Joshua is 17 months!

Our beautiful boy is 17 months today!

Back to health!

We are all better now!

After 2 weeks of being sick, we are thankful to be back in good health. Joshua's little friend, Grace Ann, was hospitalized for severe croup a couple of weeks ago. Because croup is contagious, we took Joshua to the doctor to have him checked out. Fortunately, he wasn't affected - he just had a congestion and a bad cough. Under our doctor's advisement, we picked up a humidifier that same day to put in Joshua's room while he slept. It really did wonders! Little did we know that the humidifier would serve to be a double-blessing! When Joshua got better, it was my turn to get sick with strep. I guess that's how things are! However, with antibiotics and the trusty humidifier, I was able to feel better after a week (and huge thanks to Jared, too, for taking care of all of us when I was banished to our bedroom during my "contagious" phase).

Back to the fun stuff...Joshua continues to grow in his exploration of things around the house. He loves anything with lights and buttons. Hence, the phone has been one of his favorites! As you can see, he knows exactly what to do with it! It's amazing how much this kid observes and mimicks us, even when we don't realize it! Oh, another funny thing...whenever our cell phone rings, and our predetermined tunes come on (mine's jazz, Jared's some funky rock sound), Joshua starts to bust a move! It's quite the sight!

Joshua sure loves Reggie...or Reggie's crate, rather! When in doubt of where Joshua is, the crate is one place to look. I don't know when or how he figured out that it's just the coolest place to hang out! As you can tell, Reggie lets Joshua right in his crib (we've never tried the other way around!). They have become quite the playmates - much to our delight and relief! They play well together, and it's been great to see how much fun Joshua has with Reggie. (Yes, we do keep our eyes on them, and we never leave them alone together! I know some of you are biting your tongues, so you can relax now.)

October 2 - Pumpkin Farm

It's October, and fall is here - our favorite season! This past weekend, we celebrated Fall by going to Goebbert's, which is a pumpkin farm just down the road from us. Joshua had a blast! There was a pretend fire truck, and he would not relinquish the driver seat to anyone!! Hence, a teaching moment of sharing, admist much angst and reluctance as we stood to the side and practiced our virtue of patience. But, the second the seat became vacant, Joshua bolted to it! He grasped the wheel with the biggest grin on his face, rang the bell, and all was well in Joshua Land.

Finally, we were able to tear him away from the fire truck (deceptively with the promise of food!) and continued our slow amble through the rest of the pumpkin farm. There was just so much to see and do! Joshua enjoyed a little snack of apple cider and apple donuts (did I already mention that food is a good way to lure our little snack-happy son?). Both he and his little friend, Grace Ann, also marvelled at the monstrosity of the camels, awed at the delicacy of the ponies, and feigned disgust at the repugnant scent coming from the petting zoo!

Nevertheless, it was a good first experience for Joshua and me (I've never been to a pumpkin farm before either!). We'll definitely go back. As Joshua gets older (and taller), there's a plethora of activities for children which he will enjoy!

This past weekend was undoubtedly a lot of fun (especially with the Packers being 4-0, and Brett making history)! We hope to be able to get out and enjoy more outdoor activities, enjoy the fall colors, and relish this season with thanksgiving.