Fall Smiles and Smiles Fall

Living with the Langners got a little dramatic last weekend. It all started with a grand idea... let's go to a pumpkin patch! Our friends Brian and Lindy humored us (in more ways than one!), and we all set out for Didier Farms.

Well, Didier Farms apparently offers more than just pumpkins. There were animals at the petting zoo, kiddie rides, wooden cut-outs, and lots of noisy people. Who knew that the autumn version of Santa's Workshop was in Buffalo Grove? It was almost as cold as the North Pole, and equally overwhelming for a little boy.

We started with the wooden cut-outs. I tried to get a smile out of Drew, but he was skeptical about the whole experience.


Next, I had visions of taking the perfect fall picture: my kid in a pumpkin patch, grinning ear to ear! I even had a cute caption picked out. It was something like, "Our cute lil' pumkin!"

Clearly that picture was never meant to be. I put Drew on a blanket, and he had a little melt-down. Rather than scooping him up right away to comfort him and offer hugs, I decided to snap a quick pic while laughing just a little bit. Slightly cruel move as a parent? Maybe. Worth it for the hilarious shot I can show to his friends when he's in high school? You be the judge:



Then Lindy helped me introduce Drew to this strange orange balls a little more gently. You can still see the sad little crocodile tear welled up in his eye. This is when I started to feel really sorry for him!



Our adventure at Didier Farms ended shortly after that pathetic photo was taken. And later in the night, the other boys got to play! That's right - Jeff and Brian took our pumpkins and created their master pieces. It required a drill, a couple of adult drinks, and two wives who were "man enough" to clean out the pumpkins to accomplish the following...

(If you look closely, you'll see two ghosts in the background. Oh wait, that's Jeff and Brian who don't quite show up without a flash.)

Fortunately for us, Sunday was a much happier day! Ready for church, and sporting a great new set of overalls, Drew was feeling very proud and even cooperated when I took out the camera. We still cannot use the flash if we want Drew to crack a grin, so these might appear slightly dark.

Playing in a pile of laundry has never looked so fun! He likes to be pulled all around the room in his basket. I'm trying to teach him how to match socks for me.

And just when we thought the day couldn't get any better, Drew attempted to crawl! No actual crawling just yet, but see how close he is?!?!

Whew - what a weekend it was! I'm off to baby proof the house now. I don't think I have much time! I suppose I could always place pumpkins in front of drawers and cabinets as he clearly won't be going near those anytime soon...

Simple Pleasures

There's not much to report since our last post, but we were playing with some very exciting toys recently, and captured a couple of pics. It truly is the simple things that make us happy, isn't it?

Drew has recently become quite the culinary expert. Well, not quite. But playing with measuring cups and spoons at least puts him on that path! He's learning about cause and effect. For example: Cause - bang the spoon on the cup; Effect - interesting noise that makes the dogs' ears perk up. Second effect - Giggles!

It's difficult to see, but Drew is playing with a plastic bottle filled with a few coins. Shake, rattle, and roll, Baby!

His daycare has something similar - which is of course put together by "childcare professionals" who have colorful beads to use. At our house, we improvised! Nope, I'm not a professional - just a mom on a budget.

So much for expensive toys. Don't get me wrong - he loves anything that lights up, sings, and requires batteries (that we replace time and time again). But take this kid's homemade toys away, and you'll witness the most pathetic whimper and pouty lip quiver you'll ever see. Watch out, Matel, Toys by Langner is fierce competition!

Splish, Splash and Smile for Seven Months!

Seven months have gone so quickly! Our family celebrated the occasion with some good old fashioned play time tonight.

Drew continues to love his Boppy Play Gym, even as he grows older. But instead of lying down and reaching for the toys, he sits up, eye-level with treasures that light up, sing, and squeak. But the real fun is when Dad bobs his head up and down like he's part of the contraption. (As you'll see, we have no pride when it comes to entertaining our kid.) Here are the Langner boys at play...

And at the end of every night, we wind down with splishing and splashing! Drew loves bath time, so we captured a bit of his favorite part of day... soaking Mom and Dad. And yes, that is Swasey you hear in the background. He was very disappointed that he was not asked to participate in bath time.

In other updates, Drew is becoming quite mobile! He pushes himself up into almost a full crawl position, then chickens out and decides to flail his arms and pivot on his stomach. His main mode of transportation continues to be rolling all over the room. We suspect Drew will be army crawling (or as we call it "Navy Crawling" - in honor of our good friend Jake!) any day now.

And like his parents, this kid can eat! Drew is moving up to Stage 2 foods - which means really interesting combos of fruits and veggies. Who knew that garden veggies would be so delish? No teeth just yet, and the teething pains have subsided for now. I'm in no hurry for the pearly whites to push through, as it's just one more sign that my little boy is growing out of control! And that gummy smile with the fist shoved in the mouth is just too cute.

One of our favorite developments is Drew's recognition of US... his parents! Whether we're picking him up from daycare, or coming home to him after work, we get big smiles, squeals, and his version of a kiss. It's pretty great payback.

And a blog sneak peak: Possible pumpkins, ghouls, and maybe even a dragon.

The Apple of our Eye

For one glorious Saturday, the weather was perfect! (Perhaps the last nice day we'll have for a while.) We joined our friends John, Elizabeth, and their precious boy James for a visit to a great little apple orchard. We all enjoyed a picnic and some good old-fashioned apple picking. We love watching Drew and James get to know each other. This is a lifelong friendship in the making.

Elizabeth and I are glad we "picked" these cuties!

Our little family tree (Get it? family tree? Okay, okay, I'll stop)

Drew helped us choose a few, too.

This sure isn't Gerber applesauce!

And at the end of the day, we all came back to our house to relax and play. Here's a great shot that really captures the moment - TOTAL... MESSY... CHAOS! Two dogs, two tykes, and a few tired parents. Yup, ours is the kid relaxing with a foot on the Boppy and a Champ at his side. James, on the other hand, is crawling and exploring. We have some work to do.

In other highlights, Drew is the youngest (honorary) member of the Community Christian Church Youth Group! When Jeff spent some time with the kids, he brought Drew along. As you can see, he was the life of the party.

And as I mentioned, last Saturday was the end of the sunny, warm days. Fall is here! It's our family's favorite time of year - it's the season in which we were married (we just celebrated 5 years!), it's when we get to go apple picking with good friends, and it's time to break out adorable fleece jackets to enhance Drew's already adorable wardrobe!

Happy Fall!