Fall

Sorry for the delay! It has been a wonderful fall. It's our favorite season and it's been so much fun watching Reagan experience all of the fun festivities.

In mid-September for Daddy's birthday, we all went apple picking which she got a big kick out of. She especially liked biting into the apples, I think it made her feel very grown up. She said "mmm" after every bite. Adorable! In early October we all bundled up (it was 40 that morning) and went up to Old Forge to ride the ski lift at McCauley Mountain for our annual anniversary trip. Unfortunately rain had knocked a lot of leaves down, so the colors weren't quite as vibrant as we've seen, but it was still beautiful. She loved the ride, but I was a nervous wreck. And then she lost a shoe on the way back down which made me even more nervous! In October we also visited a pumpkin farm where we got to see lots of animals (she liked the chicks best) and even went on a fun cow ride together. And we went pumpkin picking, played in the leaves, and of course dressed up for Halloween! I really don't know who had more fun - Reagan or us!

Speaking of Halloween, she was a kitty this year - her absolutely favorite thing in the world. And I must say, she was extremely cute! She says "meow" when you ask her what kitty says, so it really was the perfect costume. Unfortunately, she had come down with a pesky virus (her first illness!) and was still a bit sick on Halloween, so she wasn't fully herself. And since it was so cold, we didn't take her around the neighborhood. But we did take her to Oneida to see all of the grandparents so that was a lot of fun. And then she stayed dressed up so she could show the other kids when they came to the door.

Since my last update, Reagan has also started at a new babysitters three days a week (my mom still watches her on Mondays and I'm still home on Fridays). It is actually our neighbor and it has worked out wonderfully. She has 3 boys who are all in school and a 3-year old girl who is still home and the two of them are now best playmates. Reagan lights up when she sees the kids in the morning, and even though it was hard once again letting go a little, I know it is worth it because she has so much fun.

It's hard to believe how quickly she has gone from being a baby to a toddler. She looks so tall now and is slowly losing the baby fat (though she does still have a bit of a belly!). She is extremely steady on her feet and is very independent. She can play by herself really well and also tries a lot more on her own, like brushing her hair or feeding herself using the spoon whenever possible (and I'm learning to accept the mess!). She also has a bit of a shoe obsession! She tries to put on her own shoes, but more often prefers to put on ours and then walks around the room with them on. She actually gets quite far sometimes.

She is also saying more and more everyday. She will try to repeat some words back to us when we say them to her. Yesterday morning she started saying "truck" (when we heard the garbage truck go by). She also babbles more and it seems like she's having full conversations with her toys, herself, or us - whoever will listen!

Enjoy the photos from September and October! There are a lot so I apologize in advance, but there were so many cute ones I couldn't bear to delete them.

And here's a video of her exploring the flowers and pumpkins on our front porch!