Here we are tonight at the "Trunk or Treat", the trick-or-treat-from-your-car party our church holds every year, where both our car (aka the Green Monster) and Joseph (aka the Pumpkin) are having a great time on this brisk October evening! While we keep the car's tongue stocked with candy, Joseph is spending most of his time opening and closing the car doors (something he just can't seem to get enough of), and occasionally running over to point at the cute "baby giraffe" (a real baby dressed in a giraffe costume) a couple cars down. I tried to show him about trick-or-treating, but I don't think he really knows enough about candy yet to make it worth the effort. He thinks his costume is pretty neat, though, and keeps talking about how much he likes wearing his "pumpkin hat". In fact, he was quite surprised when another little fellow his age came by dressed as a pumpkin, too, but without anything on his head at all! In any case, we sure are having fun out here tonight!

Lately, Joseph has really figured out how to dance with his feet, stomping them around and spinning in circles when he hears some music that he likes, which is just about any music, really!

Joseph got a fun Halloween card in the mail from his Grandma and Grandpa Gedlaman yesterday. Here are some shots of him opening it this morning, and pointing to one of his favorite words lately, "Boo!"

Hail the conquering hero! This afternoon was Tim's PhD defense, and here he is with the proof that he passed with flying colors! That means he really will get that stylish hood at graduation in Dec, that he really does have a job waiting for him at Southwest Research Institute, that we really are moving to San Antonio at the end of the year, and that we can all start calling him Dr Allison, or Tim Allison, PhD! I'm still just flabbergasted that he did it all in under two years, and he looks pretty handsome in his new suit, too!

We're finally back from our house-hunting trip to San Antonio, and we got our second set of photos from Michele. Here are some of our favorites!

I got a real haircut today, the first one in almost exactly a year! I'm so very happy with it, and frankly don't much care what anyone else thinks. It is probably the best looking, easiest to do haircut I've ever had, and that means it'll probably be around for quite some time! Let's just hope I can find a good stylist when we get to San Antonio!

Fall is finally here, the weather is beautiful, and we just couldn't resist getting out for a little hike today! We're here at Pandapas Pond, the ideal spot for little hikers, because the trail is wide, level, and easy to follow. Folks around here say there was too little rain this summer, so this fall isn't a particularly beautiful one, but those maple leaves behind us sure look pretty to me!

Here's our little newbie just raring to go!

After only a short distance, we spotted this handy picnic bench under the trees. Since Joseph and I were both hungry, we decided to stop and eat! Here's a shot of Joseph directing Tim in getting the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches out of the bag.

While we were eating, this little, streaky bird came by to check us out. Tiny birds like this are always difficult to identify, but I'm placing my bets on a female Yellow-Rumped Warbler. It sure is great to be outside!

In light of his enthusiasm for being outside, Joseph rushed through lunch and is now ready to go way before his two sluggish parents! He's keeping himself entertained for the moment by watching the dead leaves blow around in the wind and pointing to all the little rocks around our table. As we were driving out here, we gave Joseph three rules for take pictures: 1) we stand still and smile, 2) we count to three, 3) and then we get to run around. Here's a shot of Joseph following them to the letter!





Off we go again! We kind of need to take Joseph's hand and direct him toward the camera when it's time for a picture, but otherwise he's doing quite well running along the trail by himself! What a great little hiker!



As it turns out, the biggest attraction of the day for Joseph is the mass of acorns littering the trail. When he finds them, he wants to point at them, name them, pick several up, throw some around, then run off to find the next bunch! Here's a shot of Tim helping him get a few in his shirt pocket to save for later. What a beautiful morning it's been!

Today our friend Michele met us at the Virginia Tech Botanical Gardens to take some family photos of the us! As it turned out, the bright sun, lovely flowers, soft grass, and pond full of "goldfishies" all made it difficult for our little hot pepper to sit still for the camera, and these are the best shots of the bunch. Michele graciously offered to try again next week, so we'll do our best to get Joseph prepped between now and then and just see how it goes!

One thing Joseph absolutely loves about going to the nursery class at church is playing with bubbles. Since church is canceled today because of General Conference, we decided to take Joseph to the park and let him play with some bubbles there this morning. Here's a beautiful butterfly we saw along the way!



Here at the park, Joseph is watching the bubbles go by, but he's frankly more interested in stepping on and off of this sewer cover. Tim and I are sure having fun blowing them, though!





Here are a few shots of Joseph actually playing with the bubbles. It's just so amazing to see the world anew again through your child's eyes!

Here's just a fun little video of Joseph running around in the kitchen today!

Although Joseph can't actually read yet, he sure likes to act like he can! Our little bookworm has essentially memorized all his favorite books, and here he is "reading" the words to Freight Train out loud while he turns the pages with me this afternoon!