Hamster Saturday

McDonald's was our destination this Saturday, not for their biscuit sandwiches (except for me) but for the indoor habitrail to amuse the kids. It was Gary's day to sleep in but he opted for company despite it being at McDonald's. (He's not a fan.)

Aurora and Arlo crawled through the tunnels, Arlo helpfully pulling Aurora up the inclines and Aurora hollering when she needed help. Gary and I waited at the bottom of the two-story twisty slide, but I was the one who got to see Aurora's face as she flew down on her back, eyes terrified and hair fluffed around her head like a frightened cat.

Once she was safely off and congratulated, of course she said, "Mo?" and headed back up. What a thrillseeker!

Baby Bunny

Oh, the photo came out fuzzy but not as fuzzy as her little ears.

I splurged on this soft-as-fur minky jacket for Smacky, and doesn't she look adorable in it?

She slept almost all the way through lunch at Hoho which was nice for me, too- I actually got to eat!

Banana Baby

Aurora loves bananas! Especially when she doesn't have to sit in her high chair to eat them.

Wandering with food is her new favorite, something that we have unconsciously modeled by eating on the go.

pumpkin patch smack

We had nice sunny weather this weekend for our first trip to the pumpkin patch. I had envisioned Aurora wearing her little ladybug boots but the ground was dry enough for her normal boots.

Here she is slapping a pumpkin for doneness. There were some adorably small gourds but since pumpkins started at $1 apiece, we only got three. It was a hard choice, hence the scrutiny.

We had originally planned to take Gary's mom Laura, sister Katrina and friend Cris to The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island but it was a circus- lines of cars, flaggers, elephants, et al. (Well, not really elephants, but practically.)

So we kept driving and found a little patch further on at Columbia Farms. They had a couple of haystacks for the kids to climb on (and slide off unexpectedly, which was Aurora's favorite). They had wagons, and porta potties, which was just enough for us.

Arlo and Aurora enjoyed the wagon ride, too.

Sushi Smack

Gary, Aurora and I went to sushi last Friday night. It was the first time at Sushiland that Aurora sat in a high chair, was hungry enough to eat, and generally had a good time putting food in her mouth rather than throwing it on the floor.

She quite enjoys being fed with chopsticks and is looking forward to the day when she can use her own chopsticks to feed herself.

I spilled almost as much as she did trying to get those pesky edamame out of their shells. But haha, I can blame it on the baby! Thanks, Smacky.

State Fair 2009: Babies in Backpacks

Here is a snapshot I took at the State Fair last month.

Arlo is enjoying his enormous gobstopper and Aurora is enjoying her freedom.

I bought a little backpack with a leash attached just for the occasion but she kept falling down whenever she'd reach the end of her tether.

She wanted to keep wearing it as a stylish accoutrement, so of course we let her.

Rocking with Lamby

Smacky wears a satisfied smile as she enjoys her rocking chair with the lamb Dawn gave her. It's a rare moment that Smacky's not picking pills off the lamb with the concentration of a monk, but she shared her time with us for a brief interview.

Katy and Gary: How do you like your new chair, Smacky?
Smacky: Gaaaa! Da da dah. Da DAH!

Then the interview was terminated as she had more pressing items on her to-do list than getting grilled about her chair.

I'm pleased that the swing we bought to soothe the crying baby is now pressed into labor as a toddler chair. Just like the box advertised! What a relief- something that does what it says it will, and doesn't break.