How Corny

We city folk have learned a lot about country living this harvest.  Andy's job is fascinating to me, and I am comfortable with the fact that that makes me a bit of a nerd.  Whit and I took him out to lunch yesterday and were able to watch semi after semi dumping their loads of corn into the elevator.  When the elevators fill up, the overflow is placed outside (it's not food-grade, so don't worry about someone finding a leaf in their corn casserole this Thanksgiving).  This is what 1.5 million bushels of corn looks like - see the train and giant evergreen in the distance for scale.  Pretty stinkin' amazing if you ask me.  My inner farm girl is finally coming out, and I know my Grandma Erma would be proud...and also likely say something along the lines of, "Well, what did you think they did with all that corn?!"

That Crisp Air

Fall temperatures are finally starting to roll in, along with the fall spirit!  Wow, that sounds super cheesy, but I'm gonna go with it anyway.  We have been all aflutter with fall activities, including a visit to the orchard with friends.  I bought enough apples to keep me in the kitchen and baking for a week.  Thankfully, Whit has proven to be a splendid sous chef (and consumer of scraps), so the task is not so daunting.

Enjoying the freedom and gooey feeling that is finger painting

I made a tree!

The lazy lean is a bit misleading - Whit is now 3ft. tall...and this apple looks like it has had a bit too much [spiked] cider.

 The most memorable part by far was feeding the goats...

...and most moments looked like this as opposed to the "County Living" magazine shot above.

What will "bee" next?

As mentioned before, chalk drawing is a favorite pastime in our household.  It ranges from Whit drawing in solitude, to drawing along with a group of friends, to sitting with mom and excitedly telling her what animal to draw.  He often tells me to draw a "big ___" and says he will draw a "baby ___."  He then calls the big one a "mama ___" and the small one a "Whit ___," and then asks for a "dada ___."  That is what led to his pictorial announcement that we will be welcoming a female munchkin into this chaos in January!  Saddle up, world!

"Whitaker big boy, not baby."

While there are numerous events that usher a child from "baby-ness" into "kid-ness," none seem to have been as defining for Whit as the transition to his big boy bed.  This change has gone shockingly well so far, a fact which after writing this post will undoubtedly change and bring us the worst night of our lives.  For now though, Whit is loving his independence in being able to get in and out of his bed by himself.  The shocking part is that to this day, he has yet to get out of his bed without calling for us first.  I had visions of a little hand reaching up to poke my nose or tickle my feet in the middle of the night, but have had no such luck yet.  I placed pool noodles under the mattress pad to keep him from rolling off the edges, which has worked fabulously.  The only injuries he has sustained are from accidentally banging his head on the wall while moving around his pillow.  The sound appears to bother his parents far more than the actual impact does his little skull.  So for now, there is really no change in his sleep habits since the transition...and Andy and I are preparing ourselves for the other shoe to drop.

A blurry shot of the pure joy that is a big kid bed

Mr. Whit's Neighborhood

Whit has met some great new mates and together they are enjoying the long summer days.  We are so blessed with wonderful neighbors and friends.

 Sweets time with Ella and Emerson

Off-roading with Claire