Peabody Ducks, Pumpkins, and Paul Bunyan

We have been absolutely loving Fall! It has always been my favorite season but this is Wilder's first time to really experience it since there was nothing even closely resembling it in San Diego. After the scorcher that was summer the cooler weather is a welcome change and Wilder can't get enough of the leaf piles I rake up for him. 

A few weeks ago I took Wilder downtown to see the world-famous Peabody ducks make their daily march to the fountain in the hotel lobby. I thought, with it being a Thursday morning, there wouldn't be many people there but I was completely wrong. We got there about 15 minutes early and the lobby was already packed and the red carpet was lined with people three deep. I started to panic thinking we'd never be able to see but then one of the kind hotel employees saw that I had a child with me and told me we could go right up front and sit next to the red carpet. We ended up with the best seats in the house next to the steps to the fountain! While we were waiting Wilder got a picture with the Duck Master, who let him hold his cane and gave him a duck pin for his shirt.

I had told Wilder to listen for the ding of the elevator and then the ducks would come out and march right past us. He was so excited and kept saying "Ding!" hoping, I guess, to make them hurry up and come on. Finally the elevator did ding and out came the five ducks who waddled straight down the red carpet, up the steps, and, Wilder will tell you to this day, they then went "splash" into the fountain. 

They were so cute and Wilder was completely and totally fascinated by the whole thing. He was so sweet following them as they swam around the fountain and waving to them. We stayed and watched them swim for 30 minutes until every other visitor had left and he probably would have stayed for the rest of the day if we could have. It was so special to me to do that with him and I love that it made such an impression on him that he's still talking about it weeks later. Since I'm with him all day, every day and do all the ordinary, everyday things with him and for him, it's not often that I get to experience him being really excited to see me or by something I've done so taking him to see the ducks will be a special memory for me always. (And, yes, I took 50,000 pictures -- like I said we were there for forever and he was so cute with them!)

Strolling around downtown

Two weekends ago we had ourselves a whole fall fest kind of weekend. On Saturday we took Wilder to a pumpkin patch and farmer's market at the Memphis Agricenter. He was so funny pointing out every different kind of pumpkin -- "biiiig punkin," "tiny punkin," "purple punkin," "stripey punkin." We had such a fun afternoon looking at the pumpkins and then checking out all the yummy goods at the farmer's market.

Sweet boy kissing the cow statue :)

Soooo over smiling for pictures

Then on Sunday we drove to Jackson in the afternoon for a little dinner and pumpkin painting at my best friend Jinny's house. Some of my other old friends from middle and high school were there with their families so it was fun to get all of our kids together and hang out for the first time in a long time.

Alexis, Jinny, and me

Wilder and Jinny's son, Blane -- destined to be best buds :)

Wednesday was Halloween and I was so excited to dress Wilder up. It's become one of my favorite times of year -- I just love thinking up the perfect, unique costume for him and working on it until it's just right. The theme I've been going with so far (though unintentionally) has been American folk heroes. Last year he was Davy Crockett...

And this year he was Paul Bunyan. This pictures makes me laugh so much. This costume was so perfect for him and he absolutely loved it. He cried when I had to wipe his beard off at the end of the night ;)

We went to Jackson in the afternoon and made the rounds to as many of our family as we could before bedtime. We went to my mom's house, my grandmother's, Paul's dad's office (where he presided over a meeting with his axe haha), and went to see Paul's grandmother. 

"Don't make me break the door down with

this axe, lady. I said, trick or treat!"

Stuffing his face with animal crackers 

at my grandmother's house -- he doesn't

eat candy so he thought that was an

awesome treat ;)

Wilder loved visiting Mimi in the hospital.

He's still talking about her and her "funny

glasses" that "jiggled" haha :)

Wilder and his "Cuncle" -- beard buddies

My little lumberjack and me

We've been having so much fun making great memories with our funny, clever almost two-year-old! Here are a few more pictures from the last weeks...

Sweetest boy carried his Ellie and Lamby 

out to sit on the porch with him. Heart. Melt.

Early morning reading with my little love

Fishing with Dada has become a beloved

weekend tradition for both of them.

Heart. Melt. (Again.)

He has become quite the explorer at the

playground, testing his skills and limits and

giving me near heart attacks at the same time.

Oh nothing, just tailgate sitting with Grana and Grand-Sally

 He lined up his truck, mower, and wagon like this

all by himself like he was hauling them...

 ... so I hooked them together and he thought he

was big stuff pulling his equipment all over the yard :)

 Loving on Posey

Pulling for our Bulldogs

 Ringing that cowbell like there's no

tomorrow (I stayed far away this time haha)

 Some days you just need to lock yourself in a 

crate with a Weimaraner and a hairbrush.

Such is the craziness that is life with a toddler.

 Helmets all around

 No words can begin to express 

my love for this little boy