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...