well.

Here's a picture that I took of Tate and Ed while they were climbing on tanks. Tate can now identify tanks and cannons (I think I'm in trouble -- just wait until Colt is able to identify all of the military vehicles as well).