THE MONKEY!

A fellow Alma gave our little Alma this giant monkey that was won for her by a tall boyfriend at a fair.  It is hilarious to watch Baby Alma pet him and lay on him.  Good thing we have a bigger house!  Ha!  Everything about this stuffed animal makes me laugh because it is so wonderfully ridiculous!

Youngest Organizer

Alma has a great role model in her father.  While she will have to endure many public policy discussions during her youth, we hope that she will grow up to be well-informed and passionate about her community.

The Move

Due to the chaos, we didn't take many photos of the move.  But I just had to share this one that really shows how much Alma loved rooting through our boxes and pulling everything out for us.  Thanks baby! 

And while we are at it, here's our last photo in front of our last house.  I love this photo and know that I will always look back on it -- and that house -- very fondly.

Joshua's Fabulous Birthday Weekend

My new favorite holiday: Joshua's birthday!  It is so fun to celebrate him.  Plus, since he never buys anything for himself, I can shower him with tons of gifts. 

We enjoyed the weekend by going on a hayride to pick pumpkins, having him open a present every hour, working on the house (lucky Joshua!) and generally enjoying being together as a family. 

The corn house ... like a big sand box, but with corn kernels.  Alma was more interested in the older kids than the kernels.

Hooray for family fun time!

Babies Best Friend

 After eating meals, Alma likes to help the dog clean off her highchair.  She laughs like a maniac while the dog licks the chair and her hands.

Nana and Padre's Visit

Alma schooling my parents in the art of touch and feel board books.

Saving Money, Saving Lives

The summer I was pregnant with Alma I worked as a Samuel S. Fels Intern with Project H.O.M.E., an amazing non-profit in Philadelphia that is dedicated to eliminating homelessness.  I was tasked with producing a report that argued for a change in funding for services for those who are chronically homeless.  This report has recently been finalized and published.  Hooray -- my first official publication!

Check it out! Saving Money, Saving Lives

Scott's visit (cont.)

More from Scott's fun visit!

 Cause why wouldn't you put the baby in a pumpkin?  Don't they come from cabbage anyway?

Update: Only two weeks later and the pumpkins look like this. We learned our lesson (again) from carving too early when the weather is too warm.  Bummer.

Picnics

Living in South Philadelphia, we spent a lot of time in a local park with the baby and the dog.  Every night we would get everyone geared up, walk the half mile to the park and then hang out there on a blanket for an hour or so. 

Nowadays, the "park" is our backyard and we can easily visit it multiple times a day.  I know that we keep harping on this and it may sound like a little thing to most folks, but it seems revolutionary to us after we have been a full four years without a proper grassy spot to call our own. 

Here are some fun photos of Alma enjoying a picnic dinner on our back patio ...

APPLES!

Our kitchen was decorated by narissistic apples ...

(two types of apple wallpaper -- a different style is in the kitchen bathroom

... yes, kitchen bathroom -- with a shower, an oddity on its own!)

apple coat rack (one of the million apple items in the kitchen, most of which have now been removed)

apple tile backspace

apples over the oven

ahh, that's better

Horse Thing

We have one of these in our yard!  Not sure what to call it, but it's a spring-mounted ride for little kids.  It makes Alma scream.  While Joshua would like to throw it in the trash, I'm looking forward to sprucing it up and using it to continue to make Alma scream.  Ha!

First day of yard work

Today we enjoyed our first day of yard work.  I say enjoy with more enthusiasm than can properly be conveyed through text.  This is the first day we worked on our own yard.  It's ours. We own (as much as one can) the grass, the trees, the flowers ... all of it is ours to take care of and love.  How awesome! 

When I was living on a sailboat, I would often fantasize about having a little plot of land -- I was only thinking 3' x 3' where I could sit and enjoy some grass.  Such a small thing, but when it was not something that was available, or even seemed possible, it was such a craving.  I am (and I think that I can safely say, we are) tickled pink to have a little plot of land to care for and enjoy! 

Thailand Reunion

The weekend after we moved we attended an informal reunion of folks I studied abroad with in Thailand.  It was fun to see everyone and catch up!

Bethlehem

So far I'm finding that Bethlehem is full of graveyards, crazy tree-lifted sidewalks, friendly helpful folks, and lots of crickets.  Here are some pictures Scott took while on a long walk with Joshua and Simon.

Moravian College (just around the corner from our house!)

 The Lehigh River, which separates Bethlehem into North and South Bethlehem.  We live in North Bethlehem.

 The abandoned steel mills that line the Lehigh River

 Sands Casino in South Bethlehem that has taken up residence in an abandoned steel mill building

 Lehigh University in South Bethlehem

Godfather Scott

Alma's godfather Scott came to visit us this past weekend from Chicago.  He wins the prize for being our first visitor.  And what a fun visit it was!  A hike along the Appalachian Trail, pumpkin carving, Harvest Festival in Bethlehem, beers in the backyards and lots of catching up on life. 

Isn't this the cutest?!