A Taste of Fall

It finally felt like Fall here the past few days, except Sunday which got up to the mid 80's again, but most of the past few days have been wonderful and tonight it is expected to get really chilly. It is so much fun to take Stella out-and-about Austin. She is really a social butterfly and loves going places. Here are a few pics from our recent outings to the fountains at Town Lake, eating breakfast at Austin Java, and the pumpkin patch, again.

Stella and the Great Pumpkin

We took Stella to a Pumpkin Patch and she gave it a mixed review. At first she found it entertaining but once the gnats started swarming (don't forget, it is still 80 degrees here during the day and those pumpkins just sit outside all day on hay!) she wasn't a fan. We still got some good pictures but didn't get our pumpkin yet (again, the 80 degrees). We will get it this weekend so it is not a rotten mess by Halloween night. Our neighbors have 3 children and they adore Stella. They keep asking to see her in her Halloween costume. I told them to make sure they come over to our house first on Halloween night to ensure she is still awake! We are prepared for lots of trick-or-treaters. Last year I was pregnant and tired and actually shut the light off early. I don't think I will have to do it this year, unless the commotion wakes up Stella. Happy early Halloween!

9 Months!

Wow, 9 months with Stella on the outside sure went a lot faster than 9 months with Stella on the inside. When I gave birth to Stella, I was amazed how I could grow something so large in 9 short months. (Don't forget she was 9 lbs 3 oz!) But now, I am just blown away that 9 lbs 3 oz seems so little and that she has grown into this small person in 9 short months.

Because I wanted to subject Stella to a photo shoot today, I also rewarded her by taking her to one of Austin's newest parks where they have a numerous fountains that rhythmically get larger and then smaller. It was quite fun. If she was in her swim suit, I am quite certain she would have crawled through them, but instead we watched from her jogger. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera since we just got finished with a run, but I will try to get some pictures of her enjoying the fountains soon.

Instead, enjoy the photo shoot from our back yard. Stella had fun trying to eat the rocks and leaves. It was cool enough in the morning for the long sleeves, but of course, by the afternoon it was back up into the high 80's. It feels like Fall will never get here. Each year, this weather gets more and more unbearable. I just keep telling myself, you will love Austin again in December. It's a long time to wait!

Halloween Comes Early in Austin

We had to try Stella's Halloween costume on to make sure it fits. I think she enjoys being a cat. I know dressing up Stella for Halloween this year is solely for our own fun and benefit, but she did smile in the costume... so maybe she was having fun too? Her Grandma and Pop Pop also got her another costume so she will actually have a costume change on Halloween! We plan on having her help give out candy, until her bedtime which is pretty early. Hopefully she will be able to surprise a few trick-or-treaters.

As promised...


and just for fun

Musically Inclined

Stella recently scored some great new toys from random garage sales and consignment sales. Her favorite is this music stand which has all sorts of different noises and songs. She loves to dance. Of course, she is camera shy though, so when I pull out the camera to take a video, she tends to stop what she is doing. Darn her. I did catch some cute pictures and a cute video I will also post. We can't wait for fall... or at least we will pretend it is Fall and take Stella to the Pumpkin Patch for the classic baby sitting with a bunch of pumpkins picture. Stay tuned!