Thwarted

We have bad pumpkin juju.

Or so we thought last year when we hauled around a not-even three month old Stella with our dear friends, the Poulsons, to pick some pumpkins and came up empty handed.

We've been picking pumpkins with these pals for nearly ten years, and we always have a fantastic time "on the hunt." (It's been an amazing record of how quickly time flies and children grow. I can remember Abby and Isaac as wee ones running through fields with clippers and spending hours elaborately carving our prizes in their kitchen.)

So since we were so dismally disappointed last year, I took it upon myself to find a farm that would surely have oodles of pumpkins. Yes, oodles.

We searched far. We searched hard. We tromped through what we were told were the patches, but we ended up...

... here?

It seems the pumpkin patch I had so lovingly researched was a bit on the sparse side, and we were pretty much skunked.

Again.

Eric suspects the pumpkin gods are frowning upon us because we failed to carve our pumpkins three years ago. Bad pumpkin juju. I fear he's on to something.

Fortunately, it was one of those amazingly crisp and clear days in the northwest, and we simply enjoyed ourselves catching up, breathing the fresh air and eating some delicious apple pie.

After admitting defeat, we journeyed to the only place we knew would offer an overflowing abundance of pumpkin-ey goodness - our local supermarket.

This is the beauty of life with a toddler. Stella was happy at the farm, and she was happy at the market. She really didn't seem to see any difference between the two, and we were just happy to be together in the crisp autumn sun.

Fall Is In the Air

To celebrate Papa's homecoming this weekend, we headed to Cloud Mountain Farm for their annual Apple Festival. We love tasting the countless varieties of apples, grapes and pears and walking around the pumpkin patch. Lena, Kris and Isaac joined us, and the kids had a blast running around the farm and dancing to the xylophone band. Stella was particularly intrigued by the pumpkin cart and wanted to touch (and chew on) just about every gourd.

Stella took a gnarly face plant this weekend and now looks like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. (We actually think she looks pretty cute, plus we know this is just one of many bumps and scrapes to come. This girl is a bruiser!)

Stella's first pumpkin patch.

This picture kills me. Stella loves Isaac. Lena and I often find her trying to hug and kiss him. The amusing part is that Isaac merely tolerates this affection. They're starting to develop a real kinship, but kissing isn't usually on Isaac's To Do list with Stella...

...but he occasionally caves.

Oh, the bounty.

Feelin' the Rocks

Stella and I have been walking a lot lately. Before her nap and before bath time, we head out to the streets and explore the neighborhood. Seeing as she screams with glee every time I ask her if she wants to go out for a walk, I think she enjoys our ritual strolls.

Every time a car, bike or jogger passes, Stella waves enthusiastically. Nobody ever told me how indignant I would feel about those who don't wave back at my baby. I mean, come on. How cute do you have to be to elicit a quick wave? I am, however, pleasantly comforted by how many people do wave (especially burly guys in big trucks). It reminds me that babies (and pregnant bellies) make people smile. They yank us out of our daily grind and remind us how ridiculously cute it is to be a tiny human.

This morning, Stella stopped about a half a block away from our house to point at some pretty lanterns hanging from a neighbor's porch. She was amazed. She then pointed to about every leaf she could find on the sidewalk and grass. And then she moved on to picking up every stick she could find. I must admit that this is when I started to get impatient. Weren't we on this walk to... walk? Weren't we out to get some fresh air and move around? Let's go, Buddy. Let's go.

And that's when another non-earth shattering but oh-so-important revelation hit me - it's important to stop and feel the rocks.

Yup, we didn't smell roses. We felt rocks.

Stella found a fascinating stretch of pebbles and dust in an alleyway and spent about twenty minutes touching each rock and pushing around the dust. She was absolutely and thoroughly content.

All of this reminds me of my favorite scene in the movie Amelie where Amelie dips her hand in the bags of lentils and legumes at the corner food stand just for the delightful sensory experience.

Simply put, rocks and dirt feel good in our fingers. Toddlers know this.

After our twenty minutes of feelin' the rocks, Stella smiled at me, stood up, and started to walk toward home. I couldn't stop laughing. She was done, she knew it and it was time to head home.

I love these daily strolls and eagerly anticipate what Stella will find fascinating tonight.

Dear Papa

Dear Papa,

Oh, how I miss you! I know you've only been in the Netherlands since Saturday, but it sure feels like it's been ages since we last hugged. And that's just too long.

Mama and I have had a wonderfully busy week so far. Right after we waved bye bye to you at the airport, we drove to Seattle to visit Grandma and Poppy. We had a blast. We got to have dinner with Uncle Bob and Cindie (and Christine and Abel) and explore their house. What fun it is to take everything off of shelves and tables! We also got to see Uncle Chris, Aunt Lisa, Olivia and Eva Maria and Charles on Sunday during brunch. Poppy made his famous pancakes - YUM! - and I got to play with my big girl cousins at the park. I also got to see television for the first time. Mama only let me watch about five minutes, but I was captivated! You can see me above absolutely enthralled as Eva Maria and Olivia giggle. What fun.

I had a really fun time exploring the zoo with Mama and Poppy on Monday. We saw grizzly bears and a super cute grey fox, but my favorite parts were seeing the otters swim and riding the carousal like a big girl. It was my first ride and I waved to Poppy and watched all the other horses move up and down. It was amazing.

Mama and I drove home yesterday to see Vinnie and Cooper. I gave Vinnie a gigantic hug and kiss when I arrived. He seemed pretty pleased to see me. I tried to kiss Cooper but she ran. She's so funny.

Grandma Jannie came over today and I got to show her my Spanish picture book. Did you know she gives really nice hugs? I'm excited to play with her again tomorrow when Mama takes a few hours for herself. (I have no idea what that means. What could she ever do without me?)

This week has sure been fun, Papa, but I miss you. Mama tells me you love me to the stars and beyond every morning and every night. I know it's true. I love you too. I can't wait to show you all my new tricks and give you bug cuddles. Mama says you're coming home soon. Hurry, Papa. Hurry.

I love you!

Your little bean,
Stella Scout

The Little Big Things

Stella is growing up.

Okay, so she's still pretty little.

In fact, she's downright tiny. But she sure is spirited. And we wouldn't have it any other way.

It's funny. I feel as though I'm supposed to feel celebratory when Stella reaches the obviously big milestones - crawling and walking. But to be honest, those events pale in comparison to the more subtle but distinctly Stella-ish evolutions. Those obvious moments are exciting, but we always know they're coming. If you're lucky, your kid progresses physically as they should. And really, Stella was such an early and independent mover from the beginning, it seemed so natural to us that she was walking before ten months. In fact, it felt normal.

Both Brian and I find ourselves more in awe of the seemingly smaller but just as significant milestones in Stella's short life that tell us that A) she's already growing up way too fast and B) she is already her own person and C) we are simply here to guide her best self.

For example, Stella now understands the basic concepts of pretend and pretends to eat sticks and rocks at the playground.

Rather than just looking for Mama, she hides now in our daily games of hide and seek.

She understands an impressive amount of language and loves it when we ask her where things are so she can practice pointing.

She now laughs on her own as she sits by herself and reads her books. Apparently any image of a cat is absolutely hilarious. She looks at me as she laughs and then points at the cat as if to say, "Get a load of this guy. Isn't he hysterical!"

She loves waiting for Papa at the window every night when he comes home from work. When I tell her Papa's coming, she literally drops everything and runs to the front window. She looks out excitedly and starts giggling. When she sees him getting out of his car, she pounds on the window and waves frantically. She then runs to the front door and squeals when he comes in.

Stella now hugs for real. While she used to hug and kiss sweetly, she now hugs us with great bravado and sincerity. I was rocking her the other night, and she looked up and put her hand gently on my cheek. She then put her hand on my shoulder as if to hold me . I'm not explaining this well at all, but the whole experience further solidified the fact that I would and will do absolutely anything and everything to protect and cherish this child.

Stella is also experiencing what, I think (and hope!!!) is very normal for a fourteen month old who is endlessly intrigued by all the world offers - frustration. She has yet to find her words. While she understands us for the most part, she is trying to communicate without talking. We do our best, and I like to think we successfully meet her communication needs, but it's tough. She's also exerting a whole lot of will these days. She wants to do things her way, and she has yet to master the art of patience. It's tough to explain to a determined little toddler that standing on a trunk isn't the safest form of play when that's really all that makes her happy in that moment. She's developing a stealthy sense of desire and curiosity, and we're so grateful. But we're also exhausted from trying to satisfy such a healthy appetite.

I know most of these revelations aren't revolutionary. And I know that other parents share these ups and downs of life with a toddler. I think the point of all this - at least for me, Stella's lucky Mama - is that I'm learning how truly important it is to live in the moment with this wee sprite because she is changing and growing so quickly. Before we know it, she'll move beyond this period of discovery, humor and frustration and be on to the next crazy stage of Stella-dom. And you know, the house will always need cleaning (and it will get done), the garden will always needs weeding (and it will get done), dinner will always need cooking (and it will get done). But Stella's desire to play hide and seek will fade. Her need for Mama hugs will lessen. And this period of fierce determination and crazed frustration will dissipate.

Despite my instinct to totally lie to everyone, I can't announce that I'm now some serenely zen Mama who only lives in the moment. But I can say that Stella is teaching me and Brian what, I think, we've always known - nothing but now really matters and Stella is our now.

She's a good little teacher, this one. And we love her endlessly. Take a peek at the following shades of Stella in all her glory.

Concerned Farmer

Forge on, Scout. Forge on.

"Oh, that's it. You're waving the sprinkler at me so I'll walk toward you. Hmm. Mama, you need a new schtick."

Has defiance ever looked so beautiful?

Stella, I love you to the stars and beyond.

Just Be Cuz

Stella's big girl cousins, Hannah and Amelia, visited us this weekend while their parents, Tricia and Mike, celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary. (Congrats, T & M!) Since they live in Aberdeen, it was an extra special occasion, and we soaked up all these amazing gals as much as possible. Stella had a blast showing both her cousins how she can climb, throw and (unfortunately) scream at a pitch akin to Flipper.

Amelia had a case of the sniffles, so she loved Stella from afar this weekend. But she captured some great shots here.

Stella had her first taste of ice cream at our local ice cream parlor. And yes, we're raising a food snob. Her first flavor: basil. Needless to say, she loved it.

After a long day of playing, jungle gymin', ice cream eatin' and cousin lovin', Stella needed a quiet cuddle from Hannah and Fox. Life is good.

Thanks for visiting us, Hannah and Amelia. We love you to the moon!

Down By the Sea

We had a great Labor Day weekend up in the 'ham. Stella got a taste of the Puget Sound as we explored the beach at Larabee State Park on Chuckanut Drive with Isaac, Lena and Kris. It was a gorgeous day, and the wee Scout was pretty transfixed by the water and tides.

Oh the rocks!

Happy Papas. Happy Babes.

Always an intrepid explorer, Stella was fiercely determined to climb the sandstone rocks. She now demands independence but also needs Mama or Papa close by for support. You can see me "holding" her as she climbs.

Oh, and climbing down - be it stairs, rocks, couches, beds - is the coolest new skill.

Happy Mamas. Happy Babes.

A fine day indeed.