¡Hojas y Calabazas!

That's leaves & pumpkins for you monolinguals.  We enjoyed our Indian summer last week by raking leaves and playing outside.  Vera is really fascinated with leaves right now.  She enjoys playing with them and watching them crunch and crumble. 

She didn't like her feet buried.  Every time we covered them, she kicked  the leaves off so she could see her shoes.

On Friday evening, we (read Adam) carved a pumpkin.  Vera helped by sitting in her seat and playing with markers.  She didn't pay much attention to the pumpkin carving.  But she did play with the seeds and then she threw them on the floor.  Playing with markers and a car from a cereal box were way more exciting for an 18 month old little girl.

Adam free-handed the pumpkin design.  Pretty good huh?

Trick Or Treat, Smell My Feet...

We tried to teach Vera this little rhyme.  She caught on to the "trick or treat" part, which is the most important part, right?  We took her out on Sunday for a little trick or treat.  She wasn't too fond of her costume, but once she had it on for a bit, she was fine.  Our first stop was grandma & grandpa Pearson's house where we also saw uncle Brian.  Then we stopped by Patty's house and also got to see Kristina.  Then we headed north to grandma and grandpa Otte's house.  On our way home, we popped in to see Uncle Steve & Aunt Lindsey in the milking parlor.  Vera received nice trick or treat gifts from everyone.  From grandma & grandpa Pearson: some spider rings, two hair barrettes, raisins, and fruit snacks.  From Patty & Kristina:  plenty of smarties and sweet tarts.  From grandma and grandpa Otte: a book, fruit snacks.  From aunt Mandy, uncle Jeff, and cousin Blake: goldfish crackers and fruit cups.  From Aunt Karen: Minnie Mouse socks.  Thanks to everyone for the nice treats and gifts!

Vera also got to hold her cousin Blake for the first time.  She did really well.  She touched his "pumpkin toes" and his soft hair.  I was very pleasantly surprised at how nice she was.  Overall, she didn't pay much attention to him.

Trick or treating is exhausting.  Notice the smarties in the death grip.

The trip from Versailles to my parents' house.  A tired little monkey!

Funny Sightings

It's always something around here.


Reading glasses in the car.  She insists on wearing these.  This week she HAD to wear them to Patty's.  Rediculous.

Sitting with her ankle on her knee.  She gets this from her dad.  We've also noticed it in the car seat, in the high chair and sitting on the couch. 

Laying down in the tub with her hair floating in the water.  She is turning her head to the side to drink tub water.  Awesome!

These are her animal bath friends.  She always lines them up so they're straight.  Sometimes they lay down and take a nap, sometimes they jump off the edge, and other times they just hang out on the edge.  And yes, the shaving cream cap is the best bath toy. 

Mom & dad were busy working.  This is how dad found Vera.  I'll give you one guess which show she was watching.

So, dad covered her up...

...and she continued watching TV.

It's A Boy!

Blake Michael Homan was born on his due date,Thursday, October 18 at 9:28 am.  He weighed in at a healthy 8 lbs. 14 oz. and was 20 inches long.  He is the sweetest, most precious little guy!

We went to the hospital to see Mandy, Jeff and little Blake.  Adam was out of town on business, so Vera and I went to visit with my parents and Steve & Lindsey.  Blake was wide awake and alert while we visited.  He has really pretty complexion and a nice amount of brown hair.  Vera was really good at the hospital, and didn't really pay attention to Blake.  She was much too busy doing other things.  When Blake cried one time, she went running over to him to see what was up.  I know that Vera will love having a buddy to play with.  We have to work on his name though..sometimes she calls him "Vera" and sometimes "Bake." 

Papaw tried to entertain the busybody while we visited. 

Congratulations Mandy & Jeff!  You are going to be great parents!  God has given the best gift!

Enjoying Fall

Last Saturday, my mom, Mandy, Vera and I went to Brumbaugh Farms in Arcanum.  It was a beautiful day--too nice to stay home and work.  We decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and give Mandy a chance to do some walking. 

Vera really liked the tunnel slide.  She got really excited while we were waiting in line, and she laughed the whole way down.

