Fall fun

Sorry for the absence, but all has been well here.  Just very busy.  Lots of exciting stuff to report so I'll get right to it.

Matt had a birthday!  We had a lot of fun celebrating.  Grady especially was very excited to help Daddy open his presents. 

Happy birthday! 

Grady also made quite a nice card!

Blogger won't let me rotate, but it does say "DADDY"

The other really big news around here is that Grady "graduated" from the school he has been at for the past 3 years.  It was a big decision for everyone, but ultimately we felt that he was ready for a little more structure and some time with people more his own age.  We chose a French immersion school since he's always been so verbal.  The first week went well for the most part.  He seems to have made himself at home, and has learned "bonjour" and "le chat" (the cat).  We will miss his old school, but Clara is still at the infant house there.  The commute is no fun for me, but it all seems worth it.  

last day of school outfit

This may or may not have made me cry.

Clara's big new thing has been the start of short sentences.  "Toe stuck," "Read a book," and a handful of other phrases.  She is very pleased with her continuing ability to communicate with us.  And very, very frustrated when we either don't understand or aren't able to accommodate her. Like, immediately.

We've managed to do a lot of fun fall outings in the past month or so.  First up was a successful round of apple picking. 

On an apple mission

Clara was able to reach some apples

Though once she picked one, it was pretty much game over for the picking

Careful picking

This one will do

Continued apple eating.  Er picking.  

We ended up with enough apples for another round of apple sauce, an apple crisp, and plenty leftover for eating.  

We also have been to the pumpkin patch twice already.  We still need to go back with Daddy, but we have had fun climbing on hay, seeing animals, choosing pumpkins, and then drawing on them.  No jack-o-lanterns yet.  And I made pumpkin soup tonight for the first time.  Not too bad. 

Being a rooster.  I'm not sure. I didn't ask. 

"Boo!"

Unsolicited pose and "cheese" from Clara 

Strong boy!

Putting them to work

Pumpkin drawing

The littlest family member is doing well.  We had the second trimester ultrasound last week, and everything looked great.  It was a relief to see that he had no apparent kidney issues, or any other issues for that matter.  He was weighing in at about 10 ounces.   Here's a picture. 

The pregnancy has been pretty smooth so far, now that the tiredness has improved.  I have become sensitive to some foods, mainly gluten, dairy, and soy milk.  Luckily Portland is a pretty accommodating place to live for food intolerances, so I'm not feeling too deprived yet.  I'm feeling him move now pretty consistently, a nice milestone to reach. 

Grady and Clara continue to melt my heart with their playing together.  Here are some shots.

Downward dog

I have a great video of Grady reading to Clara, but it's not loading.  I'll try to remember to try again later.

That's the short version of the past month.  Sorry it took so long to get up!