Fun Fall Activities....I'm so lame with titles.

We've had a pretty fun few weeks around here. Nothing extraordinary, but lovely nonetheless. Cameron is home and we are just enjoying his presence so much. The weather has been beautifully fall-like and the trees around here are the most beautiful red/orange color. So pretty. Here's a few updates for you:

- I had this grand idea for us to go on our first (of many) fall outing to a Pumpkin Patch. I had visions of us all wearing sweaters, playing in the leaves, picking the perfect pumpkin, drinking warm apple cider as we're on the most perfect fall hayride, Malone giggling with glee in the background. Needless to say, my expectations were not quite met. As soon as we drove up to the patch, Malone closed her eyes for a much needed nap. It was cold, she was asleep, the pumpkins looked kind of brown from the car at least and I realized my dream was not going to become a reality this year. So Cameron went in, got us some hot apple cider and we enjoyed our Pumpkin Patch experience from inside the car. Oh yes, and we bought some beautiful pumpkins at Safeway.
Here we are enjoying the Pumpkin Patch.
- Then my parents arrived. As I wrote earlier, it was an absolute delight having them here. Malone was having a little bit of a hard time because I think her teeth were really hurting her (did I mention that she now has 5 almost 6 teeth?!) But we loved every second of their visit in anyways.
Here's my parents with Malone by the water. She's waving and saying hi, a new trick they taught her.

- We haven't found a church yet and visited another while my parents were here. Oh, good times. I'll just say, I had an experience with someone who was desperately trying to interpret my dreams....dreams I wasn't having :) Ahhh, gotta love the diversity of the body of Christ.

- Due to Malone's increase in dental activities, she now has to begin her lifelong battle with remembering to brush her teeth (Yes, dad, I do remember to brush my teeth at night!). We bought her a baby toothbrush and all.
Here's her trying to get the hang of it. I think she kind of likes it.














- It is no surprise that I am a pumpkin freak this time of year and have tried numerous pumpkin recipes lately. But I saved the best for last! Its a pumpkin cake with whiskey whipped cream from Pioneer Woman Cooks. It is so moist, so flavorful...I made it for company the other night and have been munching on the leftovers for 2 days now. Can you eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Picture courtesy of Pioneer Woman Cooks.

- I made chili for the first time last night. Thanks to all of you who answered my desperate cry on Twitter and Facebook for a recipe. I combined a few recipes and even found my own secret ingredient... that I will now share with you. Beer. Now, I know you all are questioning my boozer persona, as I just posted two recipes with alcohol in it. But really, the alcohol cooks out and its so little that it doesn't affect anything...or anyone. Anyways, it was awesome! I love the fall flavors!

- Malone and I went on a walk today and it was pretty chilly. We just had to try out her new hat. Doesn't she look cute?!- Lastly, we are embarking on a new adventure as a family. We are trying to teach Malone sign language. Studies have shown that sign language can be an effective form of communication for babies (verbal or not, hearing or not) and actually increases their speech capabilities while expanding their vocabulary. I had been hearing about it for a while and then my friend, Stephanie used it with her daughter, Eva and told me about it . Check out this video I found today: