Our little birder

The weather has been cold here this week with little flurries and a big storm expected.  I have been putting seed out on the buttress of the house as well as the window sills so that the birds get close, entertaining us and the cats.  Yesterday I was pointing out a cottontail to Anna and she went and pointed out a house finch up in the tree to me!  Our little birder is seeing the birds!  This morning she had walked into the dining room and was quiet for a few minutes.  What was she up to?  Looking out the window at the birds and squirrels!  So much fun to share this with her.
With the weather being cold and not getting outside, Anna and I built a fort in the living room.  It is a sheet taped to the mantle supported by some chairs.  She thinks it is fun to dive under it and play chase around it.  We have also been going upstairs to chase each other in circles.  She finds it very funny with lots of giggles and squeals when I surprise her.  I got her good one time and she jumped and fell on her bottom laughing the whole time.  I try to be noisy when I chase her so she knows I am coming, but I got her that time!

10 months!

It is amazing how time has been flying.  It seems like the other day that she was starting to crawl and now she is able to get everywhere.  We have been enjoying some great weather here and getting outside everyday to swing.  She loves that and will point at the swing and say, "Ah!"  That means she wants to swing.  We use the front yard so we can talk to people and the dogs come out as well to run around. Lots of soccer and swinging!  I let her crawl around some, but it is rough with all the acorns!  We do spend time picking up acorns, me making sure she does not eat them.  Good times!

Deerfield Fair

Anna's first flight ended up with our plane changed and us running to our gate.  We met a very nice lady who has Great Danes, is grandma to a GSP and used to work for Hallmark.  Anna even wanted Glenda to hold her after we had been riding together for a few hours.  She and her husband were on the way to Maine.  We were also delayed in Baltimore, so Anna got to crawl around and expend some energy.  I am glad I had my Boba carrier, it made the day a lot easier!
We visited Great Gram (Meme), went apple picking with her cousins, went out in the fields at the Farm and hung out Uncle.  We had a quiet evening with her Meme and Bapa and stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's where she would crawl on them before bed.  They had new floors in the kitchen to crawl on and Aunt Rebecca to bug, as well as all the dogs and cats!

John, Anna and I ran over to UNH on evening to meet with our friends Drew and Becca and had a good time wandering around the campus.  John and I had not been in over 5 years and so much has changed!  Lots of new buildings and remodels on old buildings.  The lawns are still beautiful and we enjoyed a nice fall night.
So, Anna had fun visiting NH again and getting to go to her first Deerfield Fair.  She ate veggie subs and broccoli and cheese soup and all kinds of carbs :)  She enjoyed looking at the animals, the people, showing off her pumpkin hat and banging on the glass behind the baked goods counters.  We did quite a bit of visiting, but unfortunately not as much as we hoped.

Pumpkin Hat

I finished my first knit for Anna!  It is a cute pumpkin hat finished just in time for Fall and heading to NH.  We got some cute pictures outside.  I put a jacket on her even though it was about 80 degrees.  A pumpkin hat without a jacket looked wrong :o)

9 months!

Anna is now 9 months old! It has been going quickly. John and I have fun looking back at earlier pictures and seeing how much she has changed. She has gotten longer, leaner and much more expressive. She loves to smile and now has a look of determination when she is working on walking along the couch.
And practice she does. She will crawl over to the couch or the ottoman and walk along talking as she goes. She will stick her tongue out at times very similar to John in deep concentration. And her brow furrows too. Very cute.
I also like it when she is on the other side of the ottoman then sits. Then I see this hand come up, "Eh?" Then another hand, then the top of her head. It is funny to watch. Busy this week out for walks, visiting with friends and practice, practice, practice!
And if you are wondering, Fenway is still obsessed with the fish tank.  Silly cat!

The ants go marching...

Saturday we spent a beautiful day at Powell Gardens. The garden was hosting a Tomato and Pepper festival with tastings and samples from some local stores. We arrived around 11 a.m. and stayed until about 4 p.m. We grabbed lunch, Anna having a little of everything, and sampled fruits picked fresh from the garden. Anna really liked the fresh cantaloupe and banana melon. The banana melon was good. It taste like a cross between a cantaloupe and a honey dew. John and I tried a Paw paw and agreed it tasted like room temperature brie. Not too appealing in my fruit.
The tomato tasting was fun. We each got a plate and loaded it up with fresh cut heirloom tomatoes, fresh picked basil, fresh bread (Anna loved it), olive oil and homemade salsa. We should have skipped lunch! A local exotic snow cone company had samples of Watermelon/Basil and Pineapple/Serrano Pepper. They were okay, but not my tube of ice. John liked the Pineapple/Serrano Pepper. And there was yet more to taste!
We sampled yummy olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette, a locally made salsa and a chef's homemade sauces. John was having a good time sampling! Our favorite thing after the fresh tomatoes and basil was a local chef's homemade ice cream. He had a strawberry/red pepper sorbet which was nice, but John's jalapeno ice cream was excellent. So very creamy and smooth with a nice little burn in your throat. Unfortunately, he only made it for Saturday.
We then wandered the grounds, watched the butterflies, just missed seeing a snake eating a frog, enjoying the weather and just relaxing. Anna took this as a good opportunity to nap.

We enjoyed looking at the giant bug art through out the Gardens made from wood. A lot of twig bending and shaping. They are so much fun and visit every year. It was a great relaxing day, just what we needed.

We have a crawler!

Anna has been getting around on her own by spinning, belly flopping and sitting up. Today we finally have crawling for distance! She was covering a four foot span in one go! Her technique still has a long way to go, but she has the idea and can now cover more ground. Look out cats! Thanks to Pepper for coming over and giving her tips!
If you notice a pooped Fenway in the background it is because he just realized we have fish in the fish tank and has been staring at them ALL day. They have been there since May. Silly cat.