Toast Face Killah

We call this face "Toast Face Killah".

Don't pretend you're not scared.

OK, not so scary, I guess.

New Kitchen, New Look

Satchel got a kitchen set from Jonah Weber who kindly decided that he could part with it as long as it was going to a good home. She loves it and does a little "cooking" just about every day. Her favorite food to prepare is french fries which she then stashes everywhere around the house, especially under the couch. You'll see from the picture below that she has also become obsessed with wearing any clothes that Matt and I leave on the floor, including our underwear if we're not careful. Here she's wearing one of Matt's undershirts around her neck.

Since Satchel so enjoys dressing up in our clothes, we decided to get her some dress up clothes of her very own. She like them, but still prefers our discarded clothes if she can get a hold of them.

Flirting for the camera.

Showing off her skirt.

Grandpas Mike and Ted visited last month and we very much enjoyed getting to have them with us for a few days.

We went to the Walnut Room at Macy's to have lunch by the big Christmas Tree and there were fairy princesses milling around granting wishes!

Satchel getting her fairy dust.

The big tree was beautiful!

You can tell from Satchel's face that she was enjoying herself just a little bit.

On the El riding home.

Salad Spinners!

Some of the best toys that we have as far as Satchel is concerned are our salad spinners (yes we have two, small and large). They are fun not just for spinning as fast as you can, but......

You can use them as a stool.

Or a hat! (Satchel seems unimpressed by my photo taking).

I think that she looks a lot like her Auntie Michelle in this picture.

Shoes

What you might find by our back door:

Satchel on Harmonica - Available for Birthdays and Holiday Events

Satchel has become quite the harmonica player. She has found that playing in the toy box is particularly delightful.

Satchel the Stacker

One of Satchel's favorite pass times: stacking blocks. Here's some photos of her doing what she loves (as is surprisingly good at).

CAKE!

First of all, welcome to Isaac born Sept 22nd. We're all so excited to have him as a new part of the house family and he's beautiful!

To celebrate Isaac's birth day, we had some cake which Satchel very much enjoyed. Cake is one of her favorite things and generally results in quite the mess. Below is the mess that ensued after this particular evening of cake. You will notice that it had blue icing.

Don't think we forgot about you, cats!

So, the other day for the first time in what is probably a year, I took a picture of Birdie and Sammy asleep together on the bed. There was a time before Satchel was born when we had many a photo of the cats sweetly curled up together. Somehow our attentions have been focused elsewhere. So, here's one for the cats!

Satchel at the County Fair

So, here in the city, we had a "county fair" of sorts at the Garfield Park Conservatory. One of the attractions was a farm animal petting area which Satchel loved. At one point she got sandwiched between two sheep that were quite a bit taller than her and it didn't even phase her at all.

Look at that happy girl. Lately we've been struck by how she no longer looks like a baby, but looks like a little girl.

Checking out the bunny.

Trying her best to boss the goat and sheep. She tries this with the dogs and the chickens at home and it never works.

Fall Days at the Park

Cooler weather has meant that it's more pleasant to go out for long walks and spend time at the park. Satchel begins to get excited and "talk" emphatically as soon as the park comes into view and she is never ready to leave when it's time to go home.

First we always hit the swings.

Swings are followed by a lot of chasing after Satchel to ensure that she doesn't walk off the edge of the jungle gym. Notice how tired Matt looks.

She really never stops moving, this one.

Duck Robe

The title says it all. Here's Satchel in a duck robe that my co-worker Megan got for her. Being a little on the small side (can't imagine where she gets that), she just now grew into it.

Bike Rides and Car Rides

Satchel has done a couple of bike rides for the first time in a bike trailer. The first ride we did was Bike the Boulevards tour with Nanette and Jessi from Wicker Park Grace. It was hot and Satchel didn't like her helmet and was pretty unhappy for much of the ride.

Here we are looking all fresh before starting the tour. It was just 16 miles, but in stop and go traffic and 90 degree heat pulling a trailer, it felt like a long ride.

Our second ride was in the Cuyahoga Valley while visiting my parents in Ohio. It was beautiful and much cooler and Satchel did much better on the ride. She even fell asleep at the end.

Every time we go to Ohio, I'm always struck by the beauty of the rolling farm land. These are some photos taken out the car window.

Making our trip to Ohio, we spent a lot of time in the car - not Satchel's favorite activity. Generally Satchel is a really pleasant easy going kid and we're often told how lucky we to have such a chill little girl. However, put Satchel in the car and she becomes a different beast completely. Here are some photos to prove that she can be pretty unpleasant if she wants to be. After this particular trip home, she had us so at wits end that we offered to let my parents keep her so that we wouldn't have to endure the trip back. In the end, we changed our minds, of course.

(Imagine if you will lots of screaming to go with these photos)