Here we are having fun inside the Church after the Trunk or Treat! I had expected Joseph to be a little nervous around all these strangely-dressed people, but he just wanted to get down and crawl all around. He was especially attracted to a white feather boa someone left on the floor and this little green ball!

Happy Halloween! Tonight is the "Trunk or Treat" (trick-or-treating at parked cars instead of door-to-door) down at our Church, and we're taking Joseph dressed as a little dragon! The costume is another awesome hand-me-down from Jen, and although it might be a tad too small for him, he still looks adorable, and it sure beats buying a new costume just for one night! Of course, Joseph can't collect any candy, but he might have fun seeing all the other people in their costumes. We're going to set up a "fishing booth" of sorts at our car for a little variety, and we're hoping it will be a hit!

Here's a little video showing Joseph's newest skill, picking things up from standing! It's not really about the thing itself, but about getting it, and he just keeps dropping and picking it up over and over again. It's amazing to watch his stamina as he progresses toward walking! He's accruing quite a few little bruises in various places, including his head, but that certainly doesn't seem to be slowing him down. Go, go, go Joseph!

Tonight, Joseph discovered that he could turn the entire world purple just by looking through this plastic lid! Now every time we say "purple lid" he holds it up to his face and laughs. He is such a silly little guy!

Our little Joseph turns 11 months old this week! He's been a little pensive and serious today (we're pretty sure he's teething again), so I thought I'd try to capture his mood (and a record of his still-tiny feet and hands) in these close-up shots.

I just finished knitting my first baby sock, but I'm sorry to say that it failed its first trial run miserably! I put it on Joseph's foot and let him go, and within only a few feet of crawling the sock was halfway off his foot. Oh well, it still is pretty cute, but I'm not sure I'll be spending the time to knit it's match!

Although it may be hard to believe, Joseph is starting to cruise! It wasn't too long ago that he got the hang of sitting up on his own without periodically plunging backward, and only within the last couple of weeks has he started pulling up on things regularly. He still falls down a lot, but landing on his bottom more often than his head now, which is definitely a relief! A few days ago, he started reaching out for other supports after standing, including me and Tim. Tonight he just really seemed like he wanted to go somewhere, so we set up the kitchen chairs as a cruising course of sorts. We tried enticing him along with toys and Goldfish crackers, but the most successful bribe was the telephone handset, a mysterious, beeping, ringing object he's usually not allowed to play with. He kept at it until he was completely worn out! I can't believe how fast he's growing!

Here are a few silly videos of the three of us hanging around in the kitchen before dinner tonight!

Just a sweet shot of our sweet little string bean before his bath tonight!

This morning before breakfast, we decided to introduce Joseph to the classic baby pastime of banging on pots and pans! He took to it like a fish to water!

Tonight is the big chili cook-off down at the Church, and you'd better believe Tim is pulling out all the stops to make sure his chili is a big success: fresh garlic and tomatoes, lots of chopped green bell pepper and onion, a little Mexican hot sauce, a tiny bit of cinnamon, loads of chili powder, beans, and buffalo meat! Yes, that's right, I said buffalo meat. Tim ain't kiddin' around with this chili cookoff business!

Here we are at the actual event, with Tim showing off his big, beautiful pot of goodness! I made him the sign that says "Texas Tim's Secret Recipe Buffalo Chili" with a cowboy and a buffalo for effect. In the end, Tim's chili didn't actually come out on top, but I think there must have some kind of mix-up. His was by far the best!

Tonight, our little string bean is having a great time standing next to the Tupperware cupboard...





and playing peekaboo with me! He's having so much fun, in fact, that he gets a little overwhelmed and almost starts crying toward the end. What a sweet little guy!

When I went to get Joseph after his nap this afternoon, he stood right up with very little help from me! I just had to post these shots of him looking so happy and proud...



and adorable and sweet and, well, you get the idea!

We have teeth! As insinuated previously, Joseph is finally showing the first signs of budding, tiny teeth! They've actually been on their way for what seems like weeks now. He's had a few completely miserable days, but since they finally popped their sharp, little edges out, he seems to be feeling much better. Needless to say, he's not allowed to chomp on our fingers anymore!

We went on another walk today, but this time we managed not to get quite so lost! As we came to the top of a hill overlooking this valley, though, we wondered if we'd somehow been magically transported far away from Blacksburg. It felt more like a hike in the country than a walk in the neighborhood!

With such a glorious view, it wasn't too surprising to see this mansion with big windows perched right at the hill's crest.

The brickwork in the shape of the Virginia Tech logo in the driveway had us speculating whether the owners of the house are rich, crazy Hokie fans. Perhaps we'll see one of those giant painted Hokies in their yard in a few weeks!





Here are just a few more shots of our neighborhood. It truly is a beautiful place!

Joseph is now pulling up on anything and everything he can! His growing independence makes him extremely happy, as these shots so clearly show!

Today, Joseph discovered the brown paper bag of plums in the pantry while he and Tim were downstairs in the kitchen. Tim figured he would treat the plums the same as any other ball, but it didn't take long for our busy little beaver to figure out what plums are really all about!

He was sooooo proud of himself for getting out all that plummy goodness all by himself. I guess we're going to have to watch out now that he's got those two little teeth buds!

When Tim called me downstairs to see, Joseph promptly offered me a bite. What a funny little guy!

Today we decided out roam a bit beyond our usual walking routes, and I think we might be a little lost!



Joseph doesn't seem the least bit concerned about which direction we were going! He has too many other things on his mind, I guess, like this interesting branch!

Crazy as it might sound, I let Tim cut my hair today! One of my friends from Church recently told me she has been cutting her own hair for some time, and although I was too nervous to do it myself, I decided to let Tim have a go. It is now very, very short, perhaps a little shorter than I might prefer, but I think it looks loads better than it has after several professional cuts. Tim is excited about his handiwork, and has volunteered to learn how to cut my hair using scissors. I guess that sort of makes it work in progress, but one that might spell the end of my salon troubles!

Joseph is practicing his pulling-up skills this morning at the Tupperware cupboard. Tim had to install a little latch of sorts to keep that shelf from sliding out when Joseph puts his weight on it, but now it seems to be working rather well!

Although I might not say Joseph is looking his very best here, I couldn't resist showing off how very much he loves those Goldfish crackers!

Today we had a Pileated Woodpecker visit the dead tree right outside our back door! Pileated Woodpeckers are the largest woodpeckers in the United States, excepting Iory-Billed Woodpeckers, if you're one of those that believe they still exist. In any case, it was neat to see this fellow around!

Ahchoo! We were taking some shots of Joseph this afternoon and happened to catch him mid-sneeze!

He looks quite relieved after getting that out!

Just some more interesting fungi!

We picked up this set of plastic links from the local thrift store, and Joseph is having a great time finding out what they do!

Joseph has always loved straps, so I guess he just couldn't resist playing with this extra-long one he found in the kitchen this afternoon!