Boo at the Zoo

We had a great evening at Boo at the Zoo this year. Lyla the Ladybug was amazed when we first arrived – she kept looking around, smiling in wonder at all the kids around her. We were able to collect candy with our good friends Rand, Liam and Lily. Everything about the evening was absolutely perfect, especially being with our friends. It was one of the many times this year when I’ve experienced just as much amazement as Lyla – being a mommy and daddy is so much fun!

We are already looking forward to next year.

I’m going to have a hard time choosing pics for this post, so there might be more than a few:

Lyla’s favorite way to “ride” with Daddy:

Daddy said that Lyla walked right over to this hay maze and was intent on walking all the way through. People kept asking Lance how old she is because they all say she looks too little to walk.

Lyla loves Lily:

She is soooo beautiful:

We ended the night with a ride on the haunted carousel. I think Lyla was way too tired to enjoy it.

And, no night would be complete without pics with our favorite sea otter:

Pumpkin Pics

We didn’t get our pumpkin patch pics (…yet…still working on that). But, we took a few in the back yard with Lyla’s pre-carved pumpkin that Daddy picked out at Huber’s.

Carved pumpkin pics to follow:

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Lyla loves to point – here, she’s concerned about, what else, the barking dogs next door:

And, here, a siren on Bardstown Road:

Huber Farm = Freezing!

We went to Huber’s in hopes of creating a Hottman Family pumpkin picking tradition. All the girls were there – Lyla, Isabella and Blaire. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. We’ll try again next year, thanks to Jennifer’s dedication at getting the whole thing together.

We all showed up at the winery and started sampling wine, which was great fun. However, the cold and rain kept us there and we never got on the wagon ride as planned to pick our pumpkins. Instead, Lance bought one at a stand just outside the winery, and we headed home without our pumpkin patch pics.

We made the most of it, though. :)

And, of course, there was lots of walking involved. In fact, this proved to be quite a historic day for Lyla. When we got home and were getting ready for bed, she decided to walk, back and forth, on her own, between Lance and I. It was a culmination of everything she’s been working on over the last few week, and we sat there awestruck. We got a great video of it, which unfortunately, I don’t know how to load here (John??), but it was an absolutely amazing moment to be a parent. She was just as happy as we were, squealing with delight at what she had just accomplished, over and over and over again.

My favorite part of being Lyla’s mom is the inspiration I feel at how much she embraces life. She is so happy to be alive…makes you appreciate the little things, like being able to move your hands around.

Rain or shine, it was an awesome day.

My favorite: