The Great Pumpkin (Patch Visit)

First of all, let me apologize for the title. I don't know how many of you are familiar with the Charlie Brown Halloween special I'm referring to, but I thought it was clever. On further consideration, it's probably not that funny, but I'm too lazy to think of a new one. Instead, I will spend the time I could have used to think of a better title explaining the lameness of my first one...

Yesterday, we joined Chris, Meghan, and Oliver and took Maddie for her first visit to the pumpkin patch, which only seemed fitting in light of her current love affair with all things round and orange. (Um, just realized basketball season is right around the corner...) It was pretty windy, but we think she really enjoyed herself. She probably would have enjoyed herself more if her Mommy and Daddy weren't such sticks in the mud and would have allowed her to touch, taste, or throw every. single. pumpkin. she. saw. No, really. She still thinks they're balls, so she tries to throw them, and the fact that they don't bounce does not deter her in the least.

In the end, both she and Daddy each chose one pumpkin--Daddy chose a large one with a "nice, flat front" for carving and Maddie chose a small little guy we've nicknamed Arnie. (It helps to nickname anything she's knows by name; otherwise, as soon as you say "pumpkin" she's all "ba-ba? ba-ba?")

Below are some pictures of our visit to Schaake's Pumpkin Patch, located between Eudora and Lawrence. For anyone in the area that's wondering about the experience as a whole, it's not bad. It was really crowded, being the first non-rainy weekend in all of October, and it was a long walk from the parking area to the patch and back. They did have tractor-pulled flatbeds that transported people back and forth, but they were also crowded and hard to come by. Maddie did have a really good time, just seeing that many pumpkins was super-exciting for her, but I think it'll be something that gets better as she gets older. Anyway, the pictures:

Remember the Cuteness, Part II

Continuing in my effort to remember the little and random, but completely adorable, things Maddie does, I submit a whole new list of "cuteness":

I Heart Price Chopper: Maddie's home-away-from-home may be daycare, but given the choice, I really believe she'd choose to live at the grocery store, currently. See, Maddie's new favorite obsession (seriously, it may even rival books, at the moment) is the ball. Anything round (although, footballs are also included in her orb-love) is immediately fascinating and covetable, and the grocery store in the fall is packed to the rafters, quite literally, with all manner of "round." First, even before you walk through the magical doors to consumer-heaven, there are the pumpkins. The first time Maddie saw them, she went nuts, "Ba! Ba, ba, ba! BA! BAAA!" It took me several seconds to realize what she was talking about. She's finally consented to call them "Ba-ba", which is her way of letting us know she does hear us when we say over and over "Those are pumpkins, honey, not balls." Once inside of Mecca, there are even more pumpkins, but there are also balloons--not just the usual assortment of seasonal mylar, but balloons everywhere promoting tailgate-appropriate food stuffs. They adorn almost every aisle, and being round and shiny, they have also been dubbed "Ba!" Finally, though not balls, there are cardboard Jayhawk cut-outs that hang from the ceiling (also for tailgating). Being a Webster-Stoppel, Maddie loves the bird, so seeing the Jayhawk alongside so many beautiful balls of all shapes and sizes? Paradise.

The Answer Is No: About a month ago, Maddie picked up the word "No." At first she said it like Laura, her daycare provider says it to her: "Na-Na" (No-no), but now she just says "No" or "No!" Sometimes it's very off-hand, very casual. No, not now. I'm good. Sometimes it's quite emphatic. The thing is, she doesn't quite get it. She understands that no can be used to decline or deny something, but, well, maybe I should just give an example:

Mommy: Maddie, would you like a snack? Would you like some food?

Maddie: NO! NO! (Runs over to her highchair and proceeds to jump up and down until Mommy gets her in the chair and puts food in front of her.)

Yeah...she thinks "no" is an appropriate answer to every question. In fact, the more she really wants something, the louder and more demanding the no will be. She also shouts no when being offered the chance to go play in her playroom in the basement, read a book, drinks some juice, or go to daycare, all things she does, in fact, fully intend to do. We've tried following her no by saying "Yes. Yes you would like a snack. Yes, you would like to go downstairs. Yes, you would like to dance to the Mickey Mouse song" but to no avail. Whatever, we'll get there, someday.

Monkey See, Monkey Do: Most of you probably know I call my daughter Monkey or Monkey Face a lot (not that I really think she looks like a monkey), but as she gets older and starts to mimic other people, the nickname is becoming more apt. Currently, my two favorite imitations are as follows:

1) The sneeze: This started at daycare, where it being cold and flu season, there is a lot of sneezing. Whenever one of the kids sneezed, the other kids would all giggle and shout "A-choooo!" Maddie, not wanting to be left out, is now also shouting achoo, but because it gets such a big reaction, she'll now do it on command or just on her own. No one has to be sneezing, but you'll hear this little voice go "Ah-Deeeooo." (I used to think she was announcing her own impending sneeze, but that turned out to be a fluke.) The inflection is complete and total adorability, but she also scrunches up her nose and tilts her chin in the air while she says it. Love it!

2) How does a kitty drink?: The other night while I was giving Maddie her bath, one of the cats wandered in and began drinking the left-over water that was in a lid I use to wet and rinse Maddie's hair. I pointed this out to Maddie and being the teaching-moment minded parent that I am, started explaining how kitties drink. I move my tongue in and out and made slurping noises--the whole bit. (When it comes to learning moments, I commit.) Pretty soon, there's Maddie moving her tongue in and out, and now, when you ask her how a kitty drinks, she demonstrates nicely.

And then there's this:

And this:

Yeah, eat your heart out, Gerber Baby.