Follow the Yellow Brick Road...

Little Miss Lila was transformed into Little Miss Dorothy this Halloween! And might I add, the cutest darn Dorothy I have ever seen! She was all decked out in her white and blue checkered dress, her pigtails and her ruby red slippers! We decided to forgo a true Toto, since her puppy is her best friend, we figured that this year Toto could be a spotted dog!

On Friday Mike, Lila and I attended the Halloween festivities at TrueNorth! Every year the office hosts a Halloween party for all of our employees and their families. The kids have a route to go trick or treating with a final stop in Dad's office for $2 bills and a pile of toys to pick from!

Turn that frown upside down!

Halloween day found us enjoying another beautiful fall day! Lila enjoyed running around outside in her costume before the trick-or-treater's descended on our house!

We're off to see the wizard!

We had a lot of kids tonight! Mike and I both commented that we think it was the biggest group of kids we have had so far! We saw a lot of princesses, a few cows, some pink ladies and the list goes on and on. Lila enjoyed helping Daddy pass out the candy, at one point she was even dragging him over to the door in anticipation for the next set of kids!

On another note, Lila had her 18 month check-up a few weeks ago. She is "perfect," as the doctor says! It was so great to hear, he even gave me a pat on the back and said we were doing a great job! Not that I really need the confirmation, but it is always nice to hear that your little one is not only right on track, but in some ways farther along than the standard! She weighed in at 27.2 lbs. (80th percentile), measured 31 3/4 inches (60th percentile) and still has a melon that is right up there in the 90th percentile!

I just said to Mike tonight, "I don't want this stage to go too quickly." She is so much fun right now, I enjoy every second with her. She is deep in exploration and wanting to know what everything is, always looking around with wonder in her eyes. She is absolutely captivating! She has quite the vocabulary too, she is flying past the usual "mama, dada, hi, bye and saying things like "I see you" and "What's that?!"

A peculiar favorite of Lila's is to lay down on the kitchen floor. This is something she does quite often that Mike and I find to be quirky, but funny! It has become very clear to us that she finds great comfort there!

And as always, she continues to make us laugh and laugh! She has the cutest sense of humor and a contagious laugh. As I said above, I am not in any hurry for her to grow up, I will miss the snuggles, the playful giggles and the innocence that embodies her and has taken over our hearts!

Welcome to the Big House!

Saturday found Mike and I up, up and away! We joined my Dad, Laura, Carson and Cade on a day trip to the Iowa vs. Michigan game. It is something that the guys in my family have on their "bucket lists," visit every Big Ten stadium, so we can check "The Big House" off of Mike's list!

All aboard the Hawkeye Express!

We left Monticello at 9:00 AM and landed in Ann Arbor around 11:30 (Michigan time). Once we got unloaded we headed towards the Hawkeye Huddle. This is an event that the University puts on during every road game.

I have to admit, all of my years of Hawkeye football and I am pretty sure this is my first picture with the one and only Herky! Along with Herky, the Hawkeye cheerleaders were at the huddle too! This made one particular little boys day...no, not Mike's day, rather Cade's day, well Mike's too!

After the huddle we made our way to the stadium to take a look around and grab some lunch. Everyone kept saying that the stadium had just undergone renovations and that it is the largest American football stadium WOW...it was impressive! The stadium itself is huge and very nicely done, so it was fun to take a peek around.

This is what 113,000 people looks like!

The stadium is so big that you could come very close to putting the entire city of Cedar Rapids in the stands! That really put it into perspective for me!

2 of the 113,000 fans!

Here come the Hawkeyes!!!!

As far as I can remember, I don't believe I have ever been to an away game, so this was a first for me, so I might be a bit biased, but I will tell you...Michigan doesn't have NEAR the atmosphere of Kinnick Stadium. Even with all those people, the Hawkeyes still throw a better "party!"

The game was rather intense at moments, I call that Hawkeye Heart Failure, so it isn't anything we fans aren't used to, but it can make you crazy! The Wolverines gave us a run for our money, but we managed to pull a win 38-28. GO HAWKS! I will be honest, it feels pretty good to walk out of someone else's house with a victory!

Today found us enjoying another beautiful fall day, we spent the afternoon at CRCC for their Fall Festival! What an event! They had activities such as: bobbing apples, a cake walk, popcorn races and carving pumpkins! They also had a brunch that was heavily focused on the kids: chicken strips, quesadillas, macaroni and cheese, apple slices with caramel and popcorn balls, YUM!

Carving pumpkins

The final masterpiece!

Googley eyed giggle!

After CRCC we headed to my Dad's to pick out pumpkins from his vines. He planted some vines and actually had a really nice crop! The girls always have fun with Grandpa Smith, he is always coming up with new adventures to share with them.

On the lookout for the perfect pumpkin

Grandpa and his 3 punkin's!

The Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch!

Our 2nd Annual Eddins Family Pumpkin Patch Trip was a success! Mike and I have been visiting a local pumpkin patch for several years and couldn't wait to introduce it to Lila last year. This year seemed even more exciting because she is so much more inquisitive and interactive and also because the weather could not be more perfect right now! Last year when we loaded the family up to pick our pumpkins it was freezing cold, this year we were in t-shirts enjoying the 80 degree weather!

Alright Dad, let's get started!

After searching high and low, we ended up with a wagon full of pumpkins, gourds and corn stalks! We couldn't leave without getting Lila's picture taken on the bails of straw all set up!

This time of year is our favorite! We love the smells, the weather, the football, the colors of the trees and we especially love the tradition of decorating our front stoop! We couldn't be more thrilled to add our little punkin to the decor and include her in this tradition!

We can only hope that this weather carries on as we are so enjoying the time outdoors, watching as fall rolls in!

Bright Eyes!

Every day with Lila is about uncovering something new! You can see the wheels turning in her eyes as she stares at things in wonder! She is the happiest little girl whether it is...

Taking a dip...

Helping in the kitchen...

Watching football...

Supporting local events...

Or simply enjoying being outside!

As long as someone is there to give her a hand, play peek-a-boo, or simply give her a squeeze, she is a happy little girl! And we are SO happy she is OURS!