Pumpkin Carvings

We carved our punkins tonight. Matilda was verrrrrry curious. She smelled and even taste tested the pumpkins and considered them to be "gooooooo[d]". I kept thinking that next year we won't be carving alone - she tried to grab the tiny saw out of my hand a couple of times tonight. I don't think we'll get by without her at least trying next year...so exciting!

I carved the same thing I've done for years. (A cat - - how ironic!) It is what I know and I'm definitely not an artist...I considered doing a template but just opted out, I guess...I had a little girl to concentrate on!

Mike's pumpkin had sprouts!

"It's all fun & games 'til someone gets hurt."

This is right before Matilda poked the pupil out of
one of the eyes of Mike's pumpkin.

Li'l Taste Tester:

Punkin' Patch....

We took Matilda to her first pumpkin patch on Saturday. It was a lot of fun. I'm sure we got ripped off on the price of pumpkins but it's nice to keep a local place in business, right? I guess you pay for the experience...we got to take a wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch and pick them out, so...it was nice.

Bilda notices the pumpkin patch

She likes the dirt best of all

We ran into some people I remembered meeting before. It was a family that was in the ER the day that Mike had his appendix out. Their son (and brother) had his appendix out the same day as Mike. He actually got to go first because we sat at Starbucks and Mike ate a cookie after his CT scan and before he knew he needed to have his appendix out. Looooong story...but I remember sitting in the waiting room with them and the little niece wanted to sit by us on the wagon ride back. She was soooooo sweet!

With our friend, Brooklyn

Matilda wanted to stand up and hold hands...
so did Brooklyn

Lost in thought...???

Mooooo[n]

Our smart, observant little girl noticed the moon the other morning. High up in the window in the kitchen...I was really floored. Floored by the fact that she saw it, knew what it was AND tried to say it. Wow!

Then, we were at the computer tonight looking at kitteh pictures on one of my favorite sites when Matilda realized that my hair tickled her. While we made of video of my tickling her, her keen observation skills became obvious to me again! She was looking at this photo and she imitated it. Without my ever reading it to her out loud:

Over a Year...

Maybe I won't even post this post, but - - -

Today I realized again that we've been in N.C. for over a year.

Sometimes it's something small:

• There's a festival coming up and realize we were here for it last year...

• and another street fest...they love their festivals here in October.
  

• and, today - we were at a pizza place in town and I saw a li'l family I noticed when we first moved here. They had the teeeeeeeniest, tiniest baby I think I'd ever seen. I mean, Bilda was pretty small and, hell - she was only about 2 months old when we moved here. But this baby was sooooo tiny. Anyway, we saw them today and I had to comment to them on how she's grown! Her mom said she'd be a year old next month and tears started to well up in my eyes. Another reminder for me.

• AND on the way home today, I ordered a warm coffee. I've had them iced for soooo many months now. And believe it or not - it tasted completely different. It brought me back to what seems like an eternity ago. When we were new here and all we knew was to come into town and shop. It was the same drive back to our home from the nearest, biggest (AND SMALLEST) towns in the world in our neck of the woods and the feeling just made my stomach sink and my heart ache.
  

This has been a good year. It's been a crazy year. It's been emotional for me to leave everyone I love behind. But, I have been happy, too. We have become a stronger, tiny family. We are content just being together.

And that comes from the calm that I have because I know we'll be home again someday.

Though I am still the most impatient person I know. (Besides my little daughter. But even she is gaining a little more patience.)

Wow...

I was checking to see if there are any upcoming Obama events here in N.C., and saw this:






Obama was in STL today! And over 100,000 people showed up! It made my eyes tear up...

D.C.

We went to D.C. this past weekend. A spur of the moment thing. Just decided that we really should go since we're only about 350 miles away and Mike had Monday off for Columbus Day.

It was a blast! We walked and walked and walked and went back to our hotel each night and swam in the pool and crashed.

Of course, we took lots of photos but I'm sooooo bummed because I accidentally erased a whole day's worth of pictures. I've got some recovery software on the way so - keep your fingers crossed for me! I had some really cute photos of Matilda walking around the Air & Space Museum with her hands folded behind her back. There are actually TWO of the Air Museums in D.C. (lucky for Mike). She LOVED it at the first one by the airport - it wasn't very crowded, there was nothing for her to destroy and she could roam freely right next to us.

The next day, we headed downtown to see the sites! It was just amazing to see the places that are such a part of our history and lives as Americans.

(I wish we'd had time to meet up with Wendy and Kristin while we were in town! I was telling Lori that we really should all meet up again sometime....Road trip!)

Mike thought it would be hiLARious
if he took a picture of this picture from the Smithsonian
and told Lori that he took it in an aquarium there.
Guess I just ruined that plan.

Water fountain by the Art Museum.
Made me wistful and think of the "Love & Marriage" Fountain in Chicago.

I liked this guy's choice of a seat.
(Above and below.)

Ice cream break.

Second day of Air Museum - not as exciting for Matilda.
And waaaaaay too crowded.

View from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial.

Trying to get a photo with Matilda...but she has her own plan!

View from the Lincoln Memorial toward the Washington Monument.
I guess that's obvious.
BUT, I wasn't sure we'd make it - so it meant a lot to me!

Michelle Obama Rally

Wooohooo! Bilda and I saw Michelle Obama speak today in Jacksonville, NC. For once, I can say I'm thankful I live in the middle of nowhere North Carolina because we actually got to sit pretty close. It was amazing.

We also almost didn't make it inside the building so that made our luck seem even better when we got a good seat! The place filled up fast...it was an emotional sight for me to see all the people that showed up! Just incredible. I was thrilled.

She talked a lot about military families. We all cheered and cheered each time a speaker mentioned the military heroes and the sacrifices their families make and gave standing ovation after ovation.

Bilda and I made it through most of the event. Almost near the end, Bilda decided she was going to steal my camera and slam it on the floor....I objected and she screeched, so we booked outta there!

Overall - - it was an amazing day!