Phew.

Today was much better than yesterday. However, I'm starting to see why age 12-18 months is considered to be such a demanding time for parents. This becoming an "independent" person business is exhausting!

No one said there'd be days like this!

Today was one heck of a day for Mr. Philip. I'm not sure what was going on but today was definitely a battle of toddler vs. parents. Philip was on a nap strike during the first half of the day and wasn't all that interested in eating throughout the rest of the day either.

Napping was a battle. Meals were a battle. And bedtime was an experience, to say the least. The day consisted of a lot of crying, foot pounding, flailing, and throwing himself on the floor in a fit of frustration. So there were some laughs today, but mostly a lot of tears. For both of us.

Things got ugly after the second failed attempt at a nap.

Philip was not at all amused that I was taking pictures of him during his rampage.

Headed out on an evening stroll. The only peaceful and happy moment of the day (other than when he finally gave in to a nap).

A smile even! I had forgotten what happy Philip looked like!

First Haircut

Philip had his first hair cut today from his Grandma Nettie. Well, really his first trim. We kept his sweet little baby curls in the back but just tamed his "wings" on the sides, so not as traumatic for mom as his first "real" cut will be when we bridge that gap between baby and big boy.

He did really well today! He didn't exactly sit still but Phil did a good job of keeping him reasonably distracted throughout the haircut so that everything came out even. Hopefully, with the absence of the curls off of the side, he won't get mistaken for a little girl so often!

Checking out the adorable baby in the mirror

How cute is that kiddie cape?

Not cute enough for Philip, apparently!

Telling Grandma Nettie not to take too much off the back

There it goes!

Completely forgetting what's going on

All done! So sophisticated.

Your turn, Mama!

Finally, some landscaping!

After months of putting if off, we finally bit the bullet and picked out some plants to put in front of house. Phil and his brother tore all of the neglected, overgrown mess that was passing for landscaping out of yard earlier this spring and we'd been living with nothing in front of the house for months, much to our neighbors' dismay, I'm sure. So here are our first attempts as homeowners at landscaping. We're pretty pleased with the results and look forward to finding more plants to add to the mix.




And, for good measure, here's a picture of Philip. Last night he realized the basket of toys was much more fun and practical if he emptied it and climbed into it. Good times!

For the Love of Fall

Have I mentioned that fall is my absolute favorite season? I am ecstatic that it's finally here--my long-awaited award for putting up with the heat and humidity and all out ickiness of August. So to celebrate the arrival of cooler weather, changing leaves, and all other things autumn, we made our annual trip to the apple orchard. Phil and I have been making this trip since we started dating, in 2003. We even took Philip last year, when he was a mere three weeks old. This year, we made the scenic trip with Phil's parents, Philip's Grammy and Grandpa.











On Saturday, we continued our fall festivities with a trip to a local pumpkin patch. We took a hayride to the patch, picked out our pumpkins, and later visited with some of the farm animals. ;Philip was especially fascinated by the hayride; he really liked the wheels on the tractor that pulled the wagon!












And of course, no weekend in fall is complete without NFL Football Sunday. Phil and Philip were treated to an extra special afternoon of Redskins football when, wouldn't you know, they actually won!