Playground!

Now that we are getting closer to Baby Sunshine's due date we do not have as many formal activities planned. Whenever I ask her what she wants to do, her response is "Go to the playground". Unfortunately I am not the biggest fan of the cold weather. We have a few indoor playspaces that we visit, but I was so thankful for some warmer weather in January that allowed us to get out and play. Being nine months pregnant, it is not as easy to run around and play, but I love that Sophia is getting more confident and independent.

In an attempt to wear out the toddler who refuses to nap, Sophia rode her trike to the neighborhood playground. She has mastered pedaling indoors, but I was so impressed with how well she did with riding to the playground and back to the house.

A visit to Ault Park, one of our favorite outdoor spaces in Cincinnati. I love the views and Sophia loves the playground that we just recently discovered.

I am sure I will be back in a semi-hibernation mode once the new babe arrives, but for now we are going to take advantage of as many warm days as we can.

Thrilled to be linking up with Jess.

Festival of Lights

Living with a toddler is always an adventure. I am thankful that Sophia still takes an afternoon nap, but watch out if you wake her up early.

We had plans to go visit the Festival of Lights at the zoo and despite a cranky mood, Sophia enjoyed herself.

Mesmerized by the carolers.

Visiting with some of the holiday characters.
She was a bit nervous around Mrs. Clause, but was thrilled to visit with everyone else.

I missed out on taking any good night shots of the lights and the kid, but I have a ton of pictures of Sophia from the back admiring the lights. At least she was having a good hair day.

We have lived in Cincinnati a little over a year and this is our second trip to the Festival of Lights (although we have been back again since I originally wrote this post). Read about our very cold visit last year. I am looking forward to continuing and making new traditions with our little family.

Thrilled to be linking up with Jess.

Leaf Love

Sophia has hit a point where she doesn't cooperate when I have the camera in my hands. Luckily she loves to run and play. I try to position myself so I can capture the perfect shot, which rarely happens, Having leaves all over on a warm day made for some fun pictures.

The best part was covering Baby Sunshine in leaves. She was quite pleased with herself.

Thrilled to be linking up with Jess and Ashley.

Shaw Farms

Even though the ground was still a bit soggy we made a trip out to Shaw Farms to celebrate all things fall. We visited the farm last year too (read about it here). I had pumpkin pictures I was hoping to take, but the toddler was having too much fun exploring the displays.

She did stand in front of the corn long enough for me to take a picture, even if she did have her arms crossed the whole time.

There were lots of schools on field trips so we got on our hayride a little later than I planned. Thankfully I had a few snacks in my bag to tide us over.

The hayride took us all over the farm. Sophia loved pointing out the pumpkin patch and all of the displays set up along the way. 

Not the best picture, but proof that I was there.

A little windy and a bit muddy, but a fun morning at the farm. I can't wait to head back next year and continue our fall tradition.

Thrilled to be linking up with Jess and Ashley.

Pumpkin Carving

October is probably our favorite month as a family. We picked up pumpkins, but the toddler was not in the mood for pictures. Luckily for me, Lovey and a tombstone didn't argue with me.

One of my favorite parts of October festivities is pumpkin carving, even though I don't have a whole lot of patience for carving intricate designs. Last year was the first time that Sophia was big enough to participate (read about it here). This year instead of watching scary movies we watched Halloween cartoons - Little Einsteins and Curious George. Sophia had fun scooping out the pumpkin guts and drawing on the pumpkins. She did get rather upset that she couldn't cut into the pumpkins herself.

The finished products.

Roasted pumpkin seeds are my favorite part of carving pumpkins and they are super easy to make.

We don't have a set recipe, but they are so easy to make.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Rinse off the seeds, removing any large pieces of pulp.

In a large bowl, coat the seeds with melted butter or olive oil.

Season to your taste. We did one batch with just butter and salt. Our second batch was seasoned with butter, salt, old bay, and garlic powder.

Put seeds on a single layer on a baking sheet in the middle of the oven.

Roast until lightly browned and dried out, stirring occasionally.

Cooking time is approximately 30 minutes.

Thanks to Ashley and Jess for hosting The Little Things link up.