The Zoo, Apples and a Breakthrough

Warning: Serious Picture Overload.


The weather could not be nicer right now. Crisp air, yellowing trees and a cool breeze have been calling us outside. Last week, Cam and I went to the Zoo with our friends to enjoy the outdoors and play with the animals. One of my favorite things about Chicago is that the Lincoln Park Zoo is free, a ten minute drive, and now across the street from my parents' new apartment :)

Little man had a hoot playing in the farm with the giant tractor tires and pretend crops. If you haven't picked up on it yet, Campbell is a little obsessed with wheels. You can imagine how much time we spent in this area.

Yes, I let my child chew on everything. Don't judge me.

We took a peek at the apes and the zebras and checked on the flamingoes and lions. And after frolicking with the animals, we parked ourselves on the grass and the let the kids eat each others' lunches and frolick in the sunshine. Emerson is a month older than Cam and these two have been pretty smitten with each other since they were itty bitty newborns. Em likes to kiss on Cam and Cam likes to pull Em's hair. Sweet stuff.

 

With the arrival of Fall weather also comes the arrival of Fall fun. From pumpkin patches to corn maizes and apple picking, I just love it all. It's another reason I love living in Chicago and savor every Fall day we get. We drove out to an apple orchard this weekend with the Passmans and Rubins. The drive itself was beautiful as I listened to my baby sleep in the back and watched this for forty-five minutes straight:

And when we arrived, you could smell the excitement (and the cider donuts!) in the air as hundreds of people gathered in line to pet the animals, pick some apples and enjoy a gorgeous Sunday morning.

And finally, one little boy has made a huge turn this weekend in the food department. For the last couple of months, we have been continuously offering him table foods at every chance we got. A few weeks ago, he finally ate a pea without spitting it out. Took him thirty minutes to actually swallow it, but he ate it. This weekend, little C ate his entire meals in table foods. Feeding himself and asking for some assistance as well, he gobbled up everything we put in front of him and I am oh-so-happy. It was super fun to watch him so I had to document his major breakthrough!