Autumn Festival

This weekend was the Autumn Festival in Arlington Heights, so we bundled up (it was cold out) and went down to check it out! It was a lot of fun and all free (except for the kettle corn that Daddy had to taste). They had various crafts for the kids, balloon animals, pony rides, good music, and all sorts of other fall fun. We started out at the petting zoo. The kids were a little wary at first, but Daddy got right into the spirit with this llama!

Abbey didn't really want to touch the animals. She didn't mind seeing them up close, as long as Daddy was holding her too.

We used this as an opportunity to work on learning animals and their noises with Juliette. So far she knows that a "doggie" says "wuff wuff" and a duck says "quack".

Ben was a little animal shy at first too, wanting to be held by Daddy.

But then he got into it and wanted to feed the cow.
There were also fun picture opportunities...look at this adorable farmer and flower!
Oh, another cute flower!

In other news, we think Juliette may be closer to walking. She has been able to take steps for about a month now, but she hasn't really taken off quite yet where I would call her walking. But this week she started to do it with a bit more frequency, so we'll see. I have some video - I will try to get it up soon. It's been the funniest thing. With Ben and Abbey, as soon as they took their first steps, they were off and going, but with Juliette, she took her first steps weeks ago, but still hasn't taken off! Oh well, it'll come. But she has been saying new words every day! She can say Mommy, Daddy, doggie, duck, Ben, Abbey, Juju, book, diaper, bye bye, night night, and of course, Happy Birthday, just to name a few. She can also point out your ears, nose, and hair (we're working on the other body parts) and knows what a dog and duck says. I love this stage because she is learning so much every single day and I am so glad I am spending so much time with her to see it all. Have I mentioned that I love staying home???