the colors of new england

In case I haven't previously gushed about how much I adore this beautiful northeast corner of the country, I'll do it now.

I. Love. New England. 

For many, many reasons. But autumn? New England autumns?

They are gush-worthy. They are breathtaking. They give meaning to the word splendid. 

Even this little guy thinks so:

On another note, trying to get a sweet photo of Ben and me lately has turned out to be... not so splendid.

It either comes out looking like this:

or like this:

Now that this kid is on the go, a cute mama/ baby photo just ain't happening.....

So we settle with blurry:).

He is growing so fast. He will be 11 months in just three days. Eleven months. It is so hard to believe how quickly these months have flown by. 

Matt and I aren't particularly what you'd call 'car' people. But Ben is obsessed with cars. His favorite game now is 'howmanytimescanbensaythewordcarinaminute'. He's beating his own record with 58 times. No joke;).

Happy mid-October and weekend to you. We'll be home chasing the peanut around, doing outdoor chores and admiring falling leaves (then blowing them out of the way so our grass can get some late-season sun:))

My favorite leaves are the red ones:)

xox

October Chill

There is a slight chill in the air that can only mean one thing: October has made his way here...

We ran our insert yesterday, although probably a little more out of excitement than necessity:). I wanted to try out the 1/2 kettle that M&B gave me for my birthday. It looks so pretty sitting up there, warming on the little stove:).

We've been taking morning walks and have been trying to soak up all of the crisp, colorful goodness that only autumn can deliver.

pumpkins grace our doorstep :)

Ben has been walking.

He's been cruising for about a month now, but it is just so funny to walk into a room and see him vertical. Without holding on to anything.... it's amazing (we call him Frankenstein because he kind of sticks out his arms in front of his chest for balance:)). It's really, really cute. 

This weekend, summer will apparently make one last appearance; it's going to be 80 degrees....

We're going to head to our local botanical garden to check out the foliage... sans sweaters:).

Happy weekend!!

xox

It only comes but once a year:)

Yesterday was my birthday. Thirty-one-derful, as Matt says. 

I'll take it;).

Friday night my parents sent us out to a nice dinner sans the little guy (he got to hang with grandma for the night). We enjoyed some good fondue....mmmmmm:)

Yesterday, Matt and Ben surprised me with a pumpkin-picking excursion, cider donuts, steaks on the grill for dinner and red wine:). 

Some photos from the lovely pumpkin patch.....

Perfect birthday, perfect start to autumn:).

Happy Fall

xoxo

September

Happy September

Also known as 'the best month of the year'. 

Not just because of back to school glee and the smell of sharpened pencils (even when you don't go to or have a little in school)...

Not just because of warm days and cool nights (requiring sweet, cozy sweaters:))....

Not just because of the crisp air and bold colors that Mother Nature blows our way...

Not just because hydrangea blooms turn into magnificent large purple, speckled eggs....

Not just because of pumpkin-scented, pumpkin-colored, or pumpkin-anything....

Not just because we pull the soft slippers out of the closet and dust them off to prepare for two seasons of use...

Not just because of our (now) annual tradition of a week on the beach at Cape Cod...

Certainly not just because it's my birthday month...

But because of it all

and more.

Wishing you a very happy and healthy September 2011.

xoxo
B.

the calm before the storm

We have an independent boy on our hands.

Now that he's the ripe ol' age of three-quarters-of-a-year old, he's exerting his independence, his big-boyness. Apparently, he's not a baby anymore. He doesn't need mama to hold his bottle, he reaches for the spoon during meal times. He crawls up the stairs on his own and scoots back down on his bum (this second part started today, and by the way, mama is secretly right behind him:)). 

Oh, that's our wood pile that we've been diligently stacking; getting ready for fall fires:)

I want to teach him so much, but I also want him to learn how to learn on his own. And it's really so fascinating, so wonderful, to watch him realize how the world works. I'm applauding his independence:).

He's had a bit of a cold lately. And while it makes me so sad to see him sick, he's a little more vulnerable and in need of his mama. And while I do love the independent streak, I embrace the neediness while I can. When he's sick, he sneaks over to lay his head on my lap (something he never does on a normal day, because he's too busy exploring, trying to wiggle free from mama's grasp). But since he's sick, I'm babying him; giving extra long hugs and rubs through the (sometime crocodile) tears, letting him take three hour naps during the day, throwing his usual schedule to the wind. It's no fun to be sick, especially when there's a whole world that needs exploring. So I'll make it as good as I can for him:).

We're hunkering down in preparation for Hurricane Irene. It's hard to believe that the seemingly quiet and and pensive sky is about to turn mad on us in a few hours.

The calm before the storm.

We're ready for it though; we've brought out the candles and flashlights, we've charged our cell phones, taken our patio furniture in for the night. I've even filled a few old milk containers with water, just in case.

Enjoy the weekend! I hope you're safe & prepared if you're on the east coast.

xoxo