A Taste of Real Fall

It has been a busy few weeks, which has not left a lot of time for blogging. We have a lot to catch up on...
Rylie is now 18 months old! The pediatrician was happy with where Rylie is and what she is doing and even okayed the fact that we've returned to some co-sleeping habits of late. Aside from some less than desired sleeping skills and some normal experimentation with aggressive behavior and testing limits, Rylie is doing great.

We had a special treat in mid- September as Nana and Pa came for visit for a week.


Pa with Rylie and Micah
And just a few days after they left, we headed back to Maryland for a visit and to celebrate Rosh Hashonah. Rosh Hashonah is unquestionably my favorite holiday. Getting to spend Rylie's first Rosh Hashonah in Maryland with Nana, Pa, Auntie Bethany, Uncle Jay, Jordyn & Micah made it extra-special.


Rylie and Nana

As the holidays fell on Monday night, Tuesday, and Wednesday, we were able to spend a few days just hanging around- visiting with friends, exploring the wonderful city of D.C. (every time I go back I realize just how much I miss it,) and introducing our little girl to the world of Fall- squirrels, chipmunks, acorns, pumpkins, stomping on leaves, playing in a shady park with a creek, Fall clothes, and more. While the desert has its own special offerings, there is nothing like Fall.

Rylie loved getting to spend time with her cousins. The three kids had a great time together, and as always- when coming from the land of one story Arizona homes, the stairs in Nana and Pa's house were a big hit.

I don't think I've written about this before, but it is pretty funny. And as this blog will one day serve as a Baby Book for Rylie, it must be included. Our nephew's name is Micah. He and Rylie are together all the time. Aside from our family outings, they are in the same class at school. They play together constantly. In fact, the past few days when we were all in Maryland together, Rylie's first word when she woke up in the morning was asking where Micah was. Here's the problem... Rylie can't say Micah. She says the "M" sound beautifully- Mama, More, My, Mine, Marla (her teacher,) Miller (one of the other children in their class.) But Micah comes out "Kycah"- not such a polite word for a little Jewish girl to call a little Jewish boy! Lately, it has turned more into a "Kahcah" sound. We're not sure which is worse- a derogatory term, or another word for poop!

Nana and Pa had a Princess chair, a Dora chair, and an Elmo chair. Who knew Micah would love the Dora chair so much! It became a pretty hot commodity!

I love Micah and Rylie's expressions in this picture.

We headed downtown on Monday. Rylie slept through her first Metro ride.She woke up while we were walking somewhere around 12th Street and Pennsylvania and was on serious stimulation overload.

We spent the day visiting the Natural History Museum, the Air and Space Museum, and a special exhibit on Jim Henson and the Muppets.

Rylie loves airplanes and gets so excited to see them. Here she is demonstrating what the airplane does while in front of the cockpit in the Air and Space Museum.

Love this face! I couldn't resist this picture. Yes, I am a liberated female, my mother reminds me constantly that she "marched for me." But I still couldn't resist. And I love the little pose she is striking with her hand up and her left knee bent!We had lunch while sitting outside on the Mall. Rylie loved chasing and feeding birds and playing in the leaves.

Earlier in our visit, we headed out to Butler's Orchard for some pumpkin picking. The festival was cancelled because of some rain, but we still spent some time in the pumpkin patch. Pumpkin picking in Arizona usually occurs in Target or Walmart, so I was pretty dead-set on taking Rylie to a REAL pumpkin patch!

Rylie searching for the perfect pumpkin- or apple as she calls them.

And finally, the actual holiday.

Rylie, Jordyn, and Micah on Rosh Hashonah

We had a wonderful time, and we were all exhausted by the time we got onto the plane. Thankfully this resulted in Rylie sleeping for the first 3 1/2 hours of the 4 1/2 hour plane ride!

Love to everyone...