Another major highlight for Vera was the caterpiller ride.  She was excited to "ride in a tractor" and she yacked the whole ride about a tractor.

We walked to the pumpkin patch.  Vera had a hard time walking around the patch because it was uneven ground and there were vines everywhere.  But she tried to pick up several pumpkins and said they were heavy.  She finally found the perfect sized pumpkin for her. 

We also saw a calf, some piggies, goats, and a few rabbits.  Vera was not afraid of the animals at all, and the animals were really tame. 

On Sunday, we had a get together at Mike & Rosie's and the girls painted pumpkins.  I will admit that it was more fun than Vera gets to have at home.  But, Vera and Bailey used watercolors to paint, so it wasn't too messy. 

A van? We don't like vans!

These were Adam's words to Vera as I pulled in the driveway with our loaner van.  The Durango is in the shop, so these are our wheels for a few days.  I don't mind it, and I don't think Adam does either, but we like our Durango a lot more.  Vera, on the other hand, loves the van.  She climbed right in, and sat on the seat and jabbered for a solid half hour.  We put on her seatbelt and Adam and I carried things in the house, put things away and started making something to eat, all while Vera was sitting in the van.  She was buckled in, and happy as a lark.

Has it really been a year and a half?

Vera is 18 months!  I can't believe how much she's changed this month.  There isn't anything she doesn't say.  As Patty says, she's like a little parrot repeating everything.  She's just a little sponge right now absorbing and remembering so much.

Evening routine: a bath, jammies and a snack before bed.

 For example, when Adam plays around with her he pretends to give her "knuckle sandwiches."  A few days ago, Adam made a fist and shook it at her and she responded with "No knuckle sawich."  LOL  Funny, but not funny.  No more knuckle sandwich jokes at our house.  Some other funnies:
"Hi guys"
"MommyDaddy"
"I don't know"
"Bless you"
"See ya later"
"Go Reds"
"Sleepy Head"
"Pick up toys"
"Seatbelt"
"MickeyPlutoDaisy" is her new reference to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
"Ravioli" which was hilarious the first time she said it
"Stand up & Dance"
"Wake up Daddy"
"Where are you?"

She can count to twelve by herself and sing the alphabet from Q to Z.  For some reason she can't do the first half.  I attribute most of this to Patty.  She is amazing!  I can't believe how much she works with the kids.  They sing songs everyday and pray before they eat lunch.  Vera can sing Ring Around The Rosey from start to finish by herself.  It's pretty cute. 
She can spell too...Adam taught her "R-E-D-S, Reds! Reds! Reds" 

She can also go down the slide at home now, with someone catching her at the end of course.  We are in trouble this winter because Vera loves to play outside, especially with sticks, rocks, & mulch. 

Speaking of winter...

Mac & Cheese is still the ultimate favorite food right now.  Hotdogs (or hogog) is a close second.  When we ask her what she wants to eat, she always says Mat&cheeseHogog.  Every. Single. Time.

In the bathtub, she will lay down on her back in the water to get her hair wet.  She also loves to play with her animals in the tub: tortuga, pulpo (Spanish for octopus), duck (which is really a pelican), Mr. crab and dolphin.  She loves lining them up on the edge, making them lay down to sleep, and having them jump in the water. 

We've also started time-out this month.  Not for much, but if she repeatedly does something that she knows/we've asked her not to do, she sits in the chair for one minute.  Sometimes she sits, sometimes she doesn't.  And so that begins...



She likes to lay on the floor and watch TV.

I have some funny videos that I'd like to upload, but I'm struggling with getting them on here.  Stay tuned...

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

We are patiently awaiting for the newest addition to our family, baby Homan!  Mandy is due this week (Thursday I think?)  I'm getting really excited!  Adam thinks it's going to be a boy.  I thought it was a boy for a long time, but recently I've changed my mind.  The way Mandy looks makes me think that it's a girl right now.  Either way, Vera is going to love having a cousin to play with at grandma's house & I am looking forward to having a niece or nephew to spoil and love!  Good luck Mandy & Jeff!  We can't wait to hear....

Vera & Aunt Mandy at the pumpkin patch.  Mandy is five days from her due date.  You can't even tell she's pregnant here, can you